Battery Cameron

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Battery Cameron
Part of Civil War defenses of Washington, D.C.
District of Columbia
Near Georgetown (Washington, D.C.) in  United States
Site information
Controlled by Union Army

Battery Cameron was a Union Army defensive site during the Civil War. Battery Cameron was one in a chain of fortifications in the Civil War Defenses of Washington, D.C., also known as the "Fort Circle". The battery was located atop a hill on Foxhall Road at what is now the intersection of Foxhall and Whitehaven Parkway, NW. The battery included two 100-pound Parrott rifles, placed in such a way as to sweep Aqueduct Bridge, and Virginia beyond.

Union Army Land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War

During the American Civil War, the Union Army referred to the United States Army, the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. Also known as the Federal Army, it proved essential to the preservation of the United States as a working, viable republic.

American Civil War Internal war in the U.S. over slavery

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865, between the North and the South. The Civil War began primarily as a result of the long-standing controversy over the enslavement of black people. War broke out in April 1861 when secessionist forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina shortly after Abraham Lincoln had been inaugurated as the President of the United States. The loyalists of the Union in the North, which also included some geographically western and southern states, proclaimed support for the Constitution. They faced secessionists of the Confederate States in the South, who advocated for states' rights in order to uphold slavery.

Washington, D.C., in the American Civil War aspect of history

Washington, D.C., during the American Civil War was the nerve-center of the Union war effort, which rapidly turned it from a small city into a major capital with full civic infrastructure and strong defenses.

Contents

Battery Cameron in the Civil War Defenses of Washington, 1861. Note the absence of Battery Kemble to the north. Battery Cameron.jpg
Battery Cameron in the Civil War Defenses of Washington, 1861. Note the absence of Battery Kemble to the north.

The site on which Battery Cameron was located is now a reservoir. The property is administered by the Army Corps of Engineers. Its neighbors are the German Embassy (to the south), and George Washington University's Mount Vernon Campus (to the north).

United States Army Corps of Engineers federal but hole under the Department of Defense and a major Army command

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is a U.S. federal agency under the Department of Defense (DoD) and a major Army command made up of some 37,000 civilian and military personnel, making it one of the world's largest public engineering, design, and construction management agencies. Although generally associated with dams, canals and flood protection in the United States, USACE is involved in a wide range of public works throughout the world. The Corps of Engineers provides outdoor recreation opportunities to the public, and provides 24% of U.S. hydropower capacity.

Embassy of Germany, Washington, D.C. German diplomatic mission

The German Embassy in Washington, D.C. is the Federal Republic of Germany's diplomatic mission to the United States. Its chancery, designed by Egon Eiermann and opened in 1964, is located in northwest Washington, D.C. As of 2018, the German ambassador to the United States is Emily Haber.

George Washington University university in Washington, D.C.

The George Washington University is a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was chartered in 1821 by an act of the United States Congress.

First High Service Reservoir

Underneath Battery Cameron is a facility administered by the DC Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) called the "First High Service Reservoir". For many residents in the area, this is the first place that potable water is pumped after it has been treated at the Dalecarlia Water Treatment Plant. The First High Service Reservoir was built in 1924, and has a capacity of 14.5 million US gallons (55,000 m3). [1]

The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority provides drinking water, sewage collection and sewage treatment in Washington, D.C.. The utility also provides wholesale wastewater treatment services to several adjoining municipalities in Maryland and Virginia, and maintains more than 9,000 public fire hydrants in the District of Columbia. DC Water was created in 1996, when the District Government and the U.S. federal government established it as an independent authority of the District government.

International espionage

Robert Hanssen, the former FBI agent who spied for Soviet and Russian intelligence agencies until 2001, used the utility pole on the corner of Foxhall and Whitehaven, just outside the fence of the reservoir (formerly known as Battery Cameron) as a signal site. [2]

Robert Hanssen FBI agent who spied for Soviet and Russian intelligence services

Robert Philip Hanssen is a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent who spied for Soviet and Russian intelligence services against the United States from 1979 to 2001. His espionage was described by the Department of Justice as "possibly the worst intelligence disaster in U.S. history." He is currently serving 15 consecutive life sentences at ADX Florence, a federal supermax prison near Florence, Colorado.

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References

  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-12-14. Retrieved 2010-03-23.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. Indictment of Robert Hanssen, page 56. http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/hanssen/hnssnstatefacts3.pdf