Fort Bunker Hill

Last updated
Fort Bunker Hill
Part of the Civil War defenses of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Fort Bunker Hill - Washington, District of Columbia.png
Fort Bunker Hill on a map of 1863
Location map District of Columbia street.png
Red pog.svg
Fort Bunker Hill
Coordinates 38°56′07″N76°59′16″W / 38.93539°N 76.98775°W / 38.93539; -76.98775
TypeEarthwork fort
Site information
Controlled by Union Army
ConditionResidential Area
Site history
Built1861
Built by11th Massachusetts Infantry regiment
In use1861–1865
MaterialsEarth and timber
Demolished1865
Battles/wars American Civil War

Fort Bunker Hill was one of seven temporary earthwork forts part of the Civil War Defenses of Washington, D.C., during the Civil War built in the Northeast quadrant of the city at the beginning of the Civil War by the Union Army to protect the city from the Confederate Army. From west to east, the forts were: Fort Slocum, Fort Totten, Fort Slemmer, Fort Bunker Hill, Fort Saratoga, Fort Thayer and Fort Lincoln. Unlike other forts, today very little remains of the structure.

Contents

Civil War

The fort was built in the fall of 1861 by soldiers from the 11th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry on land owned by Henry Quinn [1] and was named after the Battle of Bunker Hill of 1775 in Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts. [2] It was located between Fort Slemmer and Fort Saratoga and was intended to assist in the defense of the northeast approaches to Washington between Fort Totten and Fort Lincoln.

Company F of the 11th Vermont Infantry Regiment was assigned to Fort Bunker Hill to assist in the defense of the city until November 17, 1862. Thirteen guns were mounted in the rectangular-shaped fort, which operated until the conclusion of hostilities in 1865. [3] [2]

The following armament was assigned to Fort Bunker Hill:

The following troops garrisoned at Fort Bunker Hill:

A supporting field battery stood a few yards to the North. [5]

Post Civil War

The site of the fort is bounded by 14th, Otis, 13th, and Perry Streets NE in Brookland, DC. Today, little remains of the fort, and the site is maintained by the National Park Service. [2]

A marker by the National Park Service commemorates the Fort:

Fort Bunker Hill

One of the Civil War Defenses of Washington erected in the fall of 1861, Fort Bunker Hill occupied an important position between Fort Totten and Fort Lincoln in the defense of the National Capital. Thirteen guns and mortars were mounted in the fort.

United States Department of the Interior

National Park Service

A nearby road was named Bunker Hill Road after the fort, but it was later renamed Michigan Avenue.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Schuyler</span>

Fort Schuyler is a preserved 19th century fortification in the New York City borough of the Bronx. It houses a museum, the Stephen B. Luce Library, and the Marine Transportation Department and Administrative offices of the State University of New York Maritime College. It is considered one of the finest examples of early 19th century fortifications. The fort was named in honor of Major General Philip Schuyler of the Continental Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Moultrie</span> United States historic place

Fort Moultrie is a series of fortifications on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, built to protect the city of Charleston, South Carolina. The first fort, formerly named Fort Sullivan, built of palmetto logs, inspired the flag and nickname of South Carolina, as "The Palmetto State". The fort was renamed for the U.S. patriot commander in the Battle of Sullivan's Island, General William Moultrie. During British occupation, in 1780–1782, the fort was known as Fort Arbuthnot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Fort Stevens</span> 1864 battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Fort Stevens was an American Civil War battle fought July 11–12, 1864, in Washington County, D.C., during the Valley Campaigns of 1864 between forces under Confederate Lieutenant General Jubal Early and Union Major General Alexander McDowell McCook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Slocum</span> United States Army fortress in the U.S. state of New York

Fort Slocum, New York was a US military post which occupied Davids Island in the western end of Long Island Sound in the city of New Rochelle, New York, from 1867 to 1965. The fort was named for Major General Henry W. Slocum, a Union corps commander in the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Totten (Queens)</span> Historic military installation in Queens, New York

Fort Totten is a former active United States Army installation in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located on the Willets Point peninsula on the north shore of Long Island. Fort Totten is at the head of Little Neck Bay, where the East River widens to become Long Island Sound. While the U.S. Army Reserve continues to maintain a presence at the fort, the property is now owned by the City of New York. The neighborhood has buses and served by MTA Regional Bus Operations Q13 and Q16 Buses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Marcy (Virginia)</span>

Fort Marcy was a Union fortification protecting Washington, D.C. during the American Civil War. Its remains are now administered by the National Park Service as part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Fairfax County, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Preble</span>

Fort Preble was a military fort in South Portland, Maine, United States, built in 1808 and progressively added to through 1906. The fort was active during all major wars from the War of 1812 through World War II. The fort was deactivated in 1950. It is now on the campus of Southern Maine Community College.

The 3rd Massachusetts Volunteer Heavy Artillery Regiment was a unit that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was organized from already mustered unattached companies of heavy artillery raised for the defenses of the Massachusetts coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civil War Defenses of Washington</span> United States historic place

The Civil War Defenses of Washington were a group of Union Army fortifications that protected the federal capital city, Washington, D.C., from invasion by the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Willard</span>

Fort Willard is a former Union Army installation now located in the Belle Haven area of Fairfax County in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is currently undergoing preservation treatment to protect its earthen walls and trenches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battery Kemble Park</span> Park in Washington, D.C., U.S.

Battery Kemble Park is a park in Northwest Washington D.C., administered by the National Park Service.

The 143rd Ohio Infantry Regiment, sometimes 143rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">150th Ohio Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 150th Ohio Infantry Regiment, sometimes 150th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Totten Park</span> Washington, D.C. Civil War memorial site

Fort Totten Park is an American Civil War memorial on the site of a Union fort in Washington, DC. It is under the management of the National Park Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Lincoln (District of Columbia)</span>

Fort Lincoln was one of seven temporary earthwork forts part of the Civil War Defenses of Washington, DC during the Civil War built in the Northeast quadrant of the city at the beginning of the Civil War by the Union Army to protect the city from the Confederate Army. From west to east, the forts were as follow: Fort Slocum, Fort Totten, Fort Slemmer, Fort Bunker Hill, Fort Saratoga, Fort Thayer and Fort Lincoln.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harbor Defenses of New York</span> Military unit

The Harbor Defenses of New York was a United States Army Coast Artillery Corps harbor defense command. It coordinated the coast defenses of New York City from 1895 to 1950, beginning with the Endicott program, some of which were located in New Jersey. These included both coast artillery forts and underwater minefields. The command originated c. 1895 as an Artillery District(s) and became the Coast Defenses of Eastern New York and Coast Defenses of Southern New York in 1913. Circa 1915 the Coast Defenses of Sandy Hook separated from the latter command. In 1925 the commands were renamed as Harbor Defense Commands, and in 1935 the Harbor Defenses of Eastern New York was almost entirely disarmed, although possibly retaining the minefield capability. The New York and Sandy Hook commands and the Harbor Defenses of Long Island Sound were unified as the Harbor Defenses of New York on 9 May 1942.

Fort Slocum was one of seven temporary earthwork forts, part of the Civil War Defenses of Washington, D.C., during the Civil War, built in the Northeast quadrant of the city after the beginning of the war by the Union Army to protect the city from the Confederate Army. From west to east, the forts were as follow: Fort Slocum, Fort Totten, Fort Slemmer, Fort Bunker Hill, Fort Saratoga, Fort Thayer and Fort Lincoln.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Saratoga</span>

Fort Saratoga was one of seven temporary earthwork forts part of the Civil War Defenses of Washington, D.C., during the Civil War built in the Northeast quadrant of the city at the beginning of the Civil War by the Union Army to protect the city from the Confederate Army. From west to east, the forts were as follow: Fort Slocum, Fort Totten, Fort Slemmer, Fort Bunker Hill, Fort Saratoga, Fort Thayer and Fort Lincoln.. Unlike other forts, nothing remains of the structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Thayer</span>

Fort Thayer was one of seven temporary earthwork forts part of the Civil War Defenses of Washington, D.C., during the Civil War built in the Northeast quadrant of the city at the beginning of the Civil War by the Union Army to protect the city from the Confederate Army. From west to east, the forts were as follow: Fort Slocum, Fort Totten, Fort Slemmer, Fort Bunker Hill, Fort Saratoga, Fort Thayer and Fort Lincoln. Unlike other forts, today nothing remains of the structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Slemmer</span>

Fort Slemmer sometimes called Battery Slemmer was one of seven temporary earthwork forts part of the Civil War Defenses of Washington, D.C., during the Civil War built in the Northeast quadrant of the city at the beginning of the Civil War by the Union Army to protect the city from the Confederate Army. From west to east, the forts were as follow: Fort Slocum, Fort Totten, Fort Slemmer, Fort Bunker Hill, Fort Saratoga, Fort Thayer and Fort Lincoln. Unlike other forts, today very little remains of the structure.

References

  1. National Part Service - Appendix A: Alphabetical Listing of Forts, Batteries, and Blockhouses - https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/civilwar/hrsa1-a.htm
  2. 1 2 3 National Park Service - Fort bunker Hill - https://www.nps.gov/places/fort-bunker-hill.htm
  3. Cooling III, Benjamin Franklin; Owen II, Walton H. (6 October 2009). Mr. Lincoln's Forts: A Guide to the Civil War Defenses of Washington. Scarecrow Press. pp. 196–200. ISBN   978-0-8108-6307-1.
  4. FortWiki - Fort Bunker Hill - http://www.fortwiki.com/Fort_Bunker_Hill
  5. 1 2 3 The Defenses of Washington during the War - The Evening Star, Thursday, October 9, 1902