I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4915 

To designate the Civil War Defenses of Washington National Historical Park 

comprised of certain National Park System lands, and by affiliation 

and cooperative agreements other historically significant resources, located in the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland, that were 

part of the Civil War defenses of Washington and related to the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864, to study ways in which the Civil 

War history of both the North and South can be assembled, arrayed, 

and conveyed for the benefit of the public, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 12, 2016 

Ms. NORTON (for herself and Ms. EDWARDS) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To designate the Civil War Defenses of Washington National 

Historical Park comprised of certain National Park System lands, and by affiliation and cooperative agreements 

other historically significant resources, located in the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland, that were 

part of the Civil War defenses of Washington and related 

to the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864, to study 

ways in which the Civil War history of both the North 

and South can be assembled, arrayed, and conveyed for 

the benefit of the public, and for other purposes. 


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1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Civil War Defenses of Washington National Historical 

6 Park Act’’. 

7 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

8 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings and purposes. 

Sec. 3. Redesignation. 

Sec. 4. Areas included in Civil War Defenses of Washington National Historical 

Park. 

Sec. 5. Possible inclusion of additional areas. 

Sec. 6. National Civil War History Education Center Report. 

Sec. 7. Administration. 

Sec. 8. Definitions. 

9 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

10 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds and declares as 

11 follows: 

12 (1) As the United States concludes the com13 memoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil 

14 War, 1861–1865, it is fitting and helpful for Ameri15 cans to remember, reflect upon, and learn from the 

16 storied history, valor, heartbreak, and suffering of 

17 both sides in this tragic war that so divided and 

18 scarred the young Nation, but that also served as a 

19 crucible for the Nation to secure itself as the United 

20 States and preserve the Union, abolish the injustice 


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1 of slavery, and become the beacon of hope as a de2 mocracy that it has become for the world. 

3 (2) The significance of the Civil War to the fu4 ture of the United States is incalculable. The war’s 

5 lessons and meaning to the history of the United 

6 States, what it stands for, and its place in the world 

7 today must be remembered and conveyed to future 

8 generations. The war pitted family against family, 

9 brother against brother, friend against friend, Blue 

10 against Gray. Its battlegrounds were consecrated 

11 with blood that was shed by many who gave their 

12 last full measure of devotion. The reunited democ13 racy that emerged, after such a heavy loss of life on 

14 both sides and the difficult decades of healing that 

15 followed, made the United States stronger. It helped 

16 the Nation advance toward achieving the inalienable 

17 rights and noble goals and values its founders 

18 sought, but had not fully achieved, in their lifetimes. 

19 (3) The defenses of Washington played a key 

20 role in the outcome of the Civil War. They were con21 structed at the beginning of the war in 1861 as a 

22 ring of fortifications in the District of Columbia, 

23 Maryland, and northern Virginia, to protect the Na24 tion’s Capital. By the end of the war, these defenses 

25 included 68 forts, 93 unarmed batteries, 807 mountVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:42 Apr 15, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4915.IH H4915

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1 ed cannon, 13 miles of rifle trenches, and 32 miles 

2 of military roads. 

3 (4) The major test of the Civil War defenses of 

4 Washington came with the Shenandoah Valley Cam5 paign of 1864 when Confederate Lieutenant General 

6 Jubal Early marched from Richmond to Lynchburg, 

7 Virginia, and through the Shenandoah Valley to 

8 Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and Frederick, Mary9 land. His major objective, as directed to him by 

10 General Robert E. Lee, was to attack the Nation’s 

11 Capital from the north, causing Union Forces to be 

12 withdrawn from threatening Richmond, the capital 

13 of the Confederacy. He was delayed by Union Major 

14 General Lew Wallace at the Battle of Monocacy on 

15 July 9, 1864, and was stopped at the northern edge 

16 of the District of Columbia at the Battle of Fort 

17 Stevens on July 11–12, 1864. The Shenandoah Val18 ley Campaign ended when Union Lieutenant General 

19 Philip Sheridan defeated General Early at the Battle 

20 of Cedar Creek, Virginia, on October 19, 1864. 

21 (5) The Battle of Fort Stevens was the second 

22 and last attempt by the Confederate Army to attack 

23 Washington. The first major effort to surround or 

24 capture the Nation’s Capital ended at Gettysburg in 

25 July 1863. After that historic battle, in his address 


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1 at Gettysburg Cemetery on November 19, 1863, 

2 President Abraham Lincoln redefined what was at 

3 stake: ‘‘a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedi4 cated to the proposition that all men are created 

5 equal . . . that this nation, under God, shall have 

6 a new birth of freedom—and that government of the 

7 people, by the people, and for the people shall not 

8 perish from the earth.’’. 

9 (6) The Battle of Fort Stevens was the only 

10 verifiable time that a sitting United States President 

11 (Abraham Lincoln) came under hostile fire during a 

12 battle while in office. Nearly all the individual forts 

13 in the defenses of Washington (on both sides of the 

14 Potomac and Anacostia Rivers) were involved in 

15 stopping General Early’s attack. Had that one battle 

16 at the very edge of Washington been lost, the Na17 tion’s Capital, the Presidency, the Union Govern18 ment, and emancipation all would have been poten19 tially lost and the history of the United States dra20 matically changed. The victory at Fort Stevens not 

21 only saved the city and the national government, but 

22 also led to the October 1864 victories for the Union 

23 in the Shenandoah Valley, which ensured Lincoln’s 

24 re-election and preservation of the Union at that 

25 critical moment. 


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1 (7) After the end of the war, most of the Civil 

2 War defenses of Washington were returned to pri3 vate land owners, but many were retained by the 

4 military or the lands were repurchased later by the 

5 United States. Of the remaining fortifications in 

6 public ownership, 19 sites (including Battleground 

7 Cemetery) are owned by the Federal Government 

8 and managed by the National Park Service, four are 

9 owned by local units of government in northern Vir10 ginia, and one is owned by Montgomery County, 

11 Maryland. 

12 (8) In 1902, the Senate McMillan Commission 

13 issued a Report on the Improvement of the Park 

14 System of Washington (U.S. Senate Committee on 

15 the District of Columbia, Senate Report No. 166, 

16 57th Congress, 1st Session). The Report called for 

17 development of a ‘‘Fort Drive’’ to connect the Civil 

18 War defenses of Washington in the Nation’s Capital. 

19 Congress appropriated funds to purchase lands for 

20 the Fort Drive during the 1930s, but it was never 

21 fully completed. 

22 (9) Most of the remaining Civil War defenses of 

23 Washington contain significant natural and rec24 reational resources, and some offer sweeping vistas 

25 overlooking the Nation’s Capital. With the lands acVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:42 Apr 15, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4915.IH H4915

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1 quired for the Fort Drive, they provide a linkage of 

2 urban green spaces that contribute to the history, 

3 character, and scenic values of the Nation’s Capital 

4 and offer educational and recreational opportunities 

5 along with their natural and important historical 

6 values. 

7 (10) Sites associated with the Civil War de8 fenses of Washington that are in Federal ownership 

9 within the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth 

10 of Virginia, and the State of Maryland are managed 

11 under three separate units of the National Park 

12 Service (Rock Creek Park, National Capital Parks– 

13 East, and the George Washington Memorial Park14 way). Action by Congress is needed to protect and 

15 aid the educational benefits of the unique place in 

16 history of these sites through proper management, 

17 stabilization, maintenance, development, use, and, 

18 importantly, interpretation. 

19 (11) It is fitting and proper that, as Americans 

20 reflect upon the legacy of the Civil War, we more 

21 fully understand and appreciate the roles of the bat22 tles in the District of Columbia, Virginia, West Vir23 ginia, and Maryland related to the defenses of 

24 Washington. Taken together, these battles were piv25 otal to the outcome of the war and therefore to its 


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1 impact on the promise of the United States. It is 

2 therefore in the national interest that these histori3 cally important sites and resources be protected 

4 from further damage or loss and that they be pre5 served, enhanced, and interpreted for the use, enjoy6 ment, and education of present and future genera7 tions. 

8 (12) There is a genuine need and compelling 

9 reason for the United States to rededicate itself to 

10 and honor the vision and ideals of democracy as re11 flected in the Constitution by commemorating and 

12 interpreting through this National Historical Park 

13 the epic story of the American Civil War and the 

14 profound and lasting impact of the war on the val15 ues, capabilities, and strengths that the United 

16 States reflects through the ideals that it stands for 

17 in the world today. 

18 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 

19 (1) to protect, preserve, enhance, and interpret 

20 for the benefit and use of present and future genera21 tions the cultural, historical, natural, and rec22 reational resources of the Civil War defenses of 

23 Washington located in the District of Columbia, Vir24 ginia, and Maryland; and 


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1 (2) to study and consider creative and cost-ef2 fective ways that the storied history of the Civil 

3 War, including the defenses of Washington and the 

4 Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864, can be as5 sembled, arrayed, and effectively conveyed to and for 

6 the benefit of the public. 

7 SEC. 3. REDESIGNATION. 

8 The Civil War defenses of Washington are hereby re9 designated as the Civil War Defenses of Washington Na10 tional Historical Park. 

11 SEC. 4. AREAS INCLUDED IN CIVIL WAR DEFENSES OF 

12 WASHINGTON NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK. 

13 (a) AREAS UNDER THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE

14 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE.—The National Historical 

15 Park shall include all areas associated with the Civil War 

16 defenses of Washington that are currently owned by the 

17 Federal Government and under the administration of the 

18 National Park Service, each as depicted on appropriate 

19 maps maintained by the Secretary of the Interior, includ20 ing the following: 

21 (1) The following fortifications and associated 

22 lands: 

23 (A) Battery Kemble. 

24 (B) Fort Bayard. 

25 (C) Fort Bunker Hill. 


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1 (D) Fort Carroll. 

2 (E) Fort Chaplin. 

3 (F) Fort Davis. 

4 (G) Fort DeRussy. 

5 (H) Fort Dupont. 

6 (I) Fort Foote. 

7 (J) Fort Greble. 

8 (K) Fort Mahan. 

9 (L) Fort Marcy. 

10 (M) Fort Reno. 

11 (N) Fort Ricketts. 

12 (O) Fort Slocum. 

13 (P) Fort Stanton. 

14 (Q) Fort Stevens. 

15 (R) Fort Totten. 

16 (2) The following affiliated National Park 

17 Areas: 

18 (A) Fort Circle Drive. 

19 (B) Battleground National Cemetery. 

20 (C) Fort Washington. 

21 (D) Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm. 

22 (b) POTENTIAL AFFILIATION OF ELIGIBLE AREAS

23 OWNED BY LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.—Any site associated 

24 with the Civil War defenses of Washington that is owned 

25 by a unit of local government in Virginia, Maryland, or 


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1 the District of Columbia, may become affiliated with the 

2 National Historical Park pursuant to a cooperative agree3 ment entered into between the unit of local government 

4 concerned and the Secretary, including the following: 

5 (1) In Virginia: 

6 (A) Fort Ward, City of Alexandria. 

7 (B) Fort C.F. Smith, Arlington County. 

8 (C) Fort Ethan Allen, Arlington County. 

9 (D) Fort Willard, Fairfax County. 

10 (2) In Maryland: Battery Bailey, Montgomery 

11 County. 

12 SEC. 5. POSSIBLE INCLUSION OF ADDITIONAL AREAS. 

13 (a) AFFILIATION AUTHORITY.—Any site associated 

14 with the Civil War defenses of Washington that is owned 

15 by a private individual or organization or a unit of local 

16 government in the District of Columbia, Virginia, or 

17 Maryland, other than those listed in section 4, that the 

18 Secretary determines is eligible for affiliation with the Na19 tional Historical Park, may be affiliated with the National 

20 Historical Park pursuant to a cooperative agreement en21 tered into between the site owner and the Secretary. The 

22 Secretary may purchase such properties from willing sell23 ers, subject to the availability of private sector donated 

24 funding or appropriations. 


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1 (b) CONSENT REQUIRED.—No non-Federal property 

2 may be included in the National Historical Park without 

3 the written consent of the owner of the property. 

4 (c) PROHIBITION ON USE OF CONDEMNATION.—The 

5 Secretary may not acquire by condemnation any land or 

6 interest in land under this Act or for the purposes of this 

7 Act. 

8 (d) CONSULTATION AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.— 

9 The Secretary shall consult with interested officials of 

10 State governments and units of local government, rep11 resentatives of interested organizations, and interested 

12 members of the public before executing a cooperative 

13 agreement under this section or section 7(d). 

14 SEC. 6. NATIONAL CIVIL WAR HISTORY EDUCATION CEN15 TER REPORT. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—In furtherance of and consistent 

17 with section 2, the Secretary shall study and consider cre18 ative and cost-effective ways to facilitate the storied his19 tory of the Civil War for both the North and the South, 

20 including the history of the defenses of Washington and 

21 the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864, being assem22 bled, arrayed, and conveyed for the benefit of the public 

23 for the knowledge, education, and inspiration of this and 

24 future generations about the impact of that war on the 

25 United States and its fledgling democracy, abolition of 


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1 slavery, free enterprise economic system, culture, art, 

2 music, and national security capabilities. 

3 (b) ASSISTANCE.—In conducting the study, the Sec4 retary shall seek and coordinate the assistance of a wide 

5 array of expertise of individuals and organizations regard6 ing Civil War history, potential locations where this sto7 ried history may be shared, including adaptive reuse of 

8 existing structures, and donated funding resources to help 

9 facilitate carrying out this section. 

10 (c) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 

11 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 

12 a report with recommendations regarding the study re13 quired by subsection (a) to the Committee on Natural Re14 sources of the House of Representatives and the Com15 mittee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate. 

16 SEC. 7. ADMINISTRATION. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall administer 

18 the National Historical Park in accordance with this Act 

19 and the laws generally applicable to units of the National 

20 Park System. 

21 (b) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary may 

22 provide technical assistance to local governments and pri23 vate individuals and organizations for the management, 

24 interpretation, and preservation of historically significant 


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1 resources associated with the Civil War defenses of Wash2 ington. 

3 (c) DONATIONS.—The Secretary may accept, hold, 

4 administer, and use gifts, bequests, devises, and other do5 nations, including labor and services, for purposes of this 

6 Act, including preserving or providing access to sites and 

7 other resources relating to the Civil War defenses of 

8 Washington. 

9 (d) OTHER COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—In addi10 tion to the authority provided by section 5(a), the Sec11 retary may enter into cooperative agreements with State 

12 governments, units of local government, organizations, or 

13 individuals to further the purposes of the Act, including 

14 to provide visitor services and administrative facilities 

15 within reasonable proximity to the National Historical 

16 Park. 

17 (e) MARKING OF HISTORICAL SITES.—The Secretary 

18 may identify significant federally or nonfederally owned 

19 sites relating to the Civil War history in Washington and 

20 adjacent environs in northern Virginia and Montgomery 

21 County, Maryland, and, with the consent of the owner or 

22 owners thereof, mark them appropriately and make ref23 erence to them in any interpretive literature. 


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1 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 

2 For the purposes of this Act, the following definitions 

3 apply: 

4 (1) NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK.—The term 

5 ‘‘National Historical Park’’ means the Civil War De6 fenses of Washington National Historical Park des7 ignated by section 3. 

8 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

9 the Secretary of the Interior. 

Æ 


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