Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-09

barnyard Of CoIqmbua Alexander, which
stands in the southwest angle formed by
the ne Junction OF BARS Gross Road and MIL
County road. Farts Craig and Mcpherson
are to the sqpthwestward, while Forts
Whipple. Cass, Woodbury., Morton and
Corcoran are to- The aorthward.
Fort Mcpherson.
Pleasantly situated in the southern ex-
tremity of the grounds of Arlington Ma
tional cemtery was Fort Mcpherson. The
old works. which, have stood the ravages Of
time remarka bl ytwell zwere never complet-
ed it being late in the war before the work
was planned. but it is the purpose Of the
authorities to now complete the work and
give 1t warlike appearance. A large force
of men it at work on 1t with that object
in view, and ere long its embrasures will
ern pattern. The fort was named after
General James Birdseye Mcpherson of
Ohio, who was killed near Atlanta, Ga,
July %, 1864. 1t was never armed.
Fort Craig.
Fort Craig is situated quarter of mile
north of the Columbia road near the VIII
lage of Arlington. 1t is a few rods west
of Fort Mcpherson, and half mile south
Of Fort Tillinghast. The fort was one Of
the smaller ones and the old works are
fairly preserved They are now occupied
by the residence and outhouses of Mr..
George PettiS. The armament consisted of
twelve guns, four of which were twenty
four-pounder siege guns, one twentyfour-
FOUNDER field howitZer, four thirty FOUNDER
PARROTS, one ten-nch siege mortar, and
one twenty-four FOUNDER Calhoun mortar.
The fort was named after Lieutenant Pres
ley o. Craig, a native of Massachusetts,.
detachment of the 10Th Maine did artillery
duty here in the fall of 1862.
Fort Albany.
This fort is on the Georgetown and Alex
andria road, Immediately south of its juno
ton with the Columbia road. 1t is about
three miles from the Capitol and a half
mile south of the Arlington national ceme-
terry. Mount Zion Baptist Church, a plain
brick structure and number of negro huts
now occupy the old works.
Forts Runyon and Jackson stand to the
eastward, Forts Scott and Richardson to
the south, Forts Barry and Craig to the
west and Forts Mcpherson and Haggerty to
the north. This fort was one Of the first
constructed, being built Immediately after
our men took possession of the Virginia
soil by General Sanford's New York
troops, 9th It'll, 18th and 25th Regiments,
who passed over the Long bridge with Run
yon New Jersey Brigade, and was named
In honor of the capital city Of their state.
The following District of Columbia volun-
teers aided in the work: Captain Smeads
National Rifles Captain Powelrs Zouaves
(who drove the rebel pickets toward Alex
andria) and Captain Degges' Constitutional
Guards. The work was conducted under
the supervision of Capt. B. s. Alexander
or the Engineer Corps. The armament of
the fort consisted of eighteen guns, as fol-
lows: Thirteen 24-pounder barbette two g.
FOUNDER field and 24-pounder howitzers
!hey were managed by 1873 gunners. The
tort was garrisoned and occupied by the
Following other organizations during the
war: Detachments of the 10Th Maine 14th
Massachusetts Oh. A., seth Pennsyl-
vania. 18th, 10th. 162d and 164th Ohio Ma
tional Guard, 4th New York Heavy Artil-
lery, Batteries 3 and D, 9Th. G, LIST United
States Artillery.
Fort Runyon.
The first fort of the defenses of Washing
ton planned was Fort Runyon, work on it
having been commenced by daylight of Nav
"a, 1861, by the eth New York To Runvon's
New Jersey Brigade cd, Sd and 4th regi-
ments) belongs the honor of building this,
the largest of the forts. and it was named
after the brigade's commanding officer
Theodore Runyon. 1t was constructed nm
DER the supervision, of Capt. B. s. Alexan-
der of the engineer corps of the army The
Tort stood at the bottom Of the margin
lands of the Potomac, in the angle formed
by the junction of the Washington, Alexan-
dria and Columbia roads about half a mile
south of the Long bridge. The old works
now in the midst Of the extensive brick
yards that abound in the vicinity of Brick
Haven and Waterloo, and portion of them
yet remain, but the greater part of the his
torical clay thrown up there by the boys Of
1861 now does service in the walls of Wash
ington houses. The permeter of this fort
exceeded that of any of the other forts
covering an area of about twelve acres
and its armament consisted of twenty-three
guns, one of which was a 3O-pounder rified
Parrott eight were S-inch seacoast how
itZers, ten were 32-pounders and four g.
FOUNDER field guns all mounted on barbette
carriages. These were manned by 80 men.
strong stockade commanded the march
between the fort and the river. The 21st
New York moved into the fort in July, 1851,
and did considerable toward finishing the
work on the entertainments. Among other
troops that subsequently occupied ii were
detachments of the 18th Massachusetts and
the 18th New Hampshire Infantry. Fort
Albany was in the immediate vicinity to
the westward while Fort ia ckSon stood to
the northward.
Fort jackson.
The tete-de-pont at the south end Of the
Long bridge, named by courtesy Fort Jack
son, was early constructed by the It'll New
York and Runyon's Jerseymen, under the
direction of Capt. B. S. Alexander corps of
engineers L. S. A. No remnant of the fort
is visible today, but it stood close by the
river side. Heavy pckets and picket gates
crossed the pike and railroad. The fort
mounted four guns, which were manned by
sixty gunners. The fort was occupied at
different times by various attachments Of
the 18th and 14th New Hampshire, 18th
Massachusetts, 18th, Dist and 17Sth New
York and veteran reserve corps.
Fort Richardson.
Fort Richardson named in honor Of
Col. Israel B. Richardson Of the I'd Mchi-
gan Infantry, a native of Vermont who be-
came brigadier general of volunteers, and
died November 3, 1862, of wounds received
at Antietam. His brigade covered the re-
treat of the army from the first Bull Run
The soubriquet of Fighting Dick" was
given him by Gen. Scott The fort stood on
a commanding eminence short distance in
front of Fort Albany and was small but
well-built work, we'll provided with bomb
proofs and magazines. There Is nothing
visible today but the naked earthworks-
not naked, however, for the well-preserved
ramparts are clothed with a generous
growth Of bush and weeds This fort was
early constructed, the 18th New Jersey
doing considerable of the work. The arma-
ment consisted Of fourteen guns, six of
which were 24-pounder siege guns two "a
FOUNDER field howitZers, one 1OO-pounder
Parrott three 30-pounder PARROTS, one 10
inch siege mortar and one 24-pounder Col
born mortar. Among the troops occupying
the fort during the war were detachments
Of the 10th New York Artillery, Sd Battal-