Western Maryland

Last Update: 21/JULY/2007

Compiled by Pete Payette - й2007 American Forts Network

Budd's Ferry Battery
(1861 - 1862), near Doncaster
A Union two-gun battery set up on Moss Point to counter the Confederate batteries across the river at Quantico Creek (Shipping Point), Virginia.
Nearby was Union Chicamuxen Creek Camp (1861 - 1862).

Indian Head Battery
(1814), Indian Head
A U.S. Naval battery with 18 guns set up to harrass the British fleet as they were sailing back downriver after attacking Alexandria, Virginia in September 1814. Only one heavy gun was emplaced that did any real damage. (see also White House Point Battery in VIRGINIA)

Moyaons
(Piscataway Park)
(c. 1600), near Marshall Hall
A palisaded major Piscataway Indian town located along an unnamed creek on the Potomac River, directly across from Mount Vernon, Virginia. Noted on John Smith's map of 1608. Leonard Calvert considered this area for the state capital in the 1630's, but the local Indians persuaded him otherwise. The Piscataways later became Calvert's allies against Virginia trader William Claiborne and the Susquehannock Indians.

Mockley Point Archaeological Site
(Piscataway Park)
(1590 ?), near Bonds
A Late Woodland Period palisaded Indian town, possibly the same site as one of the unnamed Piscataway Indian towns noted on John Smith's map of 1608.

Accokeek Creek Archaeological Site
(Piscataway Park)
(1300 - 1500), near Bonds
A Late Woodland Period palisaded Indian town located near the mouth of Accokeek Creek.

дд COAST DEFENSES of the POTOMAC RIVER (partial) (see also Fort Hunt, VA)

дд Fort Washington (National Park)
(1824 - 1946, intermittent), Fort Washington
Fort Warburton, designed by Pierre L'Enfant, was built in 1809 but it was destroyed in 1814 to prevent the British from capturing it. A two-gun blockhouse, surrounded by a semi-elliptical five-gun earthwork, was located where the present fort would be built. A five-gun Water Battery (1809 - 14) was located by the lighthouse. A six-gun Martello Tower may have been built to the rear of the fort, according to an old map. During the Civil War, the North Battery was built where Battery Decatur would later be built. The South Battery was located where Battery Many would later be. Plans were made to rework the North and South Batteries in 1873, but the work was never started. Endicott batteries include Battery Meigs (1900 - 1913), Battery Wilkin (1902 - 1928), Battery Smith (1903 - 1920), Battery Humphreys (1899 - 1929), Experimental Battery (1899 - 1900) buried, Battery Emory (1898 - 1929), Battery Decatur (1899 - 1918), Battery Many (1905 - 1928), and Battery White (1898 - 1920). An unnamed battery (1898) is located adjacent to Battery Humphreys (the gun from the experimental battery was moved here for wartime use). Battery White was built over top of the Ravelin Battery (1815 - 1830 / 1873 - 1890's). Four 15-inch Rodmans were emplaced here in the late 1870's or 1880's. An 1890's mine casemate was built in the lower level of the fort. The Mine Storeroom is by the river. Mines were planted in the river in 1898. Camp Warburton (1898) was on post, garrisoned by state troops to augment the fort's garrison during the Spanish-American War. There are several fire-control towers still remaining on post. This was the headquarters of the Potomac River Defenses. Admission fee.
A lighthouse was here from 1870 to 1901. Since 1901, the lighthouse's bell tower has been used as the lighthouse.

Fort Foote (Park)
(1863 - 1878), Fort Foote Village
Originally a Civil War six-gun coastal defense work to augment Fort Washington. North Battery was located on Roziers Bluff, now a picnic area just north of the fort. The site came under Federal ownership in 1873. The fort's outer walls and magazines were rebuilt with concrete in 1874. One magazine was never completed, hence its ruined state today. The "King's Depressing Carriage" was tested here in 1876 - 1878. The reservation remained under military ownership until taken over by the National Park Service after WWII. Two original 15-inch Rodman guns are on restored carriages and mounts. This is one of the few examples left of an unaltered "1870's Plan", or "Fourth System" fortification.

Civil War Defenses of Washington D.C.
(1861 - 1866), various locations
Montgomery County:
Fort Simmons (1861) (eight guns, three vacant platforms), three miles above Chain Bridge, located at Berkley and Crescent Streets. (177 yard perimeter)
Battery Simmons (four guns), an outwork of Fort Simmons, located at Allen and Bayard Streets.
Fort Mansfield (11 guns, two vacant platforms), linked Forts Reno (in DC) and Sumner. Located at 5110 Worthington Drive. (220 yard perimeter)
Battery Mansfield (seven guns), located 125 yards north of 5100 Massachusetts Ave.
Fort Ripley (1861 - 1863), located at Little Falls. Renamed Fort (Redoubt) Cross in 1864.
Fort Alexander (1861 - 1863), located adjacent to Fort Ripley. Renamed Fort (Redoubt) Davis in 1864.
Fort Franklin (1861 - 1863), located adjacent to Fort Alexander. Renamed Fort (Redoubt) Kirby in 1864.
Fort Sumner (1863 - 1865) (32 guns, 15 vacant platforms), was the combined Forts Ripley, Alexander, and Franklin. (843 yard perimeter) д National Archives MAP of Fort Sumner д
Battery Alexander (1863) (with a seperate blockhouse), an outwork of Fort Sumner, located on Alexander Road. (guns included in Fort Sumner total)
Battery Bailey (1862) (six guns), two miles above Chain Bridge in Westmoreland Hills Park. Some earthworks remain.
Battery Benson (1862) (five guns), an earthwork located between Forts Sumner and Mansfield, west of the Powder Mill Branch, at 4805 Fort Sumner Drive.
Battery Lane (park) in Bethesda. No remains.

A three-gun battery was located to the right of Fort Simmons.

Camp Ohio (1863), located six miles from the Tenleytown area of Washington.

Prince George's County:
Battery Jameson (one gun, 14 vacant platforms), remnants located in Fort Lincoln Cemetery. (80 yard perimeter)
A five-gun battery was located to the right of Battery Jameson.

There may have been a fort or battery located in Suitland.

Camp Casey (1861 - 1862), located in Cottage City near Bladensburg.

Of the 68 forts and 93 batteries built around Washington during the Civil War, these (plus Fort Foote) were the only ones actually in Maryland. Some have not been preserved.
(See also the DISTRICT of COLUMBIA and VIRGINIA pages)

Bladensburg Battlefield
(1814), Bladensburg
Earthworks and artillery breastworks were erected here by the Federal army and local militia defending Washington, DC from the attacking British army. The Americans were routed, and the British advanced to burn and pillage the national capital.

Poolesville Civil War Camps
(1860's), at or near Poolesville
Union garrison posts here were: Camp Bates, Camp Benton, Camp Lyon (1862), Camp Stone (1861 - 1862), and Camp Heintzelman (1862 - 1863).

Camp Observation
(1860's), White's Ferry
A Union post overlooking the ferry crossing.

Camp Hooker
(Monocacy National Battlefield Park)
(1862 - 1863), near Frederick
A Union garrison camp at Monocacy Junction. Two stone blockhouses (1862 - 1865) were located on either side of the Monocacy River protecting the railroad bridge, along with several rifle pits. No remains.

Hessian Barracks
(1777 - 1820 ?), Frederick
Officially known as Frederick Barracks. It was a group of several stone buildings, probably inside a palisade, with four blockhouses. Hessian prisoners were kept here after their capture in Trenton, NJ, and Saratoga, NY (via Albemarle Barracks, Charlottesville, VA in 1780). It was also used as a temporary prison for French naval officers in 1799, and for British troops in 1814. It was used as a hospital during the Civil War. One building was demolished in 1874. One building still exists, renovated as a museum in 1931, located on the grounds of the Maryland School for the Deaf (1868) at Clarke Place and South Carroll Street. Open by appointment only.

Camp Hicks
(1861 - 1862), Frederick
A Union winter quarters camp.

Stone Fort
(Harpers Ferry National Historical Park - Maryland Heights)
(1862 - 1865), near Harpers Ferry, WV
A Union stone blockhouse located in the Maryland Heights section of Harpers Ferry NHP. It later became a storehouse and commissary in 1863. Also located here are Interior Fort (1863) (five guns), Exterior Fort (1863) (infantry parapets), Naval Battery (1862) (seven guns), the 100-pounder Battery (1863) (one gun), and the 30-pounder Battery (aka Six-Gun Battery) (1862).

Fort Duncan
(1862 - 1865), near Harpers Ferry, WV
A rectangular 16-gun work located near the Maryland Heights section of Harpers Ferry NHP. It is located behind Lock #36 of the C&O Canal Historical Trail at mile 62. A line of entrenchments connected it to Stone Fort to the east.

Camp Boonesboro
(1862 - 1863), Boonesboro
A Union garrison post.

Camp Williams
(1861), Downsville
A Union training camp.

Jonathan Hager's Fort
(Hager House and Museum)
(1739 - 1760's), Hagerstown
The house was built over two springs to ensure a protected water supply. The city was founded in 1762 originally as Elizabeth Town, after Hager's wife. Located in Hagerstown City Park. Admission fee.

Fort Bradford
(1860's), Hagerstown
A Union fort guarding the western approach to Baltimore.

Funkstown Line
(1863), near Funkstown
A Union line of entrenchments from Antietam Creek north of town to Tilghmanton to counter the Confederate forces in retreat after the Battle of Gettysburg.

Conococheague Supply Depot
(1755 - 1760's), Williamsport
A stockaded supply base for the MD and VA colonial militias, and British regulars. Located across the Potomac River from Fort Maidstone, West Virginia, with which it was sometimes confused by past historians.

Battery Doubleday
(1861), Williamsport
A Union earthwork battery built to halt Confederate raids across the Potomac River. It was soon abandoned because of inadequate sight lines to the fords used by the Confederates. Remnants still exist on Doubleday Hill. The town changed hands several times during the war.

Williamsport Line
(1863), near Williamsport
A hastily-built line of Confederate entrenchments from Conococheague Creek and Hagerstown south to St. James and Downsville, built after the Battle of Gettysburg, to delay the Union pursuit while pontoon bridges were rebuilt on the flooded Potomac River at Falling Waters to allow the CSA Army to cross back into (West) Virginia.

Daniel Cresap's Fort
(1750's - unknown), near Kemps
A stone house with a spring in its cellar, located on Conococheague Creek. It was built by Daniel, son of Thomas. It was attacked in 1756.

Isaac Baker's Fort
(1755 - 1760's), near Hicksville
A settlers' fort on Dry Run on Baker's Ridge, 11 miles northeast of Fort Frederick. It was used by the MD colonial militia after 1756.

Allen Killough's Fort (2)
(1756 ?), near Fairview
A settlers' fort on the west-side of Conococheague Creek just south of the Mason-Dixon Line, at the crossing of present-day MD 58.

Thomas Prather's Fort
(1756 - 1759), near Big Spring
A settler's home used as a military depot. Located on Prather's Neck at Four Locks on the C&O Canal Historical Trail on mile 109.

Lancelot Jacques' Fort
(1750's), Big Pool
A log house just east of Fort Frederick, four miles west of Prather's Fort.

Evan Shelby's Post (2)
(1763 - 1773), Big Pool
A trading post established adjacent to Fort Frederick after Shelby's Fort (1) burned down (see below).

Fort Frederick (State Park)
(1756 - 1764, 1780- 1783, 1861 - 1865), Big Pool
One of the best preserved forts of the French and Indian War in the U.S. The square-shaped stone fortress features four corner bastions and 17-foot high walls, with two wooden barracks that were restored in 1975. The stone walls were restored in 1934. The Officers' quarters will be restored by 2006. During the American Revolution, the fort served as a POW camp for British and Hessian soldiers. The fort was sold by the state in 1791. The ruins of the fort were regarrisoned for the Civil War. The only action to ever occur here took place in December, 1861, by CSA raiders.

Evan Shelby's Fort (1)
(1755 - 1763), near Clear Spring
A log house that was stockaded in 1755, and burned down in 1763. It was located three miles south of the Mason-Dixon line, about five miles west of Baker's Fort, on Little Conococheague Creek.

Thomas Mills' Fort
(1754 - 1760's), near Pectonville
Located on Licking Creek one mile from the Potomac River, five miles from Fort Frederick. A settlers' fort used by the MD colonial militia after 1756.

Allen Killough's Fort (1)
(1754 ? - 1756), near Pectonville
A stockaded settler's home, located on Licking Creek about four miles south of the Mason-Dixon line, northwest of Mills' Fort. Attacked and destroyed by Indians in 1756.

Tonoloway Fort
(Tonoloway State Park)
(1755 - 1756), near Hancock
A MD colonial militia stockaded blockhouse built for protection of settlers from Indians. It was also known as Lt. Thomas Stoddert's Fort. It was probably located on the east bank of Little Tonoloway Creek. It was attacked several times. It was abandoned after Fort Frederick was built.

Thomas Cresap's Fort
(1742 - 1763), Oldtown
Also known as Fort at Cresap's. Located on the Potomac River, it was originally a trading post that was stockaded in 1755. It was a supply base for several expeditions, and it was attacked several times. Only the ruins of a stone chimney remain.

Fort Lininger
(1863), Oldtown
A Union post. Site located about 300 yards from Cresap's Fort ruins.

Anderson's Fort
(1755), North Branch
A settlers' fort.

Fort Cumberland
(1749 - 1765), Cumberland
A star-shaped fort with four bastions, alongside a large stockade surrounding the garrison area. Its early names included Fort at Wills Creek, Post at Wills Creek, and Fort Mount Pleasant, and it was originally built by the Virginia colonial militia. Beginning in 1755 it was rebuilt by the Maryland colonial militia and was renamed. When George Washington surrendered to the French at Fort Necessity, PA in 1754, he retreated to this fort. The old fort was used in 1794 as a staging area for Federal troops during the Whiskey Rebellion.
Fort Cumberland Trail is a walking tour highlighting parts of the fort's ruins located underneath Emmanuel Episcopal Church (1849), at Washington and Greene Streets. George Washington's Headquarters (1794), a log cabin, still exists, relocated to Riverside Park. Part of the fort's palisade has been reconstructed.

Cumberland Civil War Forts
(1860's), Cumberland
Union defenses included: Fort Hill located at 500 Greenway Ave. (site now Fort Hill High School).
Fort Campobello located at 616 Sedgewick Street (site now Allegheny High School).
Camp Rose Hill located at 512 Dunbar Drive.

Nicholas' Fort
(1755 - unknown), Cresaptown
A settlers' stockade with four blockhouses. It was attacked in 1756.

Martin's Camp
(1755), Frostburg
A British encampment on the Braddock Road.

Shade Run Camp
(1755), near Grantsville
A British encampment on the Braddock Road, west of town.

Bear Camp
(1755), near Oakton
A British encampment on the Braddock Road, just south of the present-day state line.

Evan Shelby's Post (3)
(1773 - 1775), near Selbysport
Another trading post built by Evan Shelby, located on Buffalo Run.

Fort Alice
(1860's), near Oakland
A Union fort protecting the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad bridge over the Youghiogheny River northwest of town. Confederates attacked and destroyed the fort in 1863, and burned the railroad bridge.

Fort Pendleton
(1860's), near Gorman
A Union blockhouse guarding the approach to the old Northwest Turnpike bridge. The fort burned down in 1888.

NEED MORE INFO: Blockhouse Point Park in Montgomery County; Fort Hill in Allegany County

Of interest in Gaithersburg is NIKE Missile Park, a former NIKE missile defense site (W-94) (1955 - 1963) that was opened as a public park in 2002. See also NIKE Missile sites in Montgomery County, MD.

Information on French & Indian War forts of the Potomac River basin gathered from "Frontier Forts along the Potomac and its Tributaries", by William H. Ansel, 1984, Fort Pearsall Press.

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