Entrance Gate to Fort Ward

Entrance Gate to Fort Ward (HM4RK)

Location: Alexandria, VA 22304
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Country: United States of America
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N 38° 49.759', W 77° 6.141'

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Inscription

Officers' Hut

The Fort Ward entrance gate, completed in May 1865, provided the only access to the interior of the fort. The gate's decorative details include stands of cannonballs and the insignia (castle) of the Army Corps of Engineers which designed and supervised the construction of the Defenses of Washington. The present gate is a reconstruction based on the original Corps of Engineers drawing above.

A ditch, or dry moat, surrounded the entire fort. The fort's earthen walls reached a height of approximately 20 feet from the bottom of the ditch to the arch of the gate. The walls were 12-14 feet thick and could absorb the impact of artillery fire.

The officers' huts, soldiers' barracks and mess hall were located outside the fort, near the present Museum, which is patterned after a Union army headquarters building. These structures were built in a typical board-and-batten style. The above photograph, taken at Fort Ward in 1863, shows the quarters of Capt. Theodore H. Rockwood (seated), of Co. E., First Connecticut Heavy Artillery.

Throughout the war, Fort Ward was manned by companies of the First Connecticut Heavy Artillery as well as units from New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. The fort could accommodate a garrison of approximately 1,200 soldiers, although records indicate that only 300-400 men were stationed here at one time.
Details
HM NumberHM4RK
Series This marker is part of the Defenses of Washington series
Tags
Placed ByCity of Alexandria
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, September 7th, 2014 at 10:26am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 317508 N 4299935
Decimal Degrees38.82931667, -77.10235000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 49.759', W 77° 6.141'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 49' 45.54" N, 77° 6' 8.46" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)202, 703
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 4301 W Braddock Rd, Alexandria VA 22304, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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