Fort Totten
Today I rode to Fort Totten Park in Northeast D.C., which is located on Fort Totten Drive (MAP), which is also the name of the neighborhood where the park is located. It is a Civil War memorial on the site of a Union fort, and is one of the historic sites on the Fort Circle Park National Recreation Trail. The park is under the management of the National Park Service.
Located Built in 1861 and named after Brigadier General Joseph Gilbert Totten, Chief of the Army Corp of Engineers, Fort Totten commanded the countryside of D.C. during the Civil War. Heavily armed with massive cannons that could hurl 100-pound projectiles several miles, Fort Totten halted the eastward advance of the Confederates inside D.C. during the Battle of Fort Stevens in July of 1864, and resulted in Lieutenant General Jubal Early’s retreat into Virginia, ending the last Confederate invasion of a Northern state during the Civil War.
By the late 1920’s the historic earthenworks inside Fort Totten showed significant signs of erosion which threatened the preservation of the fort. To stabilize the fort vegetation was planted. Today, removal of vegetation from the fort and its grounds is prohibited. The site is in a relatively good state of preservation today, and is maintained as an adjunct to Rock Creek Park.
[Click on the photos to view the full-size versions]
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