Battery Rodgers was a gun emplacement that composed a portion of the American Civil War defenses of the American capital city of

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Construction

Built in 1863, Battery Rodgers was constructed with the ability to interdict sea traffic sailing up the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

to Washington, D.C.. From its position on a high cliff overlooking Battery Cove, it was positioned with a clear view of fire and was ably suited to guarding the southern Potomac River and Accotink Road (Fort Hunt Road) approaches to Washington. The battery was named for George W. Rodgers, a captain in the Union Navy who was killed during an attack on

Fort Wagner Fort Wagner or Battery Wagner was a beachhead fortification on Morris Island, South Carolina, that covered the southern approach to Charleston Harbor. Named for deceased Lt. Col. Thomas M. Wagner, it was the site of two American Civil War ba ...

. It was long with sides of . During the war, the battery mounted one ()

Parrott rifle The Parrott rifle was a type of muzzle-loading rifled artillery weapon used extensively in the American Civil War. Parrott rifle The gun was invented by Captain Robert Parker Parrott, a West Point graduate. He was an American soldier and inven ...

and one

Rodman gun Drawing comparing Model 1844 8-inch columbiad and Model 1861 10-inch "Rodman" columbiad. The powder chamber on the older columbiad is highlighted by the red box. The Rodman gun is any of a series of American Civil War–era columbiads designed by ...

, one of the largest guns in the world at that time. The guns were supplied by two adjacent powder

magazines A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

, and the battery complex included a hospital, barracks, mess hall, and prison. It was garrisoned by 6 commissioned officers, 1 ordnance sergeant, and 256 men. Following the conclusion of the war, the Battery was disbanded and its guns were removed to other locations in Washington. The land on which the battery rested was sold soon afterward, due in no small part to its location in the center of

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

. Today, no portion of the battery still stands, but it is memorialized by a small marker in Alexandria, at the intersection of South Lee Street and Green Street and the corner of Jones Point Park. The Rodman gun used at the battery was moved across the Potomac to

Fort Foote Fort Foote was an American Civil War-era wood and earthwork fort that was part of the wartime defenses of Washington, D.C., which helped defend the Potomac River approach to the city. It operated from 1863 to 1878, when the post was abandoned, ...

, and can still be seen there today. Image:BatteryRogers.jpg, View of Battery Rodgers with 8-inch (200 pdr) Parrott rifle in front and 15-inch Rodman gun behind. Image:Rodman gun va.jpg, A 15-inch Rodman gun in Battery Rodgers. Image:BatteryRogersII.jpg, Another view of Battery Rodgers showing the 8-inch (200 pdr) Parrott rifle and the 15-inch Rodman gun. Image:Battery Rodgers magazine.jpg, One of the dug-in ammunition magazines at Battery Rodgers. Image:Battery Rodgers site in 2009.jpg, The site of Battery Rodgers in 2009

Notes

References

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External links

Alexandria Archeology, Battery Rodgers

Battery Rodgers Marker – Historical Marker Database
Civil War defenses of Washington, D.C. Forts in the District of Columbia Buildings and structures in Alexandria, Virginia 1863 establishments in Virginia {{AmericanCivilWar-stub