Fort-lyon-alexandria-virginia-vhs00032-1-

Fort Craig was a small

lunette A lunette (French ''lunette'', 'little moon') is a crescent- or half-moon–shaped or semi-circular architectural space or feature, variously filled with sculpture, painted, glazed, filled with recessed masonry, or void. A lunette may also be ...

that the Union Army constructed in September 1861 in

Arlington County Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

(at that time Alexandria County) in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. The lunette was part of the

Civil War defenses of Washington The Civil War Defenses of Washington were a group of Union Army fortifications that protected the federal capital city, Washington, D.C., from invasion by the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Some of these fortifications ar ...

(see

Washington, D.C., in the American Civil War During the American Civil War (1861–1865), Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States, was the center of the Union (American Civil War), Union war effort, which rapidly turned it from a small city into a major capital with full civi ...

). The lunette stood less than a mile away from

Arlington House Arlington House may refer to: * Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial *Arlington House (London), a Rowton House, originally a homeless hostel, England * Arlington House, Margate, an apartment block in Kent, England *Arlington House, the demo ...

, the Union-occupied estate of Confederate General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

. It remained in use throughout the war. The lunette was part of the

Arlington Line The Arlington Line was a series of fortifications that the Union Army erected in Alexandria County (now Arlington County), Virginia, to protect the City of Washington during the American Civil War (see Civil War Defenses of Washington and Wash ...

. It tied into

Fort Tillinghast Fort Tillinghast was a small Lunette (fortification), lunette that the Union Army constructed in Alexandria County (now Arlington County, Virginia, Arlington County), Virginia, as part of the Civil War Defenses of Washington, Civil War defenses of ...

approximately 0.6 miles to the north and Fort Albany approximately 0.9 miles to the south. The fortification helped guard the capital from an approach along the Columbia Turnpike and over the

Long Bridge Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mens ...

on 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 ...

Construction

Constructed on local farmland in August 1861, the lunette was named for Lt. Presley O. Craig, 2nd U.S. Artillery Regiment, who was killed at the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run, called the Battle of First Manassas
. by Confederate States ...

on July 21, 1861. Oriented to the southwest, it had a perimeter of 324 yards, emplacements for 11 guns, and 2

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 ...

. The fort's armament included four 24-pound guns, one 24-pound field howitzer, five 30-pound

Parrott rifles 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 ...

, a 10-inch mortar, and a 24-pound

Coehorn mortar A Coehorn (also spelled ''cohorn'') is a lightweight mortar originally designed by Dutch military engineer Menno van Coehoorn. Concept and design Van Coehoorn came to prominence during the 1688–1697 Nine Years War, whose tactics have been s ...

. Units garrisoned at the lunette included the 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, 138th Ohio Infantry,

6th Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery The 6th Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery was a heavy artillery regiment that served in the Union Army from 1864 to 1865, during the American Civil War. History Because the 5th Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery had more men than was standard for a heavy ...

, and 16th Maine Infantry. In June 1865, Fort Craig was ordered dismantled and the site returned to its previous owners. No trace of the lunette remains today in what has become a residential area. A historic marker, near the intersection of South Courthouse Road and 4th Street South in Arlington, shows the location where the lunette once stood. The marker depicts the fort's position on a map of the city's defenses and reads: ''Here stood Fort Craig, a lunette in the Arlington Line constructed in August 1861. It had a perimeter of 324 yards and emplacements for 11 guns.''The Historical Marker Database
- Fort Craig Fort Craig Arlington memorial sign

References

External links

* {{Authority control Government buildings completed in 1861 Craig, Fort Craig, Fort 1861 establishments in Virginia Craig, Fort