Fort Slemmer sometimes called Battery Slemmer was one of seven temporary earthwork forts part of the
Civil War Defenses of Washington, D.C.
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 (see Washington, D.C., in the Amer ...
, during the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...
built in the Northeast quadrant of the city at the beginning of the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...
by the
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...
to protect the city from the
Confederate Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighti ...
. From west to east, the forts were as follow: Fort Slocum,
Fort Totten, Fort Slemmer,
Fort Bunker Hill
Fort Bunker Hill was one of seven temporary earthwork forts part of the Civil War Defenses of Washington, D.C., during the Civil War built in the Northeast quadrant of the city at the beginning of the Civil War by the Union Army to protect the cit ...
,
Fort Saratoga,
Fort Thayer
Fort Thayer was one of seven temporary earthwork forts part of the Civil War Defenses of Washington, D.C., during the Civil War built in the Northeast quadrant of the city at the beginning of the Civil War by the Union Army to protect the city fro ...
and
Fort Lincoln Fort Lincoln may refer to:
*Fort Abraham Lincoln, an old military post near Mandan, North Dakota, now a state park
*Fort Lincoln Internment Camp, former military post and internment camp near Bismarck
*Fort Lincoln (Kansas)
*Fort Lincoln (Texas), fo ...
. Unlike other forts, today very little remains of the structure.
Civil War

The fort was named in honor of Lieutenant
Adam J. Slemmer
Adam Jacoby Slemmer (January 24, 1828 – October 7, 1868) was an officer in the United States Army during the Seminole Wars and the American Civil War, as well as in the Old West.
Early years
Slemmer was born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, ...
. It was built in August 1861 between
Fort Totten and
Fort Bunker Hill
Fort Bunker Hill was one of seven temporary earthwork forts part of the Civil War Defenses of Washington, D.C., during the Civil War built in the Northeast quadrant of the city at the beginning of the Civil War by the Union Army to protect the cit ...
on the east side of Harewood Road just north of The
Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U. ...
's Marist Hall.
In February 1862, the 20th New York moved in the fort.
[The Defenses of Washington during the War - The Evening Star - Thursday, October 9, 1902 - page 21]
The fort was equipped with the following armament:
* Three
32-pounder James guns
* One
8-inch siege howitzer[Fortwiki - Fort Slemmer - http://www.fortwiki.com/Fort_Slemmer]
The following troops garrisoned in the fort:
* 20th New York
* Several New Hampshire Heavy Artillery
* 150th Ohio National Guard
* Battery G, 3rd United States Artillery
Post Civil War
The fort was abandoned at the end of the civil war in 1865.
It fell in disrepair after the war.
See also
*
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 (see Washington, D.C., in the Amer ...
*
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 war effort, which rapidly turned it from a small city into a major capital with full civic infrastructure and stron ...
*
Fort Slocum
Fort Slocum, New York was a US military post which occupied Davids Island in the western end of Long Island Sound in the city of New Rochelle, New York from 1867 to 1965. The fort was named for Major General Henry W. Slocum, a Union corps c ...
*
Fort Totten
*
Fort Bunker Hill
Fort Bunker Hill was one of seven temporary earthwork forts part of the Civil War Defenses of Washington, D.C., during the Civil War built in the Northeast quadrant of the city at the beginning of the Civil War by the Union Army to protect the cit ...
*
Fort Saratoga
*
Fort Thayer
Fort Thayer was one of seven temporary earthwork forts part of the Civil War Defenses of Washington, D.C., during the Civil War built in the Northeast quadrant of the city at the beginning of the Civil War by the Union Army to protect the city fro ...
*
Fort Lincoln Fort Lincoln may refer to:
*Fort Abraham Lincoln, an old military post near Mandan, North Dakota, now a state park
*Fort Lincoln Internment Camp, former military post and internment camp near Bismarck
*Fort Lincoln (Kansas)
*Fort Lincoln (Texas), fo ...
*
Battle of Fort Stevens
The Battle of Fort Stevens was an American Civil War battle fought July 11–12, 1864, in what is now Northwest Washington, D.C., as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864 between forces under Confederate Lieutenant General Jubal Early and ...
References
External links
*
Civil War Defenses of Washingtonofficial website
{{authority control
Bunker Hill, Fort
Bunker Hill, Fort
Bunker Hill
Bunker
A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. T ...
American Civil War on the National Register of Historic Places
Parks in Washington, D.C.
Demolished buildings and structures in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., in the American Civil War
1861 establishments in Washington, D.C.