Fort Woodbury was a

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 ...

fortification built in 1861 by the 4th Michigan Infantry Regiment during the early

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 ...

. It was part of the larger

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 ...

, an extensive network of fortifications erected in present-day

Arlington County, Virginia 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 ...

designed to protect

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 ...

from

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

attack. Like the other 3 lunettes in the Arlington Line, Fort Woodbury occupied highlands in Arlington that had a direct line of sight towards Washington DC.

Construction and use

In 1861, four earthen lunettes, including Forts Cass, Craig, Tillinghast, and Woodbury, were built in the heights of Arlington overlooking Washington.Rose Jr. p. 15 Colonel B. S. Alexander and Major D. P. Woodbury were charged with the design and engineering of all the lunettes. Fort Woodbury was constructed in August 1861 by the 4th Michigan Infantry Regiment, who were commanded by Colonel Dwight A. Woodbury (no relation to D. P.). The fort was either named for D. P. Woodbury or Dwight A. Woodbury. Located on a hill, Fort Woodbury had a 275-yard parameter with placements for up to 13 guns, 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 ...

, a

barracks Barracks are buildings used to accommodate military personnel and quasi-military personnel such as police. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word 'soldier's tent', but today barracks ar ...

, and an

abatis An abatis, abattis, or abbattis is a field fortification consisting of an obstacle formed (in the modern era) of the branches of trees laid in a row, with the sharpened tops directed outwards, towards the enemy. The trees are usually interlaced ...

.Owen p. 108 Its armament consisted of five 24-pounder guns, three 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 ...

, four 6-pounder guns, and one 24-pound

Coehorn 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 ...

mortar. Trees in the forested area surrounding the fort were widely slashed, and half-sunk field gun placements were positioned in between each lunette. The lunettes collectively formed a defensive line on Arlington's high ground between Forts Richardson and Albany to the south, and the shore of the Potomac opposite Georgetown to the north. The following regiments were garrisoned at Fort Woodbury between 1861 and 1865: *

1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery Regiment The 1st Massachusetts Volunteer Heavy Artillery Regiment was a unit that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was originally raised as the 14th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment. History 14th Mass Infantry The ...

* 4th Michigan Infantry Regiment *

88th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment The 88th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 88th Pennsylvania Infantry was organized at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and mustered in for a t ...

4th New York Heavy Artillery Regiment The 4th New York Heavy Artillery Regiment, U.S. Volunteers was a heavy artillery regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment operated as both heavy artillery and infantry beginning in February 1862 while ser ...

16th Maine Infantry Regiment The 16th Maine Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was one of five raised in answer to the July 2, 1862, call by Lincoln for 300,000 volunteers for three years. The ...

* 128th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment *

2nd New York Infantry Regiment The 2nd New York Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It is also known as the Troy Regiment. Organization The 2nd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment was recruited and organize ...

* 1st Maryland Light Artillery * 164th Ohio National Guard * 145th Ohio National Guard * 1st New York Light Artillery Battalion *

2nd New York Heavy Artillery Regiment The 2nd New York Heavy Artillery Regiment was a Field artillery in the American Civil War, heavy artillery regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. During the Siege of Petersburg the regiment operated as infantry. ...

Like the rest of the Arlington Line, Fort Woodbury never saw any major engagements. It was abandoned after the war's end.

Post war

The hill where Fort Woodbury stood was selected for Arlington's first courthouse in 1898, and eventually became the location of Arlington's Court House neighborhood. No visible remains of the fort exist; it was located at intersection of Troy Street N and 14th Street N. Fort Woodbury is commemorated by a historical marker on the corner of 14th Street N and Courthouse Road. The marker reads:

Footnotes

Bibliography

* * * * *

External Links

Arlington Historical Society - Arlington LineArlington Historical Society - Military-use structures
Virginia in the American Civil War Buildings and structures in Arlington County, Virginia American Civil War forts in Virginia 1861 establishments in Virginia {{Virginia-stub