Fort Kearny, Battery Terrill, and other Civil War defenses in our backyard

by Gary Thompson

During the Civil War, the critical defensive perimeter surrounding Washington passed through the Forest Hills neighborhood. After the outbreak of the war in 1861, and especially in the wake of the Battle of Bull Run (July 21, 1861), the Union Army constructed what would become one of the most formidable defensive systems in the world – ultimately consisting of 68 manned forts arrayed in a rough oval around DC, interspersed with 93 unmanned batteries – earthen platforms ready for artillery placement – and rifle trenches.

The interconnected system, designed by Major General (and engineer) John Barnard, contained over 800 cannons and thousands of troops, most on temporary assignment while awaiting orders to campaign. The interior lines were linked by over 30 miles of military roads (thus, the naming of nearby Military Road).

Throughout the war, these defenses were under a constant state of improvement. At first, the Virginia fortifications received the most attention, but as Robert E. Lee demonstrated in his 1862 and 1863 incursions into Maryland, the northern defenses were a critical segment in the system.

A detail of a National Park Service map of Washington, DC’s Civil War defenses.

As the above map shows, the northern defenses started at the Potomac River, on either side of Chain Bridge. And in Maryland above the District line, there was a complex of now long-gone fortifications, led by Fort Sumner. These lines continued east to Fort Bayard (on Western Avenue) then to Fort Reno. Fort Reno, located at the high point of DC, had a commanding view north, along with a watchtower that could track movement from Maryland.

These defenses were all built on the high elevation, which combined with the clearing of all trees for several miles outward, gave their guardians a sweeping view. From Fort Reno, the trenches then went to Battery Rossell, which was located at the intersection of today’s Fessenden Street and Connecticut Avenue (on the southeast corner, now Forest Hills of DC Senior Living).

The trench line traveled east behind Fessenden to Fort Kearny, which was located along today’s 4900 block of 30th Place NW, between Garrison and Ellicott Streets.

Detail of a map in David V. Miller’s 1976 book, The Defenses of Washington During the Civil War.

Fort Kearny was a large fortification of 320 perimeter yards, housing ten cannons. Below is a sketch of its “lunette” shape, along with an illustration of its appearance.

A sketch of Fort Kearny as viewed from above. (undated drawing, National Archives)

Fort Kearny. (Illustration from Alanson A. Haines’ 1883 History of the Fifteenth Regiment New Jersey Volunteers.)

Battery Terrill was affixed to the northern front of Fort Kearny, and had seven earthen platforms ready to receive field guns as needed. The earthen remains of Battery Terrill are fairly well preserved in the front yard of the Peruvian ambassador’s residence.

What remains of Battery Terrill, now the grounds of the Peruvian ambassador’s residence at 3001 Garrison Street NW. (photo by the author)

The Kearny-Terrill complex guarded against any approaches through the Broad Branch stream valley that sits north of and below the ambassador’s residence. Note in the map below that Battery Terrill has a matching “battery” directly across the valley, where Broad Branch Road now runs. That battery was simply called “Battery to the Right of Broad Branch.” Its earthen remains still exist and can be accessed through an opening into the woods at the curved joinder of Jennifer and 29th Streets NW.

Batteries-Terrill-and-Smeade (detail from the 1976 Miller map above)

From this battery, the trench ran northeast to Battery Smeade, which was located on the grounds of current St. John’s College High School. From there, the fortified line ran east to Fort DeRussy, which is well-preserved in Rock Creek Park several hundred yards east of Oregon Avenue, and west across Rock Creek Park to Fort Stevens (and beyond to Forts Slocum and Totten). Behind the lines, the troops in the Kearny area would have moved along old Grant Road, going downhill to cross Broad Branch.

Detail of an 1865 U.S. government map of Washington, DC Civil War defenses.

Hundreds of men camped and trained at Fort Kearny and Battery Terrill. The troops who garrisoned the complex came mostly from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. In 1862, Alanson A. Haines, chaplain and historian of the 15th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, described the land as “naturally beautiful” although “the endeavor of the military forces seemed to be to convert it into an utterly barren waste. All about us told of war. The trees for miles around were cut down, and the hills were denuded of even small brush, that the oversight might be without obstruction. Acres were covered with abates made of fallen trees, the houses were deserted, and miles of fences burned.”

Some of the New Jersey soldiers at Fort Kearny. (1864 photo from 1883’s History of the Fifteenth Regiment New Jersey Volunteers)

Major General Kearny and Brigadier General Terrill

The fort was named for Phillip Kearny of New York City. A one-armed veteran of the Mexican War, Major General Kearny was a hard-fighting Division commander who was killed on September 1, 1862 in the Battle of Chantilly during the retreat after Second Bull Run.

Major General Phillip Kearny (left) and Brigadier General William R. Terrill.

William R. Terrill was from southwest Virginia, but remained loyal to the Union despite the disapproval of his father and three brothers who fought for the Confederacy. He rose to the rank of Brigadier General but was mortally wounded in the Battle of Perryville (Kentucky) on October 8, 1862.

The Battle of Perryville as depicted by a November 1862 issue of Harper’s Weekly, with General Terrill lying mortally wounded from a shell fragment that struck his chest. He died around 2 a.m. that night from the wound.

The names of these loyal Americans remain forever attached to the Forest Hills neighborhood.

The Battle of Fort Stevens (and Vicinity)

By mid-1864, the defenses were well constructed, but also very lightly manned as most troops had been pulled south to Petersburg in General Ulysses S. Grant’s campaign. Lee dispatched Generals Jubal Early and John Breckenridge (the former vice president under Buchanan) to march north through the Shenandoah Valley and into Maryland, with the purpose of harassing or possibly taking Washington, DC. It was not until about July 8 that the capital came to appreciate the surprise threat posed by these approximately 15,000 invaders. While Major General Lew Wallace made a brave stand on July 9 at Monocacy, which delayed Early’s army, Washingtonians scrambled.

On July 10 and 11, the nearly empty defenses filled with every available man, young and old, white and black, including thousands from the “Invalid Corps” or those able to arise from their downtown hospital beds. Government clerks and employees joined the hastily assembled force. Forts Kearny and Battery Terrill filled with such men. But they would be no match for the battle-hardened veterans of Jubal Early’s army, who marched down Rockville Pike, approaching Fort Reno in the high heat of July 11. Fortunately, General Grant had dispatched veterans of the Sixth Corps by steam transports that arrived overnight at the Sixth Street Wharf, and just in the nick of time. President Lincoln was there to greet the troops as they marched rapidly to swell the northern defenses, including those in Forest Hills.

Map depicting the Battle of Fort Stevens (courtesy of the American Battlefield Trust)

On July 11, needing to avoid the pounding cannon fire from the heights of Fort Reno, the rebels veered east to the Seventh Street Pike (today’s Georgia Avenue) to instead approach Fort Stevens. Along the way, rebel “skirmishers” probed the northern defenses, including nearby Fort DeRussy and Battery Smeade. Fort Kearny, Battery Terrill, and Battery Rossell played a role in closing off any opportunity for incursion through Forest Hills. Many of these defenders were eventually shifted over to Forts DeRussy or Stevens.

On July 12, the Battle of Fort Stevens continued. President Lincoln stood on the ramparts under fire. Under the leadership of Major General Frank Wheaton (for whom Wheaton, Maryland is named), the U.S. troops drove the rebels off the field at the site of the old Walter Reed Hospital. There were about 374 Union and 500 Confederate casualties in the only Civil War battle to reach inside of DC. Of the 59 Union dead, 40 are buried at the diminutive Battleground National Cemetery on Georgia Avenue, where they are remembered each Memorial Day. The entire northern line of defenses, from Forts Reno through Kearny and over to Fort Totten, played a pivotal role in saving the capital from destruction.

Like most of the fortifications in the 20-mile oval, the earthworks of Fort Kearny were lost to development. Vague remnants of the fort or rifle trenches might be identifiable in the area. By happenstance, the remains of Battery Terrill were saved when that land was purchased by the government of Peru for its ambassador’s residence. For decades, the residence has been an admirable steward of those remains.

A Walking Tour

Click the map to view a larger version.

A good walking tour of the defenses in the area starts at Fort Reno. Head northeast on Nebraska Avenue, then east on Fessenden Street, pausing at Connecticut Avenue to note the location of Battery Rossell (diagonal from the BP station).

Continue east on Fessenden, take a right on Linnean Avenue, then turn left on Ellicott Street for just a moment before a hard left onto 30th Place. As you walk north on 30th Place, try to get a sense of the high point of the slope (around house numbers 4933-39), which is where Fort Kearny was located. Then, walk to the gate of the Peruvian ambassador’s residence. You cannot go beyond the gate to see the Terrill earthworks in the front yard, but stay tuned for the next tour open to the community.

If you want to dive deeper, walk or drive to the battery opposite Terrill, in the woods at the curve near Jenifer and 29th Streets. If walking, head east down Davenport Street, then keep left on Broad Branch Road, being careful on the narrow shoulder. Bear left again at 27th until you can cross a small old stone bridge on the right (not the larger one that goes up 27th Street). If you feel comfortable crossing this little bridge, it is fun to climb the steep hill to the battery to the right of Broad Branch (or otherwise access it by road). Here, you can look directly over to Battery Terrill, which you can spot after the leaves fall.

Continue to 27th Street above Military Road to St. John’s (Battery Smeade), then across Oregon Avenue and up the trail to Fort DeRussy. From the stone marker, be sure and walk around on the right-side footpath to the front of the earthworks, but do not go onto the earthworks themselves.

This completes a tour of the fortifications in our immediate area. Look for NPS ranger-guided tours that leave from the Nature Center. And join us across the park for Fort Stevens Day, which is usually the second Saturday in July, featuring speakers and reenactors.

The author, on Fort Stevens Day in 2019.

Gary Thompson is the president of the Alliance to Preserve the Civil War Defenses of Washington (apcwdw.com), a nonprofit that engages in education and preservation of the DC Civil War fort system. He also chairs the DC Board of Elections, and lives in Chevy Chase DC.