Fort Stanton (Washington, D.C.)

Fort Stanton
Part of the Civil War defenses of Washington, D.C.
Anacostia, District of Columbia
An ammunition magazine similar to those built at Fort Stanton.
Coordinates	38°51′36″N 76°58′38″W / 38.86000°N 76.97722°W / 38.86000; -76.97722
Type	Earthwork fort
Site information
Controlled by	National Park Service
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	Public park
Site history
Built	Fall 1861
Built by	U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
In use	1861–1866
Materials	Earth, timber
Battles/wars	American Civil War
Garrison information
Garrison	Heavy Massachusetts Volunteer Artillery (131 men)

Fort Stanton was a Civil War-era fortification constructed in the hills above Anacostia in the District of Columbia, USA, and was intended to prevent Confederate artillery from threatening the Washington Navy Yard. It also guarded the approach to the bridge that connected Anacostia (then known as Uniontown) with Washington. Built in 1861, the fort was expanded throughout the war and was joined by two subsidiary forts: Fort Ricketts and Fort Snyder. Following the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, it was dismantled and the land returned to its original owner. It never saw combat. Abandoned after the war, the site of the fort was planned to be part of a grand "Fort Circle" park system encircling the city of Washington. Though this system of interconnected parks never was fully implemented, the site of the fort is today a park maintained by the National Park Service, and a historical marker stands near the fort's original location.^[1]