Follow-up from the Virginia Room

When I was at the Virginia Room I went through the many books, maps, and archives. There were so many objects of interest, but there was one thing that I found really fascinating. I found a book that talked about Arlington County during the Civil War. Arlington was the site of many Civil War forts, however there are no battle fields in the county. Today there is not a lot of evidence that these forts existed. I am fascinated by the fact that we have never really learned about these forts or their role in the war. One Arlington fort, Fort Ethan Allen, has been restored, but I still didn’t know that much about it. This is what I’m following up on.
Today Ethan Allen is the site of a park by Madison Community Center. There is a playground, gazebo, and sports field. The park covers 14.89 acres. Fort Ethan Allen Park is on the National Register of Historic Places, one of Arlington’s Historic Districts, and part of the Virginia Civil War Trails program. Located near the junction of Glebe Road and Military Road, Ethan Allen “commanded all the approaches to Chain Bridge south of Pimmit Run” (Arlington Historical Society) and was built in 1861. It had a perimeter of 736 yards. The fort’s embankments are still visible today as well as a bomb shelter. The fort was built by Union forces to protect Washington DC. The walls that are still visible are overgrown but still standing. There was no battle at Fort Ethan Allen, but US president Abraham Lincoln visited the fort in 1864.