Fort Albany (Arlington County, Virginia)

Arlington County · Virginia · Civil War

Quick BriefNew York troops built Fort Albany in May 1861 as a bastioned earthwork to defend Washington, D.C., along Arlington County's strategic Long Bridge approach. The 429-yard perimeter fort accommodated 12 guns and served the Arlington Line, a network of 33 Virginia fortifications protecting the Union capital.

Civil War

History & Significance

Fort Albany commanded Arlington County's outer defensive line protecting Washington, D.C., during the Civil War. Constructed by New York volunteer troops in May 1861, this bastioned earthwork occupied Prospect Hill with a 429-yard perimeter and twelve gun emplacements guarding the Long Bridge approach via the Columbia Turnpike.

The fort's strategic position required it to support and reinforce nearby Forts Richardson, Craig, and Tillinghast as Confederate threats evolved. By May 1864, the fort hosted approximately 150 soldiers of the First Massachusetts Volunteers under Captain Rhodes, armed with multiple howitzers, siege guns, Parrott rifles, and mortars.

As the Union Army advanced south into Virginia, these outer defenses diminished in importance and garrisons were reduced. The fort was abandoned at war's end in 1865. Construction of the Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway in 1942 destroyed all physical remains, though an Arlington County historic marker now marks the site.