Fort Reno (Tenleytown, District of Columbia)
Tenleytown · District of Columbia · Civil War
History & Significance
Originally named Fort Pennsylvania, Fort Reno was built during the winter of 1861 shortly after the disastrous defeat of the Union Army at the First Battle of Manassas. Brigadier General John G. Barnard, the chief engineer of Washington's defenses, chose the location for its strategic importance in guarding the Rockville Pike (present-day Wisconsin Avenue).
Being the highest elevation in the city at 429 feet above sea level, Fort Reno served as a forward outpost and signal station for detecting enemy movement near the northern part of the city. The fort's name was changed to Fort Reno in 1863 to honor Major General Jesse Lee Reno, mortally wounded at the Battle of South Mountain.
Enlarged and strengthened over time, it became the largest and strongest of the capital's defending forts, equipped with a dozen heavy guns, three Parrott siege guns, and nine 27-pounder barbette guns. On July 11, 1864, Fort Reno was the first of the defenses to sight Confederate General Jubal A. Early's advance near Rockville, Maryland, when lookouts from the signal tower spotted clouds of dust and Confederate army wagons approaching the city.
One shell fired from Fort Reno's 100-pounder Parrott Rifle traveled 3.5 miles, killing four Confederates near present-day Bethesda Naval Hospital. After the war, the forts were slowly dismantled; most of Fort Reno's remains could be seen as late as 1892 before the fort and battery at the north end were graded down for construction of a water reservoir. Today, the National Park Service owns most of Fort Reno Park.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Civil War earthwork fortification at D.C.'s highest natural point
- Site of July 1864 Battle of Fort Stevens against Confederate General Jubal Early
- Reconstructed defensive works and interpretive signage
- Fort Reno Park with green space and surrounding neighborhood history
- Original fort destroyed in 1890s for reservoir construction
Sources
- https://www.nps.gov/places/fort-reno.htm
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Reno_(Washington,_D.C.)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Reno_Park
- https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/188488/the-battle-of-fort-reno/
- https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/fort-reno-park-a-brief-history-of-reno-city.htm
- https://tenleytownhistoricalsociety.org/history/wartime/civil-war/fort-reno/
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=20629
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_War_Defenses_of_Washington
Other Forts in District of Columbia
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