Civil War Defenses of Washington

Alexander Swift “Sandie” Pendleton

Claus ("Carl") Wriborg

Dennis Mahan

Horatio Wright

John B. Gordon

John Gross Barnard

John Newton

Jubal Early

The 28th Regiment of U.S. Colored Troops was one of the troops attached to the Defenses of Washington. This regiment of infantry was established on November 30, 1863 by Indiana Governor Oliver P. Morton. Reverend Willis Revels of the African American Episcopal Church was the chief recruiting officer. The recruits trained for three months and on April 25 1863, six companies of the 28th left Indianapolis for Washington, D.C. where they were attached to the capital’s defenses.

American beech (Fagus grandifolia), the most common tree species in National Capital Area parks, is currently facing the emerging threat of Beech Leaf Disease (BLD).

Civil War soldiers faced death on a daily basis. However, they also faced going home with various disabilities. One such disability was partial or complete deafness. Many soldiers were accustomed to temporary deafness from the constant artillery fire in the field. However, illness, the environment, and even the medicine the doctors used on patients could cause a much more permanent hearing loss.

Civil War fortifications were based on the European model of the 17th and 18th centuries. Professor Dennis Hart Mahan of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, was the leading authority of fortification engineering.

After a humiliating defeat at Manassas, the Union army realized that the war would be a long struggle and that the fortification of the nation's capital needed to be extended and expedited. The massive construction thus began, establishing a defensive ring around the city that would make Washington, D.C. one of the most fortified cities in the world.

Elizabeth Proctor Thomas grew up in the early 1880s in a small community of free African-Americans in northwest Washington, D.C. During the Civil War, Union troops took possession of her land for construction of a fort. After the war, Elizabeth continued to reside near Fort Stevens. She sold some of her property to an influential Washingtonian who planned to preserve the remaining earthworks and establish a park.

Summary of the Historic Resources Study for Reno City. Full report can be found at https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2291435

The Civil War was an American epic and an American tragedy. The bloodiest war in United States history claimed the lives of more than 620,000 Americans. Hispanics were very much a part of this conflict. They knew hardship, fear, death, and destruction. They experienced victory and defeat. Some performed acts of spectacular gallantry. Others provided steady service that attracted little comment or notice.