Fortifications

Fort Ricketts - In a park across from the intersection of Bruce and Erie Place SE lies the heavily overgrown earthwork of Fort Ricketts, most likely named for Captain James B. Ricketts, a Mexican War veteran who commanded a battery at the First Battle of Bull Run in July 1861 where he was wounded four times and taken prisoner by the Confederates.

The small fort was one of the first installations constructed after the Union defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run. Built on land owned by J.H. Smith and George Washington Talburtt, it protected the Washington Navy Yard and Arsenal. In September 1865, the fort’s four buildings were sold at public auction.