Fortifications

A badly eroded field gun battery site and line of rifle pits are all that remain of Fort Slocum, located in a wooded area at Kansas Ave. and Nicholson St. NW. Built in August 1861 by men of the 2nd Rhode Island Infantry on land previously owned by John F. Callan, a city clerk, it was named for the regiment’s commanding officer, Colonel John Slocum, killed at the First Battle of Bull Run.

An artillerist from the 2nd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery stationed at Fort Slocum probably fired the first shot against General Early’s invading army on the morning of July 11, 1864. More than 1,500 employees of the Quartermaster Corps, commanded by Brigadier General Montgomery G. Meigs, the quartermaster general, manned rifle pits near the fort during the two-day battle. Nearby, Colonel Francis Price commanded a brigade of 2,800 convalescing soldiers. When the war ended, the 4th Regiment, United States Colored Troops performed guard duty at Fort Slocum.

After the war, Mrs. Mary Walker and L.E. Chittenden submitted claims for damages and rent of the land occupied by Fort Slocum and other installations. During World War II, some of the land was used for “victory gardens.” Today, it is a neighborhood of residences and small businesses.