Multimedia Presentations

Duration:

4 minutes, 21 seconds

Fort Foote was constructed for the purpose of defending, in connection with Battery Rogers, the water approach to the city. It was situated six miles below Washington, on a commanding bluff of the Maryland shore, elevated 100 feet above the river. Fort Foote was named in honor of Rear Admiral Andrew H. Foote, who distinguished himself in the actions against the confederate forts on the Mississippi Rivers and died of wounds on June 26,1863.

 

Duration:

2 minutes, 56 seconds

B-Roll package of Civil War Defenses of Washington.

 

Duration:

2 minutes, 37 seconds

B-Roll package of Fort Foote Park.

 

Duration:

8 minutes, 3 seconds

The Civil War Defenses of Washington (CWDW) commemorates the 156th Battle of Stevens with a special real-time program detailing the action on July 11, 1864. The Confederate Army of the Valley District advanced on Washington D.C. on the early afternoon of 11 July. The capital defenses roar into action. Along the Northern Defenses, Federal forces opened a heavy artillery barrage against rebel infantry and cavalry. The action stretched from Fort Bayard and Fort Reno in northwest Washington east toward Rock Creek and Forts DeRussy, Stevens, Slocum, and Totten. By 2:30 p.m., the rebel army was within 110 yards of Fort Stevens. What happened next? Watch the video to find out! #FindYourFort

 

Duration:

7 minutes, 56 seconds

The Civil War Defenses of Washington (CWDW) commemorates the 156th Battle of Fort Stevens with a special program at Battleground National Cemetery. With the rebel army less than a 1,000 yards from the capital, the Union Army launched a frontal assault on the evening of 12 July 1864. Two bridges of Federal infantry from the Sixth Army Corps stepped off at 5:00 p.m., attacking Confederate forces a half mile north of Fort Stevens. The engagement escalated into a heavy fire-fight as the rebels reinforced their front line to secure their retreat north into Maryland. Federal commanders responded by pouring more troops into the fray. The Battle of Fort Stevens secured the capital. Washington D.C. was redeemed. Learn more about the second's day battle on Sunday, July 12, 2020. #FindYourFort #156BattleOfFortStevens

 

Duration:

19 minutes, 16 seconds

The Civil War Defenses of Washington partnered with our colleagues at Monocacy National Battlefield to create a video detailing the Battle of Monocacy fought on July 9, 1864. The engagement occurred a mere 40-miles northwest of Washington D.C. Union Major General Lew Wallace's epic stand on the banks of the Monocacy River delayed the Confederate Army of the Valley District by one day, providing critical time for the Federal high command in Washington to prepare the defense of the city, and for General Ulysses S. Grant to send veterans troops from Virginia to reinforce the beleaguered capital. The special program will answer these questions: What brought the Confederate Army of the Valley District under General Jubal A. Early to Maryland? How did General Wallace plan his defense? How did the Early's forces break the Union line, win the battle, and advance toward Washington? What was the atmosphere in Washington during the battle? #TheBattleThatSavedWashington #156thBattleOfFortStevens

 

Duration:

18 minutes, 12 seconds

The Civil War wrought death and destruction across the American landscape. In Washington D.C., Federal soldiers constructed an elaborate system of fortifications to protect the national capital. The 76th New York Infantry served in the Northern Defenses in 1862, garrisoning earthworks that witnessed the brunt of the rebel army’s assault on Washington during the Battle of Fort Stevens in 1864. Before embarking on campaign with the Army of the Potomac, the 76th witnessed first-hand the breakdown of social order: civilian properties were occupied to construct the capital forts; formerly enslaved African American self-emancipated, seeking refuge and employment in army camps adjacent to the defenses; and relations between soldier and civilian devolved into violence. This experience was not uncommon for Federal soldiers who first served in forts before transferring to the front. Join the National Park Service for an exploration of the altered landscapes of the Civil War. Gettysburg National Military Park and the Civil War Defenses of Washington collaborated on this special program that highlights the 76th New York Infantry at the Defenses of Washington and Gettysburg, and Fort DeRussy during the Battle of Fort Stevens and post-war preservation. Park Rangers Jon Tracey and Steve T. Phan are featured in the special digital program. #FindYourFort #FindYourPark

 

Duration:

8 minutes, 5 seconds

What connections do the Civil War Defenses of Washington have with Juneteenth Day? Juneteenth Day commemorates the end of slavery in the rebellious states during the American Civil War in 1865. Washington D.C. became a beacon of freedom for formerly enslaved African Americans. Tens of thousands sought freedom and refuge at the Union army's camps and forts that encircled the capital. Learn more about slavery, freedom, and emancipation in Civil War Washington.

 

Duration:

35 minutes, 38 seconds

“Thenceforward, and forever free…” The Military Road School Preservation Trust and the National Park Service invite you to view Lincoln-Thomas Day. The historic event commemorates President Abraham Lincoln’s issuing of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, and honors Elizabeth Proctor Thomas, the African American woman who owned the property where Fort Stevens was constructed during the American Civil War. These two disparate individuals were folk heroes to the National Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs of America who designated Lincoln-Thomas Day a national day of remembrance on September 22, 1924. The commemoration was revived 7 years ago by alumni and friends of the Military Road School, founded in 1864 at a military barracks south of Fort Stevens. The special program premiered on the Civil War Defenses of Washington (CWDW) Facebook page at 12 noon on Tuesday, September 29, 2020. Enjoy Lincoln-Thomas Day on the CWDW website.

 

Duration:

7 minutes, 3 seconds

The Civil War Defenses of Washington (CWDW) presents the 3rd Annual Battleground National Cemetery Luminary. The special digital program commemorates #VeteransDay and will feature stories of the veterans connected to the site, including the lone veteran who was interred 72 years after the Battle of Fort Stevens, and detail the memorialization inspired by veterans that occurred at the cemetery in the decades following the Civil War.

 

A Soldier's Letter from Fort Marcy

What was it like to be a soldier at Fort Marcy? This soldier's family wanted to know, so he told them about his life as a soldier in this personal letter from 1862.