Dust motes danced in the sunlight. We’re standing on hallowed ground at Battery Heights. This place echoes with the stories of a nation divided. It whispers tales of courage and resilience.
Battery Heights. It was originally named Fort Pennsylvania. It played a vital role in the Civil War Defenses of Washington. Construction began shortly after the Union Army’s disastrous defeat at the First Battle of Manassas.
Brigadier General John G. Barnard chose this location. He was in charge of constructing Washington’s defenses. Battery Heights, the highest elevation in the city at 429 feet above sea level, was strategically important. It guarded the Rockville Pike. That’s present-day Wisconsin Avenue. It also served as a forward outpost and signal station. From here, they could detect enemy movement near the city’s northern part.
The 119th Pennsylvania Regiment constructed the fort. In 1863, the name changed to Fort Reno. This honored Major General Jesse Lee Reno. He was mortally wounded at the Battle of South Mountain in 1862.
Initially small, Fort Reno grew. It strengthened with an advanced battery. This battery sat 300 yards north of the highest ridge. It was across from what is now Fessenden Street and along 39th Street. The advanced battery held eight 12-pounder guns. It also had a magazine. A covered walkway connected it to the main fort to the south. They added a double line of rifle trenches. This further strengthened the position.
Eventually, Fort Reno became the largest and strongest fort defending the capital. It boasted a dozen heavy guns. There were three Parrott siege guns. Nine 27-pounder barbette guns added to its arsenal. Three thousand men of the First Brigade made Fort Reno the stronghold of the capital’s northern defenses.
In July 1864, General Ulysses S. Grant needed reinforcements. He moved troops from Washington’s defenses to support his army at Petersburg. Fort Reno, like other defenses, was undermanned. Confederate General Robert E. Lee learned of this weakness. He sent General Jubal A. Early to attack from the north.
On July 11, 1864, Fort Reno was the first to spot Early’s advance. Lookouts in the signal tower saw clouds of dust. They then saw Confederate army wagons moving toward the city near Rockville, Maryland.
During Early’s assault on Fort Stevens on July 11th and 12th, Fort Reno’s heavy guns offered limited support. The fear was that long-range guns would hit Union Army pickets. However, one shell fired from Fort Reno by a 100-pounder Parrott Rifle traveled 3.5 miles north. It killed four Confederates near the present-day Bethesda Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. Fort Stevens was reinforced on July 12, 1864. The Confederate army never captured it. Nor did they reach the capital city.
Small squadrons of soldiers from Forts Reno and Stevens advanced into the countryside. They fended off invaders. A few Confederates were captured. They were held in camps. Later they were transferred to a central prison. Early’s army retreated across the Potomac River near Leesburg, Virginia. Washington breathed a collective sigh of relief.
After the war, the forts were slowly dismantled. They were then abandoned. Much of Fort Reno was visible as late as 1892. But the fort and battery at the north end were graded down. This was for the construction of a water reservoir. Today, the site is bounded by Nebraska Avenue, Fessenden Street, Belt Road, and Chesapeake Street, Northwest.
Here at Battery Heights, we stand where soldiers once stood. They defended the Union. We remember their sacrifice. We honor the history. Though time has passed, the spirit of Battery Heights endures.