Battery Rodgers (Historical Marker)

Here follows the inscription written on this roadside historical marker:

Historical Site
Defenses of Washington
1861-1865
Battery Rodgers

Here stood Battery Rodgers, built in 1863 to prevent enemy ships from passing up the Potomac River. The battery had a perimeter of 30 yards and mounted five 200 pounder Parrott guns and one 15-inch Rodman. It was deactivated in 1867.

Erected by the Civil War Round Table of Alexandria.


<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>
<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>

Here follows an excerpt from the book, "From Mr. Lincoln's Forts: A Guide to the Civil War Defenses of Washington" written by Benjamin Franklin Cooling III and Walton H. Owen II:

Battery Rodgers Particulars:
The battery stood along the 800 block of South Lee Street. Named for Navy Captain George W. Rodgers, killed in action at Charleston Harbor on August 17, 1863. The battery stood 28 feet above the river, and worked with Forts Foote and Washington to protect the river access to the Capital.

The "face" of the battery was 185 feet long, with side curtains of 60 to 80 feet protecting the flanks. The battery had two magazines, two bomb-proof filling rooms, a hospital, two barracks, a prison, and a mess hall. As mentioned on the marker, the armament was five 200-pdr Parrott Rifles and one 15-inch Rodman Gun. During most of the war, the battery was garrisoned by portions of the 1st Wisconsin Heavy Artillery.

Another wartime photo of the battery showing the 15-inch Rodman (furthest) and the 200-pounder Parrott. Note the 15-inch gun was mounted on a center pivot barbette allowing 360 degree traverse. The Parrot was on a front pivot barbette, allowing a more limited traverse. The mountings are both riveted iron construction. In the background is one of the city wharves.


<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>
<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>

Here follows a biography of George Rodgers from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Commander George Washington Rodgers (October 30, 1822 – August 17, 1863) was an officer of the United States Navy.

Biography:
Rodgers was born in Brooklyn, the son of Captain George Washington Rodgers (1787–1832) and Anna Maria Perry. His maternal grandfather was Christopher Raymond Perry and he came from a family with an extensive history in the Navy.

Rodgers was warranted midshipman in the Navy on April 30, 1836, and was promoted to passed midshipman on July 1, 1842. He served in the West Indies, Africa, and Mediterranean. During the Mexican–American War (1846–1848), Rodgers served in the Gulf of Mexico as acting master on the steamer Colonel and frigate John Adams. Rodgers served with the United States Coast Survey from 1849 to 1850 and was promoted to lieutenant on June 4, 1850. Rodgers was assigned to duty on the sloop Germantown from 1851 to 1853.

In 1861 Rodgers became Commandant of Midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy, replacing his brother Christopher Raymond Perry Rodgers (1819–1892). In April 1861 he prevented capture of the Constitution by secessionists; he also transferred the Naval Academy to Newport, Rhode Island, where it would remain until returning to Annapolis in 1865, after the end of the American Civil War. Rodgers was promoted to commander on January 16, 1862. In 1863, seeking an active post in the Union Navy, he left his post and took command of a new ship, the Tioga, patrolling the James River.

Rodgers served in the West Indies enforcing the Union blockade against Confederate blockade runners. Rodgers commanded the ironclad monitor Catskill in two unsuccessful attacks on Charleston Harbor, in October 1862 and on April 7, 1863, at the First Battle of Charleston Harbor. Rodgers was appointed chief of staff to Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren on July 4, 1863, and "was distinguished for his bravery in the silencing of Fort Sumter and the batteries on Morris Island."

Rodgers was killed aboard the Catskill on August 17, 1863, after a shot pierced the pilothouse while Rodgers commanded the attack on Fort Wagner in the Second Battle of Charleston Harbor.