Fort Weed (Site)

Fort Weed was built in 1862 and originally named Redoubt A until 1863 when the four redoubts were all renamed after Federal officers killed at the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863. The fort remained in operation until the end of the Civil War in 1865.


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Here follows an excerpt from Donald Hakenson's "This Forgotten Land" tour guide:

The center of the site for Fort Weed was the intersection of Fort Drive and Monticello Road. No visible remains of the fort exist. The fort was named for Brigadier General Stephen Hinsdale Weed of the Fifth U.S. Artillery who was killed at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863. It was constructed with a lunette shape with a stockaded gorge. The fort perimeter was 253 yards with emplacements for twelve guns. It contained one magazine, and a bomb proof and barracks were constructed along the north wall of the fort. A rifle pit connected Fort Weed with Fort Lyon. The Thirty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry, the Second Connecticut Heavy Artillery and the Third Battalion New York Artillery were the Union units known to be assigned at Fort Weed.


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Here follows an excerpt from the "Jaybird's Jottings" blog by Jay Roberts:

The fort was part of the Civil War Defenses of Washington, the ring of 68 built to defend the capital during the war. Fort Lyon and three others, Fort Weed, Fort Farnsworth and Fort O’Rourke, overlooked the southern and western approaches to Alexandria and Washington.

Using a new edition of Mr. Lincoln’s Forts, A Guide to the Civil War Defenses of Washington, I visited the Fort Lyon site, taking photos of what is there now. I promised similar photos of the other forts, but the slip for that task got lost in my great big circular file. Might never have found it, but a browse the other day at Barnes and Noble brought the memory back. Standing at the Local Interest section, I spotted A Soldier’s Account of the Capital in Crisis, 1864-1865 by Marc Newman.

I love these sepia-toned, “Images Of” history series. Printed with a blue cover, this one stood out from the others. Grabbing it off the shelve, I noticed it is Arcadia’s “The Civil War History” series.

The more I read, the more I was intrigued. The soldier was Richtmyer Hubbell, a 21-year old farm boy from Blenheim, New York. As Newman details in the introduction, Hubbell traveled to Wisconsin in 1863, where he joined the 1st Wisconsin Heavy Artillery Company as an apprenticed doctor.

In late spring 1864, with the war and disease ravaging both sides, the young soldier was given his orders to report to Virginia. His duty station? Fort Weed, one of the three forts I had forgotten about.

Hubbell’s reports include his supply runs into Alexandria and Washington, a visit to Mount Vernon, as well as his attending Lincoln’s second inauguration, the New Year’s Eve ball at the White House and the Electoral College balloting in the 1864 Presidential election.

He also details his life at Fort Weed. It had 12 guns and a bombproof barracks. A rifle pit ran from the fort to Fort Lyon.

Fort Weed was located about 1000 feet south of Fort Lyon. There are no visible remains.

To get to the site, now suburban neighborhood houses, leave the Kiss and Ride at Huntington, and make a left of N. Kings Highway. At the next light, make a right on to Fort Drive. Proceed to the intersection of Fort Drive and Monticello Road. Fort Weed was located on and to the south of Fort Drive and west of Williamsburg Road. Monticello cuts the fort in half with the entrance located near the intersection of Fort Drive and Monticello.