Southwest Bastion (Historical Marker)
GPS Coordinates: 38.8296253, -77.1034061
Here follows the inscription written on this roadside historical marker:
Southwest Bastion
City of Alexandria, Virginia
The Southwest Bastion was the most heavily fortified area of the fort with emplacements for seven guns, as well as a magazine and a filling room. The largest gun in Fort Ward, a 100-pounder Parrott Rifle, was located in the Southwest Bastion. This weapon was mounted on a center pintle (circular) carriage and could fire a 100-pound projectile a distance of about five miles. The Parrott Rifle was important because of its capability of defending both the Leesburg Turnpike and the Little River Turnpike, two major roads into Alexandria.
The viewing platform to the right of this marker spans an opening (outlet) in the fort wall that enabled troops to move through the ditch to an outlying rifle trench without being exposed to enemy fire.
Erected by City of Alexandria, Virginia.
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More about this marker:
The upper left of the marker face presents a engineering plan of the fort, with red arrows indicating the tour path, The Southwest Bastion is the last point on the tour of Fort Ward. The self-guided tour of this historic site begins at the Ceremonial Gate near the museum. The location of the Parrott gun platform, other gun emplacements, magazines, and the rifle trench are indicated in blue. Below the fort plan is a Diagram of a center pintle carriage.
On the right is a photograph of the 1st Connecticut Heavy Artillery in the Southwest Bastion.
The Base Angle of the SouthWest Bastion:
Portions of the fort wall have been lost to time, but traces of the outlet to the exterior infantry trenches are still present. The exterior trenches are mostly lost to time.
Unfortunately, the marker has experienced significant damage, most likely from the weather.