The Civil War Defenses of Washington, D.C.
Battleground National Cemetery
Entrance to Battle Ground Cemetary on Georgia Avenue.
Battleground National Cemetery, located at 6625 Georgia Avenue, NW, was established
shortly after the Battle of Fort Stevens in the summer of 1864. The battle, which lasted two
days (July 11 through July 12, 1864) marked the defeat of General Jubal A. Early's
Confederate campaign to launch an offensive action against the poorly defended Nation's
Capital. The Battle of Fort Stevens was also to gain notoriety as being the only military action
in which the Commander in Chief (President Abraham Lincoln) came under direct fire from an
enemy force. With a combined total casualty figure of over 900 killed or wounded during the
conflict, 41 of these (Union) soldiers who fought and died bravely in Fort Steven's defense
were interred in a specially created cemetery dedicated by Abraham Lincoln.
Battleground National Cemetery, located one-half mile north of Fort Stevens, is one acre in
size and one of our Nation's smallest national cemeteries. The entrance to the Cemetery is
flanked by two 6-pounder, smoothbore guns of Civil War vintage. Also near the entrance are
monuments commemorating those units which fought at Fort Stevens:
- 25th New York Volunteer Cavalry Monument
- 98th Pennsylvania Volunteer Monument
- 122nd New York Volunteer Monument
- 150th Ohio National Guard Monument
Within the Cemetery grounds are a series of cast iron markers containing the words of a poem
entitled "The Bivouac of the Dead" written by Theodore O'Hara in memory of those men who
perished during the Mexican War. This poem as well as the bronze Gettysburg Address found
on the side of the caretaker's lodge are reminiscent of many national cemeteries. The center of
the Cemetery is marked by a central flagpole surrounded by 41 regulation marble headstones
marking the remains of the honored dead of Fort Stevens. Behind these headstones and to the
east stands a marble rostrum used to conduct yearly Memorial Day services. The four granite
pillars are in memory of the four volunteer companies who fought at Fort Stevens.
Last Update 3/10/98 DIW
http://www.nps.gov/cwdw/btcemet.htm