• Bugler sounding Taps

    Civil War Defenses of Washington

    District of Columbia

There are park alerts in effect.
show Alerts »
  • Possible closures due to Hurricane Sandy

    Due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy, park areas may be temporarily closed. Please call (202) 895-6070 for more information and park conditions. More »

Collections Gallery


Did You Know?

Samuel Cooper

The Civil War Defenses were generally named after well known Union officers (many deceased during the war). This was not always the case. Fort Williams was first named Fort Traitor because the owner, Samuel Cooper(left), pledged an oath to the Union only to become a Confederate later on in the war.