Explore" Fort Ward | Glossary of Military Terms
This Bastion protected the rear wall of the fort from the Ceremonial Gate to the North Bastion. Jutting out from the earthen walls with four strategically placed guns, the Rear Bastion protected the entire area behind the fort where the officers’ quarters, barracks and mess hall were located.
The North Bastion’s guns were positioned to cover one of the major routes into Alexandria (Leesburg Turnpike) as well as provide protection for an outlying rifle trench. The rifle trench extended from the point of the North Bastion to Battery Garesche, the next fort in line, about two miles away.
The Northwest Bastion, together with its counterpart the Southwest Bastion, were the major defensive elements of Fort Ward. Armed with two 24-pounder Howitzers, three 4.5" ordnance rifles and a six-pounder James rifle, the Northwest Bastion guarded the approach to Alexandria along the Leesburg Turnpike (State Route 7).
Guns in the South Bastion were mounted to cover the ditch along the wall of the Southwest Bastion.
The largest gun in the fort, a 100-pounder Parrott rifle, was mounted en barbette on a center pintle carriage at the point of the Southwest Bastion. This weapon had a maximum range of five miles and the center pintle carriage enabled the gun to be aimed in any direction, providing a significant range of fire to guard the approach to Alexandria via Little River Turnpike (State Route 236).
Rifle trenches were dug with earth piled to the exposed (defensive) side into which infantry could move without exposure to enemy fire. These trenches connected many of the forts in the Defenses of Washington to prevent an advancing enemy from executing a flanking maneuver to the rear of the forts.
An abatis was constructed from the branches of large trees piled several feet high in a line along the outer wall of the ditch (dry moat). The ends of the branches pointing outward were cut to a point to deter enemy troops from breaching the line. An abatis usually surrounded the entire perimeter of the fort, having the same effect as barbed wire.
These partially underground structures were located in the center of the fort. Designed to provide space for operations in the event a fort came under attack, the bombproof could hold one third of the fort’s complement of troops. Space was also allocated for a guard house and dispensary. Covered by several feet of earth, a breastheight and banquette were also constructed on top of the bombproof as a line of defense for infantry in any attempt to breach the fort’s walls.
Powder Magazine and Filling Room
Ammunition for the fort’s guns was kept in underground storage facilities called powder magazines and filling rooms. Shells were armed and sometimes stored in the filling room, while the magazine was used to hold black powder and crated rounds. Implements for firing the cannons could also be kept in the filling room.
Officers’ Quarters and Barracks
The garrison for a fort lived outside the earthen structure. The officers’ quarters, barracks and mess hall as well as other support buildings were located to the rear of the fort. In an attack, the troops would have moved inside the earthen structure, closing the gate.
Also see Buildings and ArchitectureThe large Ceremonial Gate was erected in 1865 to mark the main entrance to Fort Ward. The arch was adorned with a castle, the insignia of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which designed and supervised the construction of the fort. The gate’s columns were topped with a stand of cannon balls in tribute to the artillerymen who manned the fort from 1861-1865. This gate, which marks the site of the original structure, has been reproduced from a Corps of Engineers drawing for Fort Ward.
