Fort Chaplin
See the Civil War Defenses of Washington Park Map web page for an interactive fort location map.
LOCATION
The National Park Service information panel for Fort Chaplin is located on Texas Avenue SE near the corner of C Street, directly across from Plummer Elementary School. A large clearing is at this site. Parking is available along C Street.
Clearing along Texas Avenue
WHAT TO SEE
The National Park Service information panel for Fort Chaplin claims that earthworks can be seen in the forest, but like Fort Mahan, the vegetation is so thick during the summer that it is impossible to spot anything. There is a field where the information panel is, and I walked every inch of it along the treeline and saw nothing. Around to the right, the forest thins out and a path leads farther into the woods, but I could not find anything there either.
The forest floor is very level, which does not indicate that any sort of earthwork—man-made hill or gully—still exists. It also confuses me that the information panel states that earthworks are visible “at the top of the hill.” What hill? If you must walk farther into the forest than I did to get to the top of the hill, no thanks. No telling what’s in there—ticks, poison ivy, snakes…
I also walked along C Street and saw nothing there as well.
UPDATE FROM JOSH SINGER
I got the following email from Josh Singer on February 14, 2021
I’m exploring the Defenses of Washington and have just visited Fort Chaplin today (Feb 13, 2021). It’s definitely there, and it was more challenging to get to than any of the other forts I’ve visited.
You’re right. The sign says you can see the fort through the trees, and you can’t. Stand in front of the sign; you’re looking NW. Walk through the flat open field and enter the woods. You start turning SW, heading downhill a bit. Start turning right, making a loop until you’re eventually pointing north. There’s some terrain that looks like it may be manmade but is more likely natural erosion. Start walking north and you’ll spot a high ridge line. That’s Fort Chaplin. It starts getting steeper, and then bam—if you know your forts, you’ll find the very well-defined trench and huge, well preserved walls. Biggest ones I’ve seen on a fort; at least 15 feet high.
Go to the SW corner, head N and there’s a point on the parapet where you can climb up (sorry, I know you really shouldn’t do this too much). The fort is extremely overgrown with trees, branches, vines, and thorns, making it almost impossible to really get inside too far, but you can definitely recognize the layout if you have your diagrams with you. Go in the fall / winter when the trees aren’t obscuring everything. Only problem in February are thorn bushes! Definitely the most challenging fort to visit that I’ve seen!
Clearing leads farther into the woods
Typical forest terrain at Fort Chaplin Park
HISTORY
Fort Chaplin did not begin operation until late the Civil War. Whereas most forts were in service by 1862, construction on Chaplin did not commence until 1864. Furthermore, it was never fully armed, being fitted with just one out of eleven planned artillery pieces. The main purpose of the fort was to fill the gap between Fort Mahan to the north and Fort Meigs to the south.
The fort was named after Colonel Daniel Chaplin, the commander of the 1st Maine Heavy Artillery who was killed by a Confederate sharp shooter at Deep Bottom, Virginia, in August 1864.
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Last updated on February 16, 2021
