Historical marker at the site of Fort DuBussy

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See the Civil War Defenses of Washington Park Map web page for an interactive fort location map.

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LOCATION

Fort DeRussy is located in Rock Creek Park. The Western Ridge Trail is the starting point for a trip to the fort, and you can pick it up at the corner of Oregon Avenue NW and Military Road NW. There is a 2-car parking area along the street on Oregon right near the corner. If that is full, park at the Rock Creek Park Nature Center and take the Western Ridge Trail from there. See the Park Map for details.

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WHAT TO SEE

Begin your hike to Fort DeRussy by following the Western Ridge Trail up Oregon Avenue from Military Road for a short distance until you come to the National Park Service information panel for the fort. Take a right at the panel, and when the trail forks just a short distance ahead, stay left on the gravel path. No sooner do you turn than the trail forks again. Take a right and you will find remnants of the fort a short ways down the trail. Overall, it’s about .4 mile from the street.

Western Ridge Trail along Oregon Avenue

At the turnoff for the fort is another information panel and a large boulder with a commemorative plaque on it. Trails lead up to and around the fort. DeRussy is one of the best preserved of all forts in the Civil War Defenses of Washington because Rock Creek became a park only twenty-five years after the Civil War, so none of the land was ever developed.

Historical marker at Fort DeRussy

The earthen walls are still intact, and you can actually climb up to the top and walk around the entire perimeter of the fort. Whenever you come to a notch in the wall, that is where a cannon used to be. The gully in front of the wall is what remains of the dry moat that was dug around the fort, creating one more obstacle for those wishing to overrun the facility.

Wall of Fort DeRussy

Trail along the top of the fort wall at Fort DeRussy

When done exploring, you can return back the way you came or continue on to hike the Milkhouse Ford Trail, a 1.75-mile loop. The land you are on is part of Rock Creek Park, and the trail is part of its trail system.

HISTORY

Fort DeRussy was built by the 4th New York Heavy Artillery in 1861 to protect Rock Creek Valley. It is one of the few forts in Washington that saw action during the Civil War. By the summer of 1864, the Union had commenced attacks on Richmond and Petersburg, so Union General Ulysses S. Grant began pulling troops from the defensive forts around Washington to serve on the front lines. When the Confederates learned about this, General Robert E. Lee ordered General Jubal Early to take advantage of the depleted Union defenses, with the ultimate goal of forcing Grant to reassign front line troops back to Washington, thus taking the pressure off of the Confederates in their own territory. Early launched an attack on Fort Stevens on July 11, 1864. Fort DeRussy fired over 100 artillery rounds into the attacking Confederate ranks. The battle lasted two days before the Confederates withdrew.

Fort DeRussy was named for Brigadier General Rene Edward DeRussy, a former superintendent at West Point. His son, Gustavus, was the fort’s commander.

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