Fort Reno information panel

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 Reno is located at the corner of Nebraska Avenue NW and Chesapeake Street NW. Street parking is along Belk Road; Fort Reno Park does not have a dedicated parking lot.

WHAT TO SEE

There are no remains of Fort Reno. The site is now a small park with ball fields, tennis courts, and even a middle school. Concerts are held at the park each summer. For more information visit the Fort Reno website.

HISTORY

Fort Reno stood at the top of the hill that marks the highest point in Washington, D. C. It was built in the winter of 1861 by the 119th Pennsylvania Regiment, and was named Fort Pennsylvania until 1863 when the name was changed to honor Major General Jesse Lee Reno, who died at the Battle of South Mountain in 1862. Fort Reno would become the largest of the Washington, D. C., forts, armed with three Parrott siege guns, nine 27-pounder barbette guns, and 3,000 men. It was also one of the few forts that fired a weapon during a battle. When Confederates attacked Fort Stevens on July 11th and 12th, 1864, artillery was fired from Fort Reno, but this was quickly ceased when it was decided that errant shells were as likely to kill Union soldiers as Confederates. However, men from the fort were mobilized to defend Fort Stevens.

Fort Reno was one of the few forts surrounding Washington that had masonry structures, so unlike the earthen forts that were abandoned and left to nature, Reno was actually dismantled, which is one of the reasons why nothing remains today. Any earthen portions were leveled for the construction of a water reservoir.

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