Battery Ricketts 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 Battery Ricketts is located near the corner of Raynolds Place SE and Bruce Place SE. Park on one of the side streets. Be warned that this is not the safest neighborhood in Washington, D. C. I would advise carrying a gun if you set out to explore the area on foot.
WHAT TO SEE
Of all the Civil War Defenses of Washington fort sites, Fort Ricketts is the most overgrown. The National Park Service information panel states that fort remnants lie within the wooded area behind the sign, but the forest is practically impenetrable. I could see hills within the forest, but it was hard to tell if these were fort walls, natural hills, or my imagination. I wasn’t about to enter, and you’d really have to Lewis-and-Clark-It™ if you want to explore the wooded lot in the summer.
There is a trail that runs through the property, but this is also overgrown and nothing can be seen along it as far as fort walls or dry moats are concerned. If you follow the trail to the end, you will come out at a neighborhood.
Trail through the Fort Ricketts site
HISTORY
The site is referred to as both Fort Ricketts and Battery Ricketts, and based on the information from the National Park Service website, there may have been two separate structures, a fort and a smaller battery. Regardless, the fortification was built to cover a ravine that could not be covered from Fort Stanton, which was situated on a bluff overlooking the Washington Navy Yard on the Anacostia River.
The idea that there may have been two separate structures brings the naming of the fort into question. The National Park Service claims that “Fort” Ricketts was most likely named after Captain James B. Ricketts, while “Fort Battery” Ricketts was named after Captain R. Bruce Ricketts. It’s like the name Ricketts was decided on, and the Army then had to come up with two men named Ricketts for whom to attribute the honor. Unless these guys are brothers, something is amiss.
With a few exceptions, use of any photograph on the National Park Planner website requires a paid Royalty Free Editorial Use License or Commercial Use License. See the Photo Usage page for details.
Last updated on April 26, 2020
