Fort Tillinghast
| Fort Tillinghast | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Civil War defenses of Washington, D.C. | |
| Arlington County, Virginia | |
Map of Fort Craig and surrounding area including Fort Tillinghast, 1865.
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| Coordinates | 38°52′43″N 77°05′02″W / 38.8785000°N 77.0838333°W |
| Type | Earthwork fort |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | Union Army |
| Condition | Residential Area |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1861 |
| Built by | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
| In use | 1861–1865 |
| Materials | Earth, timber |
| Demolished | 1865 |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Coordinates: 38°52′43″N 77°05′02″W / 38.8785000°N 77.0838333°W
Fort Tillinghast was a small crescent-shaped, Civil War-era fort built by the Union Army in Arlington County (at that time Alexandria County) in Virginia. It was part of the defensive ring around Washington, D.C. and was occupied throughout the American Civil War. Fort Tillinghast stood about 0.6 miles away from Arlington House, the Union-occupied estate of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
The fort was part of the Arlington Line and tied into Fort Craig approximately 0.6 miles to the south and Fort Cass approximately 0.3 miles to the north. Along with Forts Cass, Woodbury, Morton, and Strong, Fort Tillinghast was a lunette which covered the approaches to the Aqueduct Bridge (near the modern Key Bridge).
It was named in honor of Captain Otis H. Tillinghast, Quartermaster, killed at the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861. Oriented to the west, it had a perimeter of 298 yards, emplacements for 12 guns, and 2 magazines as well as a bombproof barracks. The fort's armament included four 24-pound guns, one 24-pound field howitzer, four 30-pound Parrott rifles, two 20-pound Parrott rifles, and two 24-pound Coehorn mortars.
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