Fort Johnston
Encyclopedia
Fort Johnston, also known as Fort Geary, is a Civil War
era earthen fort atop a 670 feet (204.2 m) peak of Catoctin Mountain
just west of Leesburg, Virginia
. Constructed in the winter of 1861-62 following the Battle of Balls Bluff, it is one of three forts constructed to defend the town from the threat of possible invasion. The fort was built in the design of a four point star with arm of each point measuring roughly 110 feet (33.5 m) in length. The fort was only sporadically occupied by Confederates, as the main threat of invasion came from the east across the Potomac
. In 1862 when Loudoun County
was invaded by the Union army, the fort was abandoned and later occupied by the Federals who rechristened it Fort Geary in honor of their commander. Throughout the war Leesburg was rarely held in force by either side of the conflict and the fort saw little use. Today part of the earthworks of the fort still exist, and are located on private property on Fort Johnston Road.
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
era earthen fort atop a 670 feet (204.2 m) peak of Catoctin Mountain
Catoctin Mountain
Catoctin Mountain, along with the geologically associated Bull Run Mountains, comprises the easternmost mountain ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are in turn a part of the Appalachian Mountains range...
just west of Leesburg, Virginia
Leesburg, Virginia
Leesburg is a historic town in, and county seat of, Loudoun County, Virginia, United States of America. Leesburg is located west-northwest of Washington, D.C. along the base of the Catoctin Mountain and adjacent to the Potomac River. Its population according the 2010 Census is 42,616...
. Constructed in the winter of 1861-62 following the Battle of Balls Bluff, it is one of three forts constructed to defend the town from the threat of possible invasion. The fort was built in the design of a four point star with arm of each point measuring roughly 110 feet (33.5 m) in length. The fort was only sporadically occupied by Confederates, as the main threat of invasion came from the east across the Potomac
Potomac
-Places in the United States:Washington, D.C. area:*The Potomac River, which flows through West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC**The Potomac Highlands of West Virginia, a region of the Potomac River's watershed in West Virginia...
. In 1862 when Loudoun County
Loudoun County, Virginia
Loudoun County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county is estimated to be home to 312,311 people, an 84 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 169,599. That increase makes the county the fourth...
was invaded by the Union army, the fort was abandoned and later occupied by the Federals who rechristened it Fort Geary in honor of their commander. Throughout the war Leesburg was rarely held in force by either side of the conflict and the fort saw little use. Today part of the earthworks of the fort still exist, and are located on private property on Fort Johnston Road.