Military Education at Fort McNair

Military Education at Fort McNair (HMDFK)

Location: Washington, DC 20024
Buy District Of Columbia State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 38° 52.325', W 77° 1.02'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 523 views
Inscription

River Farms to Urban Towers

— Southwest Heritage Trail —

Fort Leslie J. McNair, to your right, honors the commander, Army Ground Forces during World War II who died in battle. It is the U.S. Army's third oldest installation (after West Point and Carlisle Barracks).

The fort dates back to 1791. Washington City planner Pierre L'Enfant selected this site, where the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers meet, as ideal for a military installation. At first it was known as the Arsenal at Greenleaf's Point, where the Army stored and distributed weapons. During the War of 1812, according to a contemporary newspaper report, a dozen British redcoats were killed when they accidentally set off gunpowder hidden down a dry well by a retreating American commander. In 1826 a U.S. penitentiary was added. In 1865, four of eight prisoners charged with conspiracy in President Lincoln's assassination were hanged in its courtyard.

After the Civil War, the fort's importance in the capital's defenses declined. In 1881, the arsenal was closed and the fort stored Army uniforms and supplies. From 1893 until his death in 1902, yellow fever pioneer researcher, Dr. Walter Reed studied infectious diseases here in a small post hospital. In 1904 the Army War College was founded, opening the era of higher education for senior military personnel. In 2004 the eight divisions of the National Defense University include the National War College which opened in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War. Fort McNair also is home to the Inter-American Defense College, established at the height of the Cold War to safeguard the Western Hemisphere.

Details
HM NumberHMDFK
Tags
Marker Number13 of 17
Placed ByCultural Tourism DC
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, October 26th, 2014 at 11:56am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 325022 N 4304515
Decimal Degrees38.87208333, -77.01700000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 52.325', W 77° 1.02'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 52' 19.50" N, 77° 1' 1.20" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)202, 301
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 225 L'Enfant Plaza, Washington DC 20024, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. What year was the marker erected?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?