Fort C. F. Smith.
In these photographs of 1865, the defenses of Washington have served their turn; it is more than a year since they were threatened for the last time by
General Early and his men. But the panoply of war continues.
Everything is polished and groomed.
During four long years the guns in Fort C. F. Smith have been swabbed out daily and oiled, to be ready for a thunderous reception to the
Confederates.
The fort, one of the later constructions, lay to the northwest of Fort Corcoran.
Its armament of smooth-bore guns consisted of one 8-inch seacoast howitzer en barbette, four 24-pounders on siege carriages en embrasure, and three 12--pounder howitzers en embrasure. Of rifled guns it boasted six 4 1/2-inch Rodmans en embrasure, and two 10-pounder Parrotts en embrasure. It also mounted three 8-inch siege-mortars.
There were six vacant platforms for further guns.
The Second New York Heavy Artillery remained in the defenses of Washington till May, 1864, when it joined the Army of the Potomac.
It lost 114 officers and men killed and mortally wounded, and 247 by disease.
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The garrison of Fort C. F. Smith--company F, second New York heavy artillery |
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Company L, at drill |
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