Battery Rodgers Historical Marker

This historical marker at the end of Green Street identifies the site of Battery Rodgers, a sizeable earthen gun emplacement that was part of the extensive system of fortifications that protected Washington D.C. during the Civil War. The battery, which was built in 1863, featured two barracks, powder magazines, a prison, mess hall, slaughterhouse, and a small hospital. It was armed with one Parrot rifle gun and a large 15-inch Rodman gun, and was manned by 256 soldiers. None of the battery's earthworks exist today. It was named in honor of U.S. Navy Captain George W. Rodgers, who died during an attack on Fort Wagner.

Before the Civil War, Washington D.C. was virtually undefended. Construction of fortifications began in earnest once the war began and by the 1865, the city was one of the most heavily fortified cities in the world. Battery Rodgers protected this part of the Potomac River in conjunction with Fort Foote, which was located to the south on the Maryland side of the river. The battery was 185 feet long and its sides were 60 and 80 feet long. It was abandoned in 1867 and is now part of Jones Point Park. The Rodman gun was relocated to be on display at Fort Foote, whose site is now part of Fort Foote Park.

"Battery Rodgers." The Historical Marker Database. Accessed January 25, 2023. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=41413.

Cooling III, Benjamin Franklin & Owen II, Walton H. Mr. Lincoln's Forts: A Guide to the Civil War Defenses of Washington. Toronto, Canada: Scarecrow Press, 2010.

"The Civil War and Battery Rodgers." The Historical Marker Database. Accessed January 25, 2023. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=70411.

"History of Battery Rodgers Hospital." City of Alexandria. Accessed January 25, 2023. https://www.alexandriava.gov/historic-sites/battery-rodgers-hospital.