Fort Bayard (Washington, D.C.)

Fort Bayard
Part of the Civil War defenses of Washington, D.C.
District of Columbia
Map of the fort
Coordinates	38°57′23″N 77°05′28″W / 38.95639°N 77.09111°W / 38.95639; -77.09111
Type	Earthwork fort
Site information
Owner	U.S. National Park Service
Controlled by	Union Army
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	Public park
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

Fort Bayard was an earthwork fort constructed in 1861 northwest of Tenleytown in the District of Columbia as part of the defenses of Washington, D.C., during the American Civil War. It never faced major opposition during the conflict and was decommissioned following the surrender of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Named after Brigadier General George Dashiell Bayard, who was killed at the Battle of Fredericksburg, the site of the fort is in Boundary Park, located at the intersection of River Road and Western Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and is maintained by the U.S. National Park Service. No trace of the fort remains, though a marker commemorating its existence has been erected by the Park Service.