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Fort Willard Historic Site is a 1.6-acre park containing a Civil War fort. The fort, constructed in 1862, was among the series of forts and artillery batteries built around Washington as part of the Union Army’s defense of the capital during the Civil War. Fort Willard was the southernmost fortification in the Defenses of Washington. Located on a high point of a ridge overlooking low ground along the Potomac River, it commands a clear view to present day of Fort Hunt Road and beyond. The site was named in honor of Colonel George L. Willard, who was killed at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863.
