From the waterfront in downtown Alexandria, Virginia, a drive north on King Street roughly follows the route of the southwestern border of the original District of Columbia. About three and a half miles north, near a shopping center, you can find one of the best-preserved perimeter forts built to protect Washington, D.C., during the U.S. Civil War. Fort Ward, along with scores of temporary forts encircling Washington during the Civil War, sprang up after several southern states seceded from the Union in April 1861. Virginia seceded in late May 1861, triggering…
