| Fort Lesley J. McNair | |
|---|---|
| Part ofJoint Base Myer–Henderson Hall | |
| Buzzard Point, Washington, D.C. | |
 Fort McNair peninsula from the air | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Military base |
| Controlled by | United States Army -Military District of Washington |
| Open to the public | No |
| Website | home.army.mil/jbmhh |
| Location | |
  Fort Lesley J. McNair | |
| Coordinates | 38°52′01″N77°00′58″W / 38.867°N 77.016°W /38.867; -77.016 |
| Site history | |
| Architect | Pierre Charles L'Enfant |
| In use | 1791–present |
| Fate | Incorporated intoJoint Base Myer–Henderson Hall |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | Military District of Washington |
| Occupants | |
Fort Lesley J. McNair, also historically known as theWashington Arsenal, is aUnited States Army post located on the tip ofBuzzard Point, thepeninsula that lies at the confluence of thePotomac River and theAnacostia River inWashington, D.C. To the peninsula's west is theWashington Channel, while the Anacostia River is on its south side. The fort has been an army post for more than 200 years,[1] third in length of service, after theUnited States Military Academy at West Point and theCarlisle Barracks. The fort is named for GeneralLesley James McNair, who was killed in action byfriendly fire in Normandy, France duringWorld War II.
The military reservation was established in 1791, on about 28 acres (110,000 m2) at the tip of Greenleaf Point. MajorPierre Charles L'Enfant included it in his plans for Washington, the Federal City, as a significant site for the capital defense.[a] On L'Enfant's orders, Andre Villard, a French follower of Marquis de Lafayette, placed a one-gun battery on the site. In 1795, the site became one of the first two United States arsenals.[6]
Anarsenal first occupied the site, and defenses were built in 1794. However, the fortifications did not halt theinvasion of British forces in 1814, who burned down many public government buildings in Washington, D.C., during theWar of 1812. Soldiers at the arsenal evacuated north with as much gunpowder as they could carry, hiding the rest in a well as the British soldiers came up thePotomac River after burning theCapitol. About 47 British soldiers found thepowder magazines they had come to destroy were empty. Someone threw a match into the well, and "a tremendous explosion ensued," a doctor at the scene reported, "whereby the officers and about 30 of the men were killed and the rest most shockingly mangled."[7]
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The remaining soldiers destroyed the arsenal buildings, but the facilities were rebuilt from 1815 to 1821. Eight buildings were arranged around a quadrangle and named the Washington Arsenal. In the early 1830s, four acres of marshland were reclaimed and added to the arsenal. A seawall and additional buildings were constructed. Between 1825 and 1831, the Washington Arsenalpenitentiary, which was constructed adjacent to the main arsenal buildings, had a three-story block of cells, administrative buildings, and a shoe factory for teaching prisoners a trade. In 1857, the federal government purchased additional land for the site. By 1860, the arsenal had used one of the first steam presses, developed the first automatic machine for manufacturing percussive caps, and experimented with the Hale Rocket. A large civilian workforce manufactured ammunition at the arsenal, and the site included a large military hospital.[6]
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During theCivil War, women worked in an ammunition factory at the Washington Arsenal as it served theUnion. Many lower-class women—includingIrish immigrants—needed wages, especially after male relatives went to war. Women were believed to have nimble fingers, attention to detail, and a tendency to neatness suitable for rolling, pinching, tying, and bundling cartridges with bullets and black powder. Wounded Civil War soldiers were also treated at the Arsenal in a hospital next to the penitentiary that was built prior to the war in 1857.
On 17 June 1864, fireworks left in the sun outside acartridge room ignited, killing twenty-one women, many of whom burned to death in flammablehoop skirts. The War Department paid for their funerals, andPresidentAbraham Lincoln attended the joint funeral procession. A monument atCongressional Cemetery commemorates these women. In memory of the many Irish victims, theIrish foreign ministerEamon Gilmore laid a wreath at the Congressional Cemetery memorial in 2014 to commemorate the accident's 150th anniversary.[8][9][10]
Following the defeat and surrender of theConfederate States of America in the spring of 1865 to end the war,John Wilkes Boothassassinated Lincoln in retribution. Following Booth's death at the hands of Federal troops in Port Royal, Virginia, his conspirators were then apprehended and imprisoned in the Washington Arsenal penitentiary. After being found guilty by amilitary tribunal, four werehanged in the yard of the penitentiary,[11] and the rest received prison sentences. Among those hanged at what would become Fort McNair wasMary Surratt, the first woman ever executed under federal orders.[1] The military tribunal tried the conspirators in a complex that is known as Ulysses S. Grant Hall. This hall periodically holds public open houses. Each quarter of the hall is open to the public, and people can visit the courtroom and learn more about the trials.
The arsenal was closed in 1881, and the post was transferred to theQuartermaster Corps.[1]
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A general hospital, the predecessor to theWalter Reed Army Medical Center, was located at the post from 1898 until 1909. MajorWalter Reed found the area's marshlands an excellent site for his research onmalaria. Reed's work contributed to the discovery of the cause ofyellow fever. Reed died ofperitonitis after anappendectomy at the post in 1902. The post dispensary and the visiting officers' quarters now occupy the buildings where Reed worked and died.[1]
From December 1901 to March 1903, Engineer officerFrederic Vaughan Abbot served on a panel that reported on the feasibility of establishing theUnited States Army War College atWashington Barracks and reconstructing the site so it could host the headquarters of the Chief of Engineers and theEngineer School.[12] In 1904, the War College's first classes were conducted atRoosevelt Hall,[1][13] the iconic building designed by the architectural firm ofMcKim, Mead and White.[13] About 90% of the present buildings on the post's 100 acres (0.40 km2) were built, reconstructed, or remodeled by 1908. DuringWorld War I, Washington Barracks and the sub‑posts atCamp Leach andCamp A. A. Humphreys, were commanded by Abbot and were home to the school for Engineer officers and the site for enlisting and organizing divisional Engineer regiments for service in France.[12]
TheArmy Industrial College was founded at McNair in 1924 to prepare officers for high-level posts in Army supply organizations and study industrial mobilization. It evolved into theIndustrial College of the Armed Forces.[1] The post was renamed Fort Humphreys in 1935 – a name previously assigned to today'sFort Belvoir.[14] The Army War College was reorganized as the Army-Navy Staff College in 1943 and became theNational War College in 1946. The two colleges became theNational Defense University in 1976.[1]
The post was renamed in 1948 to honor Lieutenant GeneralLesley J. McNair, commander of army ground forces duringWorld War II, who was headquartered at the post and was killed duringOperation Cobra nearSaint-Lô, France, on July 25, 1944. He was killed in an infamous friendly fire incident when errant bombs of theEighth Air Force fell on the positions of 2nd Battalion,120th Infantry, where McNair was observing the fighting. Fort McNair has been the headquarters of theMilitary District of Washington since 1966.[1]
In 2020, theDepartment of Defense andArmy Corps of Engineers proposed a permanent restricted area of about 250 to 500 feet (76 to 152 m) into theWashington Channel along the fort's western bank outlined by buoys and warning signs. This proposal was met with resistance from D.C. city leaders as it would limit access of up to half of the heavily used waterway. In January 2021, theNSA intercepted communications from theIranian Revolutionary Guard that threatened mounting suicide boat attacks on Fort McNair similar to those used in theUSSCole bombing. The communications also revealed threats to killVice Chief of Staff of the Army GeneralJoseph M. Martin and plans to infiltrate and surveil the installation. This contributed to calls to establish the buffer zone and continue increased security.[15] During a March 2021 House Transportation & Infrastructure hearing on a bill prohibiting such a restriction on the Channel, it was noted that the rule, which did not propose the construction of a fence or blast wall, seemed designed to safeguard the views of "rich generals' houses".[16]
During theJanuary 6 United States Capitol attack, the senior Congressional leadership was evacuated from the Capitol building to Fort McNair, about two miles (3.2 km) away. The Democratic Party leaders evacuated included House SpeakerNancy Pelosi and her senior associatesSteny Hoyer andJames Clyburn.[17] Incoming Senate Majority LeaderChuck Schumer was also evacuated.[17]
Senior Senate Republicans evacuated to Fort McNair included outgoing Senate Majority LeaderMitch McConnell and SenatorsChuck Grassley andJohn Thune. House Republican leaders evacuated to Fort McNair included House Minority LeaderKevin McCarthy andSteve Scalise.[17]
Fort McNair is part of theJoint Base Myer–Henderson Hall, the headquarters of the Army'sMilitary District of Washington, and serves as home to theNational Defense University, as well as the official residence of theVice Chief of Staff of the United States Army.[18]
The fort's flat greenspace, which is only three miles from theWhite House, is frequently used as alanding zone forMarine One when theWhite House South Lawn is unavailable for that purpose.[citation needed]
TheNational Defense University represents a significant concentration of the defense community's intellectual resources. Initially established in 1976, the university includes theNational War College and theDwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy (formerly theIndustrial College of the Armed Forces) at Fort McNair, and theJoint Forces Staff College inNorfolk, Virginia. These and other schools are separate entities, but their close affiliation enhances the exchange of faculty expertise and educational resources, promotes interaction among students and faculty, and reduces administrative costs. The National War College and the Eisenhower School concentrate on preparing civilian and military professionals in national security strategy, decision-making, joint and combined warfare, and the resource component of national strategy. The Joint Forces Staff College, established under theJoint Chiefs of Staff in 1946, prepares selected officers for joint and combined duty.
In 1990, theInformation Resources Management College was formed as the capstone institution for Defense Information Resource Management education. As such, it provides graduate-level courses in information resources management. The National Defense University also features a first-rate research capability through theInstitute for National Strategic Studies. This institute, established in 1984, conducts independent policy analyses and develops policy and strategy alternatives. It also includes a War Gaming and Simulation Center and the NDU Press.[citation needed]
The university has several other educational programs. These include theCapstone program, for general and flag officer selectees; the International Fellows program, which brings NDU almost 100 participants from 50 different countries; and the Reserve Components National Security Course, which offers military education to senior officers of the armed forces.[citation needed]
TheInter-American Defense College is an advanced-studies institute for senior officers of the 25-member nations of theInter-American Defense Board. Up to three students of the rank of colonel or the equivalent may be sent to the college by each member nation. The students' backgrounds must qualify them to participate in the solution of hemispheric-defense problems.
The officers study world alliances and the international situation, the inter-American system and its role, strategic concepts of war, and engage in a planning exercise for hemispheric defense. The college has been at Fort McNair since 1962.
In September 1998, theUnited States Army Center of Military History moved from rented offices in Washington, D.C., to Fort McNair in historically preserved quarters remodeled from its previous use as a commissary and before that as Fort McNair's stables. The center dated from the creation of the Army General Staff historical branch in July 1943 and the gathering of professional historians, translators, editors, and cartographers to record the history of World War II. That effort led to a monumental 79-volume series known as the "Green Books."
Today, the center operates through four divisions. The histories division is the one most involved in writing the histories and providing historical research support to the Army staff. The field program and historical services guides work done at various posts and installations, as well as the work by deployed historical detachments for Army operations, ensures historical information is comprehensive and factual.
Another division is responsible for overseeing the Army museum system and preserving artifacts and artwork that are the army's historical treasure. One such museum, The Old Guard Museum, was located at Fort Myer until it was closed.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:"Fort McNair History". US Army. Archived fromthe original on 6 October 2017.
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