On September 4, 1862, the 15th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry Regiment was bivouacked adjacent to the hill selected for the fort and was assigned to do the initial construction work.

"[2] The area surrounding the fort was described as "naturally beautiful" but had been spoiled by war, "the trees for miles around were cut down, and the hills were denuded of even small brush, that the oversight might be without obstruction.

Finally relieved by the arrival of 200 contrabands from North Carolina, the 15th NJVI left Fort Kearny on 29 September 1862.

It sees well the upper valley of Broad Branch, and crosses its fires with those of Forts Pennsylvania and De Russy and intermediate batteries upon the dangerous heights in front.

A field battery, just across Broad Branch, has been built to sweep part of the ravine immediately in front of Fort Kearny; otherwise unseen."

The battery was named in honor of Major Nathan B. Rossell of the 3rd U.S. Infantry, who was killed on June 27, 1862, at the Battle of Gaines' Mill.

"[7] The number of guns and the current condition of Fort Kearny and its supporting batteries are as follows: In July 1864, Confederate forces under the command of Lt. Gen. Jubal A.

[9] Though Fort Kearny itself did not come under direct fire from Confederate forces, at the time it was not certain that the Southern soldiers would not attempt to slip through the American lines in the hilly terrain near Tenleytown.

On July 11, the 22nd Regiment of the Veteran Reserve Corps, commanded by Lt. Col. A. Rutherford, began taking up positions in the rifle pits and trenches in front of the fort.

Accordingly, six companies of the 22nd Regiment were released from their entrenchments and ordered to reinforce the line of Union skirmishers that lay to the north of the fortifications.

"Before him was the greatest prize of the war, and in full sight of his troops rose high the dome of the capitol...he paused a night, and his magnificent opportunity was gone.

"Soon we heard the booming of canon before us, and quickly, at the word, fell into ranks, and with accelerated pace hurried toward the scene of action.

We thus passed over ground with which the Fifteenth was familiar...Fort Kearney looked much as it did when we left it, with only a fuller complement of guns, bomb-proofs, and connections with other works.

"[2] In the wake of the Confederate assault on the Washington defenses, a new report was released containing recommendations on improvements to the forts defending the city.

[11] After the surrender of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia on April 9, 1865, the primary reason for manned defenses protecting Washington ceased to exist.