Fort Slocum was one of seven temporary earthwork forts, part of the Civil War Defenses of Washington, D.C., during the Civil War, built in the Northeast quadrant of the city after the beginning of the war by the Union Army to protect the city from the Confederate Army.

It was named after Colonel John Slocum of the 2nd Rhode Island Infantry, killed in action on July 21, 1861, at the First Battle of Bull Run (also known as the First Battle of Manassas).

[1] The fort perimeter measured 653 yards (597 m) and covered the Rock Creek Church Road (today Blair Road) and New Hampshire Avenue.

During the battle, 1,500 employees of the Army Quartermaster office led by General Montgomery Meigs assisted the garrison along with 2,800 hospitalized soldiers from the nearby hospitals under the command of Colonel Francis Price.

[2] Today, no visible evidence remains of Fort Slocum.