Exterior Fort

Built in 1863 to strengthen a double row of rifle-pits and protect against attack from the north, the Exterior Fort consisted of two parallel rock walls, or breastworks, about 530 feet apart. The south line extended 520 feet down the mountain's steep western slope, and the north defensive work extended 560 feet. Together they enclosed about 3 acres, including a campground. Typical of such breastworks, these lines consisted of a thick, dry-laid stone wall about breast high, with a mounded earthen embankment covering the north side of each wall and a shallow ditch along the base. This double line of rifle-pits protected soldiers firing toward the north. The only entrance was an opening in the south breastwork, guarded by a blockhouse whose stone remains stand about 20 feet to the south.

Maryland · United States