Fort Chaplin

Historical marker location:

Benning Ridge, District of Columbia

( Marker is at the intersection of Texas Avenue Southeast and C Street Southeast, on the right when traveling south on Texas Avenue Southeast.)

Civil War Defenses of Washington. 1861-1865

The city was built on a swamp: The area that is now Washington, D.C. was originally a swampy, marshy region along the Potomac River. The construction of the city involved extensive drainage and landfill projects to make the land suitable for building.