However, the fortifications did not halt the invasion of British forces in 1814, who burned down many public government buildings in Washington, D.C., during the War of 1812. Īn arsenal first occupied the site, and defenses were built in 1794. In 1795, the site became one of the first two United States arsenals. On L'Enfant's orders, Andre Villard, a French follower of Marquis de Lafayette, placed a one-gun battery on the site. Major Pierre Charles L'Enfant included it in his plans for Washington, the Federal City, as a significant site for the capital defense. The military reservation was established in 1791, on about 28 acres (110,000 m 2) at the tip of Greenleaf Point. The fort is named for General Lesley James McNair, who was killed in action by friendly fire in Normandy, France during World War II. Originally named Washington Arsenal, the fort has been an army post for more than 200 years, third in length of service, after the United States Military Academy at West Point and the Carlisle Barracks. To the peninsula's west is the Washington Channel, while the Anacostia River is on its south side. McNair is a United States Army post located on the tip of Greenleaf Point, the peninsula that lies at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C.
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