George Washington Young

George Washington Young on Findagrave

Giesboro Point Cavalry Depot, Parking for 30,000 Horses

On the eve of the [Civil] war, the 624 acre Giesboro (sometimes spelled Giesborough) tract was owned by George Washington Young, ...The Giesborough Manor plantation, whose primary product had been tobacco, dated back to the colonial period.

In July 1863, the Cavalry Bureau was established to "systematize and regulate the purchase and supply of horses to the cavalry." The Secretary of War directed the bureau's new chief, Major General George Stoneman, to establish six cavalry depots including one near Washington. Stoneman selected Young's farm at Giesboro Point as the most suitable site, likely due to its flat terrain and easy access to river transportation, and the Army took possession on August 12, 1863. Young offered the property to the government for $100,000, but was rebuffed. Instead, he was paid an annual rent of $6,000 from 1863 to 1866. The seizing of property for military purposes in and around Washington was quite common during the war as hospitals, camps, warehouses, and a network of fortifications were established. As part of the Defenses of Washington, Forts Carroll and Greble were constructed on the high ground above Giesborough Manor.