The waters of the Potomacand the Anacostia Rivers surround and define the nation's capital. For centuries,these rivers have been manipulated environments-transformed by native populations,settlers, politicians and real estate developers. With docks and wharvesextending from the Anacostia River to Georgetown, the architect of the young capital, Pierre L'Enfant, planned todevelop the waterfront into a prosperous inland seaport. Decades later, theCivil War took a devastating toll on the District's maritime economy withcivilian port facilities pressed into military service and the failure of many riverfront plantations. Author John R. Wennerstenexplores this early history of Washington, D.C.'s waterfront even as he tacklesits twentieth-century redevelopment and the challenges the rivers face today. 86946930