In 1860, members of the Berry family sued to have Washington Berry, Sr.'s will overturned and Bellevue subdivided into numerous small lots and sold off. The court action was successful, but the American Civil War broke out before the court order could be enforced. Because Bellevue occupied high ground suitable for artillery, the U.S. federal government seized the property, demolished Bellevue mansion, and built Fort Greble (located west of the intersection of Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SW and Elmira Street SW). All but the far southern part of Belleveue and all of Berry were surveyed and subdivided in 1863 by the government, and five of the seven lots (consisting of Bellevue) purchased by John Alexander Middleton and members of the Berry family. The land was resurveyed in 1867, and subdivided further. The Blue Plains estate and the far southern part of Bellevue were surveyed and subdivided in 1868. (They remained the property of Thomas W. Berry.) In the 1870s, the owners of Belleveue sold off various lots to members of the public.