Fort Clinton
Fort Clintonwas anAmerican Revolutionary Warfort erected by theContinental Armyon the west bank of theHudson Riverin 1776.
Protecting the chain
[edit]It was one of a pair of fortifications which straddled the confluence ofPopolopen Creek,standing on the south side ofPopolopen Gorge,withFort Montgomeryto the north.[1]The forts defended a huge wrought ironchainthat spanned the Hudson from Fort Montgomery toAnthony's Noseon the river's east side. The sites of both forts are in present-dayHighlands,Orange County, New York.
Fort Clinton's garrison of 300 soldiers was smaller than Fort Montgomery's, but it was built on higher ground, and its defenses were more complete. It was commanded by GeneralJames Clinton,for whom it was named[2](and not his brother, GeneralGeorge Clinton,orSir Henry Clinton,the BritishCommander-in-Chiefin North America and opposing general in the struggle over control of the strategically critical river).
Battle of Forts Clinton and Montgomery
[edit]
On October 6, 1777, Forts Clinton and Montgomery were attacked bythe British 63rd Regimentled bySir Henry Clinton(a distant relative of James Clinton, according to information at the Fort Montgomery state historic site museum). TheBattle of Forts Clinton and Montgomerywas intense but brief, with both forts being overrun within an hour and the wounded General James Clinton retreating with his men throughPopolopen Gorge.[3]The forts were razed by the British, and the iron chain they sought to defend was dismantled. The Rebels installed anotherHudson River Chainfarther upriver.
Although the ruins of Fort Montgomery survive and the site is aNational Historic Landmark,the Fort Clinton site was destroyed in the 1920s during the construction ofU.S. Route 9Wand theBear Mountain Bridge.[4]Today, the Fort Clinton site lies withinBear Mountain State Parkand is used for the Trailside Museum and Zoo.
References
[edit]- ^Adams, Arthur G.,The Hudson River Guidebook,Fordham Univ Press, 1996ISBN9780823216796
- ^West Point Fortifications Staff Ride Note Cards, USMA History Department,Second Edition, 2008, p. 29
- ^William Wade (1846).Panorama of the Hudson River.Archived fromthe originalon October 25, 2007.
- ^Severo, Richard (May 24, 1998)."Revolutionary Fort Held Hostage to Decay and Apathy".The New York Times.RetrievedMay 2,2010.