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West Point in Orange County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Welcome To Trophy Point

 
 
Welcome To Trophy Point Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Alan Edelson, June 15, 2009
1. Welcome To Trophy Point Marker
Inscription. The cannon on this historic site are trophies of war. They were captured or surrendered in American conflicts through more than two hundred years. The first trophies to come to West Point were guns captured in 1777 during the Battles of Saratoga.

At the end of the American Revolution, West Point maintained over 160 cannon for the fledgling United States Army. Even before the founding of the United States Military Academy in 1802, West Point had taken on the additional role of educating officers in the sciences of engineering and gunnery. These captured ordnance pieces became a source of instruction for the Corps of Cadets.

In 1837, The Military Academy Board of Visitors formally recommended West Point as the site for all U.S. Army war trophies. During the Mexican War, USMA graduates played critical roles in the Army's military operations; their pride in their martial accomplishments is reflected in the impressive number of cannon exhibited here.

The American Civil War, in which hundreds of USMA graduates became generals for the North and South, added nearly fifty captured Confederate pieces to Trophy Point. After the war, efforts began to memorialize the fallen soldiers of the United States Regular Army. In 1897, General John M. Schofield formally dedicated Battle Monument, which stands as Trophy Point's most prominent
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memorial.

Other trophies and cannon were placed at this site and are now arranged and grouped by wars. Overlooking the Hudson River, at the east end of the display is the Revolutionary War area. Proceeding west is the display of cannon from the War of 1812. To the south of this area is the Spanish-American War display, featuring trophies taken from Cuba and the Philippines. Confederate trophies taken in the American Civil War flank the walkways on either side of Battle Monument. Trophies from the Mexican War are in close proximity to the flagpole.

The items displayed at Trophy Point mark the first century of West Point's contributions to the shaping of our nation. Trophies taken during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam and more recent conflicts, are on display in the West Point Museum, located at Pershing Center.

All cannon at Trophy Point are from the collections of the West Point Museum.
 
Erected by U.S. Military Academy.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: War, US CivilWar, US Revolutionary. A significant historical year for this entry is 1777.
 
Location. 41° 23.686′ N, 73° 57.401′ W. Marker is in West Point, New York, in Orange County. Marker is on Washington Road, on the right when traveling north. On the grounds of the
Marker and Monuments at Trophy Point image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 23, 2008
2. Marker and Monuments at Trophy Point
U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Highland Falls NY 10928, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Battle Monument (a few steps from this marker); Major General John Sedgwick (within shouting distance of this marker); Wars that Shaped the Nation (within shouting distance of this marker); 6-Pounder Smooth-Bore Field Gun (within shouting distance of this marker); 3.3-in. Rifled Field Gun (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named 3.3-in. Rifled Field Gun (within shouting distance of this marker); 42-Pounder Cast-Iron Carronade (within shouting distance of this marker); 50-Pounder Cast-Iron Columbiad (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in West Point.
 
Also see . . .  History of the Battle Monument at West Point. A Google Book. (Submitted on July 7, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.) 
 
Battle Monument image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Alan Edelson, June 15, 2009
3. Battle Monument
Cannon at Trophy Point image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Alan Edelson, June 15, 2009
4. Cannon at Trophy Point
Base of Battle Monument image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Alan Edelson, June 15, 2009
5. Base of Battle Monument
Cannon at Trophy Point image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Alan Edelson, June 15, 2009
6. Cannon at Trophy Point
View of Hudson River at Trophy Point image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Alan Edelson, June 15, 2009
7. View of Hudson River at Trophy Point
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on March 14, 2021. It was originally submitted on June 16, 2009, by Alan Edelson of Union Twsp., New Jersey. This page has been viewed 3,582 times since then and 76 times this year. Last updated on March 11, 2021, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos:   1. submitted on June 16, 2009, by Alan Edelson of Union Twsp., New Jersey.   2. submitted on June 19, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.   3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on June 16, 2009, by Alan Edelson of Union Twsp., New Jersey. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 28, 2024