West Point in the American Revolution

West Point in the American Revolution. . The history of West Point in the American Revolution began in May 1775 when George Washington and other Americans recommended that the Hudson River be blocked to prevent the British from using the waterway to strike into the interior of New York or to divide the colonies in two. After a reconnaissance in June, the Americans decided to fortify the area near “the west point” of the Hudson River and Constitution Island., From 1775 to 1776, American soldiers built fortifications on Constitution Island to block the difficult, double turn in the Hudson River. In 1776 – 1777, they concentrated on the new works near Bear Mountain, south of West Point, and installed the first iron chain across the river there. After the British destroyed these positions in 1777, the American leaders finally decided to fortify West Point. In January 1778 American soldiers began to build Fort Clinton, the first of a series of fortifications which soon made West Point the most important post in America., A key part of the West Point defensive zone was the Great Chain which was emplaced in April 1778 between Fort Clinton and Marine Battery on Constitution Island., West Point remained an army post after the Revolutionary War; in 1802, the United States Military Academy was founded here among the remains of the fortification which made West Point “a key to the continent” from 1777 to 1783.