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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
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 Bill Coughlin, April 25, 2012
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 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 or the 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.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: War, Mexican-AmericanWar, Spanish-AmericanWar, US CivilWar, US Revolutionary. A significant historical year for this entry is 1777.
 
Location. 41° 23.644′ N, 73° 57.509′ W. Marker is in West Point, New York, in Orange County. Marker is on Washington Road, on the right when traveling west. Marker is located at Trophy Point at
Welcome to Trophy Point Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 25, 2012
2. Welcome to Trophy Point Marker
Cannon from the Mexican War can be seen behind the marker.
the U.S. Military Academy. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: West Point NY 10996, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. U.S. Military Academy (here, next to this marker); Wars That Shaped the Nation (a few steps from this marker); Ulysses S. Grant (within shouting distance of this marker); Beat Navy Tunnel (within shouting distance of this marker); Colonel Thayer (within shouting distance of this marker); 150 Pounder Armstrong Gun Captured at Fort Fisher, North Carolina – January 15, 1865 (within shouting distance of this marker); 8 Inch (150-pounder) Armstrong Gun (within shouting distance of this marker); Battery Sherburne (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in West Point.
 
More about this marker. A map of Trophy Point appears on the marker showing the locations of the ordnance pieces from the various wars, as well as other monuments such as the Battle Monument, Sedgwick Monument, 1943 Monument, the Great Chain, the Amphitheater and Class of 1938 Overlook.
 
Marker at Trophy Point image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 25, 2012
3. Marker at Trophy Point
Mexican War Trophies image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 25, 2012
4. Mexican War Trophies
The marker is visible in the center of the photo, beyond the cannons.
Cannon from the Civil War image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 25, 2012
5. Cannon from the Civil War
Battle Monument image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 25, 2012
6. Battle Monument
The Battle Monument contains the names of 2,230 officers and enlisted men of the regular army who were killed or died of wounds received in battle during the Civil War.
Civil War Trophies image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 25, 2012
7. Civil War Trophies
Cannons from the Civil War are seen in this photo. Also visible in the background are trophies from the War of 1812 (Left) and the Spanish-American War (Center).
Revolutionary War Trophies image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 25, 2012
8. Revolutionary War Trophies
The Great Chain which spanned the Hudson River near here and Revolutionary War cannons are seen here.
Sedgwick Monument image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 25, 2012
9. Sedgwick Monument
Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick was the highest ranking Union soldier to die during the Civil War. This statue of Gen. Sedgwick is located at Trophy Point across the street from the Battle Monument.
Second Trophy Point Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 5, 2009
10. Second Trophy Point Marker
This identical marker is located at the eastern end of Trophy Point.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on April 28, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 1,082 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. submitted on April 28, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.

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Mar. 29, 2024