Valiantly defended by the 5th New York, Lamb’s Artillery and local militia under Gen. George Clinton against heavy British-led forces October 6, 1777. — — Map (db m7385) HM
Early in the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress realized that the Hudson River was critical to the American Cause. If the British controlled the river, they could divide the rebellious colonies. Therefore, the Americans began work on Fort . . . — — Map (db m7555) HM
To aid Lieutenant General John Burgoyne’s British army stalled at Saratoga, Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton sailed from New York with 3,000 British, German, and Loyalist soldiers and a flotilla of warships. On the morning of October 7, 1777, . . . — — Map (db m166275) HM
Welcome to Fort Montgomery State Historic Site. Built by Americans early in the Revolutionary War, Fort Montgomery was captured and destroyed by the British in 1777. Except for a small gun battery constructed in 1779, the fort was not rebuilt. In . . . — — Map (db m7674) HM
The term redoubt at Fort Montgomery means a strong point in the fort’s walls. There were three redoubts at Fort Montgomery, including the North Redoubt, which you see here. Two of the redoubt’s walls projected out from the fort so that enemies . . . — — Map (db m7577) HM
Brigadier General George Clinton, the Governor of New York State, commanded Fort Montgomery during the battle of October 6, 1777. Aware the British were approaching, he ordered some of his men to take a 3-pounder cannon down the western road . . . — — Map (db m7578) HM
You are looking at the foundation of a barracks built in the summer of 1776. This was probably a two-story building with a cellar under the northern half. Artifacts recovered from the site tell us a lot about the soldiers who lived here. In the . . . — — Map (db m7623) HM
The long foundation to the left was a barracks for enlisted men. The short foundation on the right housed the fort’s senior officers and served as a commissary for storing food provisions. Items stored here were controlled and carefully guarded. . . . — — Map (db m7624) HM
A “necessary” is a privy, or outhouse. In front of you is the vault of the only necessary known to have existed at Fort Montgomery. When it was finished in April 1776, it was described as “a large necessary, for soldiers.” It is hard to imagine . . . — — Map (db m7626) HM
When excavation of the Guard House was completed in 1969, the site was reburied to protect the feature. Therefore, little is visible today. The Guard House was divided into two rooms that reflected dual uses. The southeastern room was where . . . — — Map (db m7630) HM
Fort Montgomery’s powder magazine provided a secure, dry place in which to store the garrison’s gunpowder and ammunition. The magazine was located here because of the site’s good drainage and because of the protection afforded by the rock ridge . . . — — Map (db m7633) HM
Fort Montgomery was built to prevent British ships from sailing up the Hudson River. The centerpiece of the fort’s river defenses was its Grand Battery of six 32-pounder cannons. One of the largest cannons of the Revolutionary War, a 32-pounder was . . . — — Map (db m7668) HM
Accounts of the naval action during the Battle of Fort Montgomery are conflicting. This scene is one impression of how the river might have looked during the battle.
"The Shark and Cambden were ordered on the east side of the river to defend the . . . — — Map (db m7556) HM
The modern cannon beside you is an accurate reproduction of a ca. 1760-1780 English 32-pounder cannon. The term “32-pounder” refers to the weight of the cannonball, not the cannon itself, which weighs nearly 6,000 pounds. The casting for this . . . — — Map (db m7669) HM
When Sir Henry Clinton’s British troops reached Forts Clinton and Montgomery on October 6, 1777, some of his ships began moving upriver to support them. First came two galleys, the Dependence and the Crane, which were rowed into . . . — — Map (db m7622) HM
You are walking part of the 1777 historic trail that retraces as nearly as possible the routes taken by the British army during the Revolutionary War.
The 1777 trail represents the route taken by British General Sir Henry Clinton’s forces on . . . — — Map (db m7671) HM
Fort Montgomery’s “West” Redoubt was one of three strong points built to defend the fort from an overland attack. New York State’s Governor, Brigadier General George Clinton, commanded Fort Montgomery during the battle on October 6, 1777. Clinton . . . — — Map (db m7588) HM
You are standing near the western end of Fort Montgomery: a Revolutionary War fort built to defend the Hudson Highlands and protect American control of the Hudson River. On October 6, 1777, the British captured Fort Montgomery and destroyed it in . . . — — Map (db m7438) HM
Fort Montgomery’s “Round Hill” redoubt was built to protect a piece of high ground that commanded the rest of the fort. It was one of three redoubts that the Americans built as they realized their gun batteries, which faced the river, . . . — — Map (db m7597) HM
During the Battle of Fort Montgomery on October 6, 1777, the fort’s undermanned garrison formed a single rank behind the parapet (the fort’s defensive wall). British skirmishers approached the fort keeping up a constant fire. The British then sent . . . — — Map (db m7592) HM