Fort Clinton (West Point)
| Fort Clinton | |
|---|---|
| Part of United States Military Academy | |
| West Point, New York | |
 | |
| Remaining earthworks of Fort Clinton (formerly Fort Arnold), with Kosciuszko's Monument in background | |
_Historical_Marker.JPG) | |
| Coordinates | 41°23′39.42″N 73°57′9.36″W / 41.3942833°N 73.9526000°W |
| Site information | |
| Owner | United States Army |
| Controlled by | US Army |
| Open to the public |
Year Round |
| Condition | mostly demolished |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1778-1780 |
| Built by | de La Radiere and Tadeusz Kosciuszko |
| Battles/wars | Revolutionary War |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | West Point |
Fort Clinton was the main defensive garrison of the Revolutionary War defense network at West Point. Commanded by and named after Benedict Arnold before his betrayal of the Revolutionary Army and defection to the British, it was later renamed after General James Clinton. Construction was begun under Captain Louis de la Radiere,[1] and completed under the command of Tadeusz Kosciuszko between 1778–1780; it was the key defensive fort, overlooking the turn in the Hudson River and the Great Chain.[2] After the war, the remains of Fort Clinton fell into disrepair and were eventually demolished to make way for the expansion of the United States Military Academy, founded at the garrison in 1802. Today, all that remains of the fort are some earthworks and stone base structure, easily seen off of Thayer Road as its rounds the Plain and the soccer fields at West Point.
Gallery
-
Map of West Point defenses 1780 showing Fort Clinton
-
_seen_from_Kosciuszko's_Monument.JPG)
View of the remaining wall from Kosciuszko's Monument
References
- ↑ J. E. Kaufmann (2004). Fortress America. Da Capo Press. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-306-81294-1. Unknown parameter
|illustrator=ignored (help) - ↑ "West Point". A Revolutionary Day. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
