7. Revolutionary War Fortifications

Our ascent into the depths of Fort Washington Park

We ascended into the trees, continuing literally off the beaten path to find the highlight of our tour, the last original man-made Revolutionary War fortification visible in Manhattan. David rediscovered this lost piece of history in an 1898 walking tour created by the New York City Club. Following their directions, to his great disappointment, he came up empty handed. Retracing his steps, David realized he had not proceeded the 100 feet as directed in his guide. On his second attempt David discovered his prize:

The redoubt (fort) and Daughters of the American Revolution monument

Fort Washington had been constructed to stop British ships from sailing up the Hudson River. Despite this mandate, the Fort’s munitions were not powerful enough to reach the British ships. As a result, this redoubt was constructed in 1776 to supplement Fort Washington. The redoubt was designed by Felix Imbert, a French volunteer in the American Army, and constructed by Malcom’s Corps, a Scottish unit in the Army.

The presently defaced monument designed by Reginald Pelham Bolton:

On November 16th, 1910 the Fort Washington Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution commemorated the 134th anniversary of the Battle of Fort Washington with the dedication of this monument. The DAR selected the date not to commemorate “either a victory or a defeat but to and show respect to those who in the darkest  days of the Revolution fought so willingly and so valiantly for that which we all enjoy to day freedom and the protection of the Red White and Blue on that sacred ground.”