Battle for Fort Clinton and Fort Montgomery

Battle for Fort Clinton and Fort Montgomery

Part of: American War of Independence

Troop Movement Map

date	October 6, 1777
place	south of West Point
output	British victory

Parties to the conflict
Great Britain	United States
Commander
Henry Clinton John Vaughan James Wallace	George Clinton James Clinton Israel Putnam
Troop strength
2100	600
losses
40 dead 150 wounded	75 dead and wounded 237 prisoners

The Battle of Fort Clinton and Fort Montgomery was a battle in the American Revolutionary War . The battle took place on October 6, 1777 at the confluence of Popolopen Creek in the Hudson River at Bear Mountain in Orange County . Fort Clinton and Fort Montgomery were on the west bank of the Hudson River, about 50 miles north of New York City . The forts were elevated on difficult to access terrain.

The British forces, commanded by Sir Henry Clinton , captured Fort Clinton and Fort Montgomery and destroyed the bars and chains spanning the Hudson River. Approximately 600 Continental Army soldiers were stationed in the two forts . The two brothers George and James Clinton were in command . General Israel Putnam was with his soldiers near Peekskill . The Battle of Fort Montgomery and Fort Clinton is sometimes called the battle of the Clintons because of the involvement of some people of that name on both sides .

Using a series of feint , Henry Clinton succeeded in persuading Israel Putnam to move east with his troops, whereupon Clinton and his troops then attacked the two forts from the west. Clinton split his force in two and attacked both forts almost simultaneously. After a brief struggle, Clinton was able to take both forts. More than half of the defenders had been killed, wounded or captured.

For the British troops, however, the capture and destruction of the two forts represented a Pyrrhic victory , as the battle meant a time delay on the way to Bemis Heights and the Americans could win the battle there. As a result, John Burgoyne , who was also waiting for reinforcements , had to surrender at the Battle of Saratoga .

background

The Hudson River valley was a strategically important area during the American Revolutionary War. The supplies of food, material and new troops had to cross the valley. In June 1777, John Burgoyne had already tried to take control of the valley when he moved south from Quebec . This attempt was completely bogged down after the Battle of Ticonderoga , logistical problems made Burgoyne's army difficult. Burgoyne and his troops did not reach Saratoga until mid-September . Burgoyne expected his campaign over the Hudson River to be supported by William Howe's troops, whom he intended to meet in Albany , 25 miles south of Saratoga.

Governor George Clinton

Detail of a French map from 1777. The valley of the Hudson River is shown. Fort Montgomery is incorrectly drawn on the east bank of the river.

Apparently as a result of poor communication with Lord George Germain , the Colonial Secretary in Lord North's cabinet , General Howe decided instead to take part in the Philadelphia campaign and embarked south with most of his army in July. He left General Henry Clinton in command in New York. Howe left instructions to General Clinton to hold New York City and only go offensive when the New York stance required it. On August 3, Burgoyne received a letter from Howe informing Howe of his march to Philadelphia and Clinton's instructions. On September 12th, Clinton wrote a letter to Burgoyne, which he received on September 21st. Clinton wrote that he would be making a push into Fort Montgomery in about ten days.

American Defense

The higher area of ​​the Hudson River Valley (near West Point ) was defended by the Continental Army under Israel Putnam and some militiamen. Putnam was stationed with his troops in Peekskill . A few miles upstream, where Popolopen Creek flows into the Hudson River, American troops had stretched a chain across the river to prevent British ships from sailing any further upstream. The western end of the chain was guarded by the troops at Fort Montgomery . Fort Montgomery, which was not quite finished, was under the command of George Clinton . Fort Clinton, also on the west bank of the river, was south of the gorge and was commanded by James Clinton. Together both forts had around 600 soldiers.

Putnam also had around 600 men; he had given part of his army to George Washington on instructions and sent away some of the militiamen when it became known that Howe was on his way to Philadelphia.

British troop movements

By mid-September, Henry Clinton had about 7,000 men, including 3,000 poorly trained loyalists , to defend New York City.

At the end of September, 1,700 additional soldiers landed in New York. On October 3rd, Henry Clinton went up the Hudson River with 3,000 soldiers on three frigates and a few smaller ships. The next day, as part of a deception, he landed men in Tarrytown to lure Putnam's troops away from Peekskill. The men marched north along the Hudson River and later boarded the ships again. Clinton did a similar thing on October 5th at Verplanck's Point, three miles south of Peekskill. Putnam fell for these maneuvers, withdrew with his troops into the eastern highlands and requested reinforcements.

The battle

General Sir Henry Clinton

On the morning of October 6th, Henry Clinton landed with 2,100 soldiers in Stony Point on the west side of the Hudson River and marched with his troops on a rise called "Timp". When Clinton and his men were climbing back down the valley towards Doodletown on the other side , they met an American reconnaissance troop, who retreated to Fort Clinton after a brief firefight. Henry Clinton then split his army in two to attack both forts. A force of 900 soldiers under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Campbell, consisting of men from the 52nd and 57th Regiments, a group of Hessians and about 400 loyalists , began the march to Fort Montgomery, 7 km away. Henry Clinton waited a while with the remaining 1200 men in order to be able to begin the attack more or less simultaneously with Campbell's troops.

George Clinton, informed by the scouts of the brief gun battle with Henry Clinton and the division of Clinton's forces, immediately sent a message to Putnam requesting reinforcements. The reinforcement came - thanks to the successful deception maneuvers - but not. James Clinton, meanwhile, sent 100 men towards Doodletown, while George Clinton sent a company of Campbell's troops to meet.

Fort Montgomery

The Americans set up a defensive post about a mile from Fort Montgomery. Campbell arrived at the fort about an hour before sunset after leaving Doodletown just after 10 a.m. The offered surrender of the fort without a fight turned down George Clinton, so that it came to battle afterwards.

The left wing in Campbell's army line-up was made up of the Loyalists, the Hessians marched in the middle, the British regiments on the right. Despite fierce opposition from the Americans, the British broke into the fort and set up a bloodbath to avenge Campbell and other dead officers who had been killed in the attack. James Clinton narrowly escaped death and fled with the survivors into the woods north of the fort.

Fort Clinton

The main access to Fort Clinton was a narrow strip of land about four hundred feet wide, located between a small lake and the Hudson River. George Clinton had tree barriers built there. Henry Clinton had the 63rd Infantry march around the lake to attack the fort from the northwest while the rest of the soldiers attacked the main buildings. As in Fort Montgomery, the defenders were quickly overwhelmed. Some of the survivors fled down the slope to the bank of the Hudson River and escaped in gunboats to the other side of the river.

After the battle

General James Clinton , portrait by HB Hall

More than 225 Americans were captured, about 75 killed or wounded, most in Fort Clinton. British casualties amounted to around 40 dead and 150 wounded. Clinton returned to New York and stationed John Vaughan with two garrisons in the two forts.

George Clinton and Israel Putnam considered how to proceed. Clinton wanted to move north on the west bank of the Hudson River to fend off attacks further upstream, Putnam wanted to move east for the same reasons.

On October 17th, Henry Clinton received an order from General Howe (probably sent after George Washington's defeat in the Battle of Germantown on October 4th) to send 3,000 soldiers to Philadelphia to support the occupation there. Clinton then called John Vaughan and his troops back from the two forts. Before leaving the forts, British forces demolished the buildings and left the forts on October 26th.

Fort Clinton and Fort Montgomery today

Fort Montgomery ruins, 2007

The remains of Fort Clinton were almost completely destroyed during the construction of US Route 9W and the Bear Mountain Bridge in 1924 . The remnants of Fort Clinton still visible are in the grounds of Bear Mountain State Park , including what is now the ghost town of Doodletown. Fort Montgomery has been a National Historic Landmark since 1972 , and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places .

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} Hoffman Nickerson: The Turning Point of the Revolution . Port Washington, NY: Kennikat 1967 (first published 1928)
2. ^ ^{A b c} Carrington, Henry Beebee: Battles of the American revolution, 1775-1781: historical and military criticism, with topographical illustration ; AS Barnes, 1876.
3. ^ Robert Sears: The pictorial history of the American Revolution , 1847; here online at books.google, accessed on January 18, 2010.
4. ^ Richard M. Ketchum: Saratoga: Turning Point of America's Revolutionary War . New York: Henry Holt 1997, ISBN 978-0-8050-6123-9 ; P. 348.
5. ^ Richard M. Ketchum: Saratoga: Turning Point of America's Revolutionary War . New York: Henry Holt 1997, ISBN 978-0-8050-6123-9 ; P. 87.
6. ↑ Richard M Ketchum: Saratoga: Turning Point of America's Revolutionary War . New York: Henry Holt 1997, ISBN 978-0-8050-6123-9 ; P. 82.
7. ↑ Richard M Ketchum: Saratoga: Turning Point of America's Revolutionary War . New York: Henry Holt 1997, ISBN 978-0-8050-6123-9 ; P. 283.
8. ^ Hoffman Nickerson: The Turning Point of the Revolution . Port Washington, NY: Kennikat 1967 (first published 1928); P. 320.
9. ^ Hoffman Nickerson: The Turning Point of the Revolution . Port Washington, NY: Kennikat 1967 (first published 1928); P. 347.
10. ^ Hoffman Nickerson: The Turning Point of the Revolution . Port Washington, NY: Kennikat 1967 (first published 1928); P. 337.
11. ^ Hoffman Nickerson: The Turning Point of the Revolution . Port Washington, NY: Kennikat 1967 (first published 1928); P. 338.
12. ↑ Richard M Ketchum: Saratoga: Turning Point of America's Revolutionary War . New York: Henry Holt 1997, ISBN 978-0-8050-6123-9 ; P. 383.
13. ^ Hoffman Nickerson: The Turning Point of the Revolution . Port Washington, NY: Kennikat 1967 (first published 1928); P. 344.
14. ^ Hoffman Nickerson: The Turning Point of the Revolution . Port Washington, NY: Kennikat 1967 (first published 1928); Pp. 346-347.
15. ^ ^{A b} Hoffman Nickerson: The Turning Point of the Revolution . Port Washington, NY: Kennikat 1967 (first published 1928); P. 348.
16. ^ ^{A b} Hoffman Nickerson: The Turning Point of the Revolution . Port Washington, NY: Kennikat 1967 (first published 1928); P. 349.
17. ^ Hoffman Nickerson: The Turning Point of the Revolution . Port Washington, NY: Kennikat 1967 (first published 1928); P. 350.
18. ^ ^{A b} Hoffman Nickerson: The Turning Point of the Revolution . Port Washington, NY: Kennikat 1967 (first published 1928); P. 351.
19. ^ Hoffman Nickerson: The Turning Point of the Revolution . Port Washington, NY: Kennikat 1967 (first published 1928); P. 405.
20. ↑ Richard Severo: Revolutionary Fort Held Hostage to Decay and Apathy , The New York Times , May 24, 1998.
21. ↑ Bear Mountain Bridge . New York State Bridge Authority. Archived from the original on January 10, 2009. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 16, 2009. 
22. ↑ Bear Mountain Attractions brochure (PDF) Palisades Parks Conservancy. Accessed on May 16, 2009.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
23. ^ Fort Montgomery State Historic Site . New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. Archived from the original on August 26, 2011. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 16, 2009. 
24. ^ National Register Information System

Coordinates: 41 ° 19 ′ 22 "  N , 73 ° 59 ′ 23"  W.