Fortress West Point Redoubts
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Fortress West Point Redoubts (1778-1783) - Revolutionary War redoubts established in 1778 as land side defenses of Fortress West Point in Orange and Putnam County, New York. Abandoned in 1783.
Revolutionary War (1775-1783)
Redoubt 1 - West Point
Redoubt 1- West Point (1779-1783) - Designed as a classic hexagonal redoubt by Colonel Thaddeus Kosciusko with sides of about 30' requiring about 180 men for it's defense. Described as “No cannon in the works, a slight and single abbatis, no ditch or picket. Cannon on two batteries, No bomb proofs.” The redoubt had two detached gun batteries, one southwest of the redoubt (#2) and the other southeast of the redoubt (#1). These two batteries were described in 1780 as having one 12-pounder and four 9-pounder cannons.
Redoubt 2 - West Point
Redoubt 2 - West Point (1779-1783) - Designed as a modified classic hexagonal redoubt by Colonel Thaddeus Kosciusko with five sides of about 30' requiring and one short side of about 7'-8'. It required about 160 men for it's defense. The terrain dictated it's modified hexagonal design. It was described as “the same as No. 1, No bomb proofs.” The redoubt had one detached gun battery southwest of the redoubt with six embrasures but reported with only two 9-pounders in 1780.
Redoubt 3 - West Point
Redoubt 3 - West Point (1779-1783) - Designed as pentagonal redoubt with five, 30' sides by Colonel Thaddeus Kosciusko. It required about 150 soldiers for defense. Described as “A slight wood work 3 feet thick, very dry, no bomb proofs, a single abbatis, the work easily set on fire. No cannons.
Redoubt 4 - West Point
Redoubt 4 - West Point (1779-1783) - Initially designed as a classic hexagonal redoubt by Colonel Thaddeus Kosciusko but built out with an inverted angle facing west toward the path of enemy approach. The northeast and southeast walls each contained a single embrasure and two 6-pounder cannon were placed at these positions. Both of the cannons had a field of fire down on the West Point Plain for support of Fort Putnam (1).
Redoubt 4 was described as “... a wooden work about ten feet high and four or five feet thick, the west side faced with a stone wall 8 feet high and four thick. No bomb proof, two six pounders, a slight abbatis, a commanding piece of ground 500 yards west.” It was designed to be manned by some 223 soldiers.
Links:
Redoubt 4 Marker
Redoubt 4 Marker Map
Redoubt 5 - Constitution Island
Redoubt 5 (1779-1783) - A land side defense built on the south side heights of Constitution Island to protect Fort Constitution (3) below and the gun batteries guarding the Great Chain and the "S" curve in the Hudson River.
Redoubt 6 - Constitution Island
Redoubt 6 - Constitution Island (1778-1783) - A land side defense built on the mid island heights of Constitution Island to protect Fort Constitution (3) below and the gun batteries guarding the Great Chain and the "S" curve in the Hudson River. Redoubt 6 was meant to hold some 115 infantrymen but had no cannons listed among its armaments.
Redoubt 6 Marker
Redoubt 6 Bastion from Above
View Down the Hudson River from Redoubt 6
Redoubt 6 Bastion from Below
Redoubt 7 - Constitution Island
Redoubt 7 - Constitution Island (1779-1797) - A land side defense built on the north side heights of Constitution Island to protect Fort Constitution (3) below and the gun batteries guarding the Great Chain and the "S" curve in the Hudson River. Redoubt 7 was designed to hold some 80 infantrymen and supporting cannons. At the end of the war the redoubt was converted into a powder magazine and remained so until 1897 when the powder was removed to West Point.
Redoubt 7 Marker
Redoubt 7 Marker & Bastion
View of West Point Plain from Redoubt 7
Redoubt 7 Collapsed Wall
Redoubt 7 Interior
Redoubt 7 Wall Detail
Climb up to Redoubt 7
Hudson River View from Redoubt 7
Sherburnes Redoubt - West Point
Sherburne's Redoubt - West Point (1778-1783) - A land side defense built in 1778 by Colonel Henry Sherburne and his regiment to cover the northern land side approach to Fort Clinton (2) and the West Point Plain. Placed to be outside the field of fire of Fort Putnam (1).
Sherburns Redoubt Marker
Battery Sherburne Marker
Current Status
Located on the United States Military Academy in Orange County, New York. Most of the redoubt sites are being stabilized and many are visible via various mapping programs like Google Maps.
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Location: Part of the United States Military Academy in Orange and Putnam County, New York. Maps & Images Lat: 41.392700 Long: -73.958400
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Sources:
- Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 590-592
- Cubbison, Douglas R., Historic Structures Report: The Redoubts of West Point, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York, January 2004, pdf, 33 pages + appendix, illustrated
Links:
Visited: 1-14 May 2012
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