Fort Montgomery State Historic Site

This week in Fort Montgomery History: The Unfortunate Tale of Daniel Taylor (Take me to General Clinton, No, Not that General Clinton!) After the British victory at Forts Montgomery and Clinton on Oct. 6, 1777, the British Commander Sir Henry Clinton sent a triumphant message to General Burgoyne (in the midst of the Battle of Saratoga) , proudly declaring Nous y voici, and nothing now between us but Gates. I sincerely hope that this little success of ours may facilitate you...r operations... The proud boast of victory however would never reach Burgoyne, at least not by courier Daniel Taylor. Taylor, a first lieutenant in the 9th Regiment of the British Army, was captured near New Windsor. En-route to Burgoyne he noticed some American soldiers wearing redcoats, and fooled by their appearance, had discovered himself to them. Taylor was promptly taken to General Clinton... American General George Clinton. Taylor swallowed the message contained in a silver capsule resembling a musket ball. Governor Clinton called a local Doctor, Moses Higby, to administer a tartar emetic. The emetic worked perfectly but Taylor again swallowed the ball. This time, losing patience General Clinton, demanded the ball upon pain of being hung up instantly and cut open to search for it. This brought it forth. After a Court Martial held in New Windsor, on the morning of October 18th, Taylor was hung from a sweet apple tree near the "Spy House" (Hurley, NY), and after being viewed by George Clinton’s troops, buried nearby. (Sources: George Clinton Papers, Vol. 2 pg. 443, Olde Ulster Magazine, Glenn Marshall, New Windsor Town Historian correspondence)

Today in Fort Montgomery History: We must be supplied with Rum and Salt! George Clinton writes to Commissary William Paulding urgently requesting essential provisions for himself and his men feverishly at work on the Hudson River Chevaux de Frise (obstructions) near today’s Bannerman’s Island. The urgency of the note indicates how important alcohol and salt were in a time period without refrigeration and where alcohol was considered a necessary tonic for dealing with the ...elements and the often tough physical demands of military life. New Windsor, 4th December 1776. Dear Sir, I have received yours of the 2d Instant. I can’t tell whether Capt. Tappen is to be under your Direction or Watterburry’s. This I know it is a Part of the Division and Brigade for which you was appointed Commissary near this Place which is to be supplied, & Waterbury was as I understand appointed for the Forts in the Highlands only. He said he coud not supply this Detachm’t & mentioned the Appointment of Capt. Tappen for the Purpose. I approved of it, knowing him to be a good Man but I think he ought to be under your Direction & wish it might be so. At any Rate we must be supplied with Rum and Salt; these are two Articles we cant do without & the first, considering we are to work in the Water, is as absolutely necessary as the Latter... Yours sincerely, Geo. Clinton (Source: George Clinton Papers, Vol. 1, pg. 447)

Why flatten a bayonet?! This week we profile one of Fort Montgomery’s more unique artifacts, a single edge, flat bladed bayonet. This type of bayonet features a vertical, sword-like blade and only has a single sharp edge, likely less deadly than the typical, triple-bladed, British Brown Bess bayonet. Another, slightly larger, flat-bladed Revolutionary War bayonet (not found at Fort Montgomery) but also on display here in the Fort museum came with a collector’s note statin...g: It may have an association with the 2nd or 4th NY and was made from a British Brown Bess, that was heated, twisted and beaten into a sword blade, and believed to be contract work of New York. Marked on the socket 38 (38th Foot here for the entire war at Brooklyn and New York, 1774-83). Although we don’t have any evidence that the blade was associated with the 2nd or 4th NY, weapons expert Paul Ackermann believes that it is entirely possible that the blade was a damaged British 38th Regiment Brown Bess Bayonet that was reworked and made usable again as a smaller sword-like blade. An example of good old Yankee adaptive reuse! We’re not sure if this also was the case for the smaller, similar, flat-bladed bayonet found here in Fort Montgomery's ruins, as similar (intentionally made) vertically bladed examples did see limited service in Europe during the time period. Hopefully time and further research will tell! (Sources: Swords and Blades of the American Revolution by George Neumann, Paul Ackermann, Owner -Ackermann Arms, Bureau of Historic Sites Accession Record)

This week in Fort Montgomery history: George Clinton’s Proposition to Obstruct the Hudson! While the Fort Montgomery chain had already been completed (and had already snapped twice!) by this time in November 1776, General George Clinton also had his eye further up the Hudson to obstruct British passage upriver by Polopen’s Island (today known as Bannerman’s Island). Clinton’s plan was to drop chevaux de frise or essentially telephone pole-sized timbers, capped with sharp m...etal tips, in the River to pierce the hulls of British ships. With the recent British capture of Fort Lee the pressure was on and Clinton was really feeling the burn as the threat of a British push up the Hudson was very real to the Americans. Here is the impassioned letter he wrote to the NY Convention in late November 1776 (Clinton Papers, Volume I, pg. 430): Gentlemen, Inclosed I send you a rough Sketch of Hudson’s River and the Soundings opposite Polopen’s Island which appears to me the most practicable Place for obstructing the Navigation of the River, as well as the most elligible for many Reasons... To me, it appears a Matter of the utmost Importance that the River should be obstructed which being effectually done will be more real advantage to the United States than 10,000 Men the next campaign and it is more than likely woud change the seat of War... Shoud the Convention agree with me in Opinion, not a single Moment’s Time shoud be lost in beginning the great Work. The Rangers now Idle should be imployed in getting Timber and Stones and the necessary Boats... We have no news except a Confirmation of our Troops having evacuated Fort Lee... It is also said a Considerable Body of the Enemy Crossed over the Hackinsack Ferry... we had a Report last Evening that the Enemy were advancing Northward between Tapan and Haverstraw; it is not true. By early Spring, the Americans had indeed succeeded in dropping a number of Chevaux de Frise in the River, but the operation became ongoing and still wasn’t completed when Fort Montgomery was attacked in October of 1777. Ironically, despite the considerable effort of the Americans, the British fleet under Captain Wallace and General Vaughn easily worked its way through the sunken obstructions and burned Kingston on Oct. 16, 1777.

What the heck is Posset?! Why nothing more than warm milk curdled with wine or ale, spiced with cinnamon or nutmeg of course! During archaeological excavations at Fort Montgomery Posset mugs were found in extensive amounts in and around the barracks of Fort Montgomery. Were the soldiers hooked on Posset? Probably not - traditionally posset was considered a remedy for colds. These cups were most likely being used as soup and stew bowls and for storage. For whatever reason,... possibly overstock or low cost, this style of vessel was procured by Continental forces. Specifically, the Posset pots pictured in the photo were largely excavated from midden (garbage) areas directly behind the Enlisted Men’s and Main Barracks at Fort Montgomery. Interestingly, the midden piles lined up with the rear windows of the barracks. The soldiers were simply throwing their refuse, including broken posset pots, right out of the back windows!

This Veteran’s Day we pay homage to the soldiers that fell at Fort Montgomery both American and British. For the Americans the battle proved costly with roughly half of the defenders of Fort Montgomery and Clinton killed, captured, or wounded. Although outnumbered almost 3 to 1, the approximately 600-700 soldiers at Forts Montgomery and Clinton defended their positions to the last extremity. While the battle was an American defeat it helped secure a much more significant... Patriot victory 140 miles North of Fort Montgomery the next day at the second battle of Saratoga. In 1910, noted Hudson Highlands rambler William Thompson Howell took a walk in the ruins of Fort Montgomery with a one Alzamore H. Clark who according to Howell, had lived in a house since demolished, which stood within the very ‘Bloody Angle’. According to Howell’s description, the cottage likely stood in the remains of the Round Hill Redoubt, scene of probably some of the fiercest fighting during the defense of the Fort. Today, given its peaceful, tranquil atmosphere it is hard to believe that intense, bloody, hand to hand combat transpired there. The photos show what remains of the Round Hill Redoubt today as its ruins remain a silent monument to the men that fell that October day in the forts. Samuel Richards, an officer in General Parsons Brigade, who visited the fort in the Spring of 1778, noticed a pond just north of the fort with several bodies of deceased soldiers floating in it. He made this observation: There lie the youth who stood in the hour of their country’s trial; they fought and fell to purchase the independence of their country; and there they lie without burial. According to Richards and other witnesses, the American defenders were not given a proper burial and were left in a shallow pond or seasonal pool. Unfortunately, we still do not know for sure where the remains of the soldiers who paid the ultimate price at Fort Montgomery ended up. We hope to one day solve this mystery and properly commemorate the location of their final resting place.

Fort Montgomery State Historic Site will be closing for the season at 5:00 PM on Sunday, October 25. We will reopen in mid-April 2021.

A history of the Wappinger's fight for homeland in the Putnam County area...

Calling History Buffs to join in a special tour of Trailside Museums & Zoo on Tuesday, October 6th. Geared to adults. Masks required covering mouth and nose. Social distance when possible. Registration required. [email protected] or 845-786-2701 x293.

This week in Fort Montgomery History, The Masked Letter! On Aug. 10, 1777, Sir Henry Clinton, the British General who would soon attack Fort Montgomery sent a masked or coded letter to General Burgoyne, another British General moving southward with his army over 150 miles north of Fort Montgomery near Saratoga, NY. Clinton wanted to let Burgoyne know that he did not have enough soldiers to help him as Burgoyne headed south, and worse yet, that it was the fault of the higher ...ranking British General, Sir William Howe, who had taken over 15,000 (or most) of the troops in NYC to attack Philadelphia! General Clinton didn’t want the Americans to be aware of this so he hid the information in his letter. However, when the decoder or mask was put on the letter it would become clear to Burgoyne that Clinton was warning him that he wouldn’t be able to do much to help Burgoyne. Clinton used an Hourglass shaped decoder. Here’s the text of the decoded letter Sir Henry Clinton sent to General Burgoyne: Sir W.Howe Is gone to the Chesapeake bay with the greatest part of the army. I hear he is landed but am not certain I am left to command here with too small a force to make any effectual diversion in your favour. I shall try something at any rate. I own to you I think Sr W’s move just at this time the worst he could take much joy on your success. The something Sir Henry Clinton tried was none other than the Oct. 6, 1777 attacks on Forts Montgomery and Clinton. Although Clinton realized a stunning victory at the Twin Forts, his force, as he predicted, was too small to make any effectual diversion in Burgoyne’s favor. Clinton’s maneuver proved to be too little too late, contributing to General Burgoyne’s devastating loss at the Battles of Saratoga. Saratoga became the turning point of the Revolutionary War as the British plan to secure the Hudson and Mohawk valleys and divide New England from the rest of the Colonies failed.

Fort Montgomery is now OPEN again! Museum and Grounds are back to normal operating hours. UPDATE: the Trail to Trailside Museum and Zoo is now OPEN and tree blocking the trail has been removed! Remember the rear entrance to Trailside, at the other end of that trail, is still closed due to COVID-19 restrictions, as are all the Trailside’s exhibit buildings. The only entry to the zoo is through the main entrance accessible via the Bear Mountain State Park parking lot.

Fort Montgomery’s museum and grounds will be closed until further notice due to the power outage and damage from the recent storm.