Fort Montgomery – Powder Magazine

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The Powder Magazine

According to a nearby information board:

Fort Montgomery’s powder magazine provided secure, dry place in which to store the garrison’s gunpowder and ammunition. The magazine was located here because of the site’s good drainage and because of the protection afforded by the rock ridge between it and the river. The magazine was build early in the fort’s construction. By the middle of June 1776, its 8-foot thick walls were completed, and masons were ready to finish its arched brick vault. Once finished, the arch was covered with sandy soil and a roof was built over top to finish the magazine.

Some of Fort Montgomery’s powder was produced a Henry Wisner’s powder mill 20 miles away in Goshen, New York. The loose powder was stored in the magazine in 100-pound barrels until it was used to make cartridges for muskets and cannons. This magazine served both Forts Montgomery and Clinton. During the battle, however, the British cut off communications between the two forts by capturing the pontoon bridge. When the British overran Fort Clinton, its garrison was running out of ammunition.

Fort Montgomery – Guard House

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The Guard House

According to a nearby information board:

When excavation of the Guard House was completed in 1969, the site was reburied to protect the feature. Therefore, little is visible today. The Guard House was divided into two rooms that reflected its dual uses. The southeastern room was where soldiers on guard duty were stationed. The northwestern room was used to house prisoners. It had a floor of mortar poured directly on the bedrock, presumably to keep prisoners from escaping through the floor. There is no evidence of bars or any other means of physically confining prisoners, so it is likely that the only access to the prisoners’ room was through the other room where the guard was stationed.

A number of courts-martial were held at Fort Montgomery. Soldiers were usually confined in the Guard House until their appearance before the court. Many soldiers brought before the court were charge with drunken behavior or failing to report for roll call. Abuse of officers, letting a prisoner escape, and a murder were among the more serious charges. Punishment ranged from small fines and public reprimands to demotions or public floggings.

Fort Montgomery – Soldier’s necessary

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Soldier's Necessary

According to a nearby information board:

A “necessary” is a privy, or outhouse. In front of you is the vault of the only necessary known to have existed at Fort Montgomery. When it was finished in April 1776 it was described as “a large necessary, for soldiers”. It is hard to imagine that this one small building served the needs of hundreds of soldiers, so it is possible that there were other necessaries within the fort that have not yet been identified.

In privies, archaeologists usually find large quantities of discarded material like bottles and broken dishes as well as things that were inadvertently lost like coins and buttons. However, relatively little was found at the bottom of Fort Montgomery’s necessary. One possible explanation is that soldiers may have avoided using this necessary to keep it in readiness in case the fort was ever besieged.

Fort Montgomery – Regimental Gardens

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Regimental Gardens. The raised beds you see in front of you are a recreation of an 18th century garden. Research has shown that the soldiers at Fort Mongomery had gardens to supplement their food supply. Although we do not know precisely what the soldiers were growing we can speculate on the types of crops they might have had, that were popular in the region during the period. Taking this into account, in this garden we have grown turnips, carrots, peas, lettuce, onions, squash and beans. Many of these crops were relatively easy to grow and preserved well during the cold winter months when vegetables were direly needed. To learn more about how vegetables were preserved before refrigeration, visit the root cellar exhibit in the history museum at Trailside Museum and Zoo (a short hike away!)

According to a nearby information board:

The raised beds you see in front of you are a recreation of an 18th century garden. Research has shown that the soldiers at Fort Montgomery had gardens to supplement their food supply. Although we do not know precisely what the soldiers were growing we can speculate on the types of crops they might have had, that were popular in the region during the period. Taking this into account, in this garden we have grown turnips, carrots, peas, lettuce, onions, squash and beans. Many of these crops were relatively easy to grow and preserved well during the cold winter months when vegetables were direly needed. To learn more about how vegetables were preserved before refrigeration, visit the root cellar exhibit in the history museum at Trailside Museum and Zoo (a short hike away!)

Fort Montgomery – Overview

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Main Battery

According to the Fort Montgomery State Historic Site:

Fort Montgomery was the scene of a fierce Revolutionary War battle for control of the Hudson River. Visitors today can tour the remains of the 14-acre fortification, perched on a cliff overlooking the magnificent Hudson. On October 6, 1777, British, Loyalist and Hessian forces attacked Fort Montgomery and nearby Fort Clinton. The defending American Patriots, outnumbered 3 to 1, fought desperately until driven out of their forts at the points of the enemy bayonets. More than half of the Patriot forces were killed, wounded or captured.

Visitors can learn about this important military post at the site’s museum, which showcases original artifacts and weapons, large scale models of the fort and the attack, highly detailed mannequins frozen in poses of battle, and an action packed fifteen minute movie of the 1777 assault. Archeologists have revealed many of Fort Montgomery’s remains, including stone foundations of barracks, the gunpowder magazine and eroded redoubt walls. There is a spectacular view of the Hudson River from the Grand Battery, where reproduction cannon stand guard and are occasionally fired by the fort’s staff. The past comes alive at Fort Montgomery with living history demonstrations of artillery, musketry, music and camp life activities.

The fort is quite close to where I live. I’d been there briefly once before and my impression at that time was that there was little there of interest except a spectacular Hudson River view and a quite small visitor center/museum. Many years have elapsed since that visit so I don’t know if they have excavated more of the fort since then, or if I just missed significant parts of it (little is actually visible from the visitor’s center).

Apart from the visitor’s center there are two distinct areas. The first takes you along a meandering trail through what used to be the Fort. It took me close to an hour to make my way around, but bear in mind that I stopped a lot to read the informative signs (from which most of the descriptions in this series of posts are taken), take pictures and generally admire the view. The second trail takes you down a steep path to Popolopen Creek and the footbridge (a replacement for the pontoon bridge which existed at the time of the battle) which crosses it. There are some spectacular views of the Bear Mountain bridge from here. After crossing the bridge the trail ascends rapidly and steeply and eventually takes you up under the bridge from where you can get access to the Trailside Museums and Zoo at Bear Mountain State Park. At least you can get access if you arrive when the museums are open (10:00 am). Unfortunately, I arrived early and so couldn’t get in. From here you could retrace your steps, of as I did, make your way to Route 9W passing over the bridge over Popolopen Creek (with more spectacular views of the Hudson and the Bear Mountain bridge) and back to Fort Montgomery.

The view above was taken from where the main battery once stood. According to a nearby information board:

Fort Montgomery was built to prevent British ships from sailing up the Hudson River. The centerpiece of the forts river defenses was its Grand Battery of six 32-pounder cannons. One of the largest cannons of the Revolutionary War, a 32-pounder was a formidable piece of artillery with a range of well over a mile. The term 32-pounder refers to the weight of the gun’s cannonball. Each cannon weighed more than 6,000 lbs. Enemy ships sailing up the river would be exposed to these giant guns before they could return the fire.

The cannons sat on a platform of 2.5 to 3-inch thick planks. The large mound just in front of this sign is all that remains of the battery’s defensive wall. The wall was made by stacking bundles of sticks, called fascines, and filling the space between them with dirt. The guns fired through open spaces in the wall, called embrasures. The embrasures were covered with a thick layer of mortar to prevent the fascines from igniting when the cannons were fired.

I’m fond of useless trivia, and one such curious fact caught my attention with the regard to the battle at Fort Montgomery. The overall commander of the forts Montgomery and Clinton was Brigadier General George Clinton (Also Governor of New York from 1777 to 1795, and again from 1801 to 1804, and fourth Vice President of the United States from 1805 to 1812, under Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison). He was also in command of Fort Montgomery. Fort Clinton was under the command of his brother, Brigadier General James Clinton. The opposing British forces were commanded by Sir Henry – you guessed it – Clinton. Way too many Clintons for a single battle.