Battle of Forts Clinton and Montgomery
Hudson Valley
October 6, 1777
British victory
Located near the present-day Bear Mountain Bridge, Forts Clinton and Montgomery were stocked with the Continental Army’s artillery and held 700 soldiers. The forts also deployed a massive iron chain that stretched across the Hudson River, deterring British ships from heading northward. On October 6, 1777, British forces captured both forts and dismantled the chain, enabling them to raid Continental Army positions upriver as far as Kingston.
“Sketch of Forts Clinton and Montgomery, Stormed the 6th Octob. 1777…” Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
The Fort Montgomery State Historic Site today. Courtesy of Fort Montgomery State Historic Site.