The Hudson River Chain may refer to any of several chains used as a blockade across the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey, intended to prevent British naval vessels from entering the river during the American Revolutionary War. The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk, the Great Mohegan by the Iroquois, or as the Lenape Native Americans called it in Unami New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots"

Map of West Point fortifications from 1775-1783

Part of The Great Chain at West Point

The Great Chain (1778-1782)

In the spring of 1778, the most notable of all these obstructions, a heavy chain supported by huge logs, was stretched across the Hudson from West Point to Constitution Island, opposite. West Point is a federal military reservation (and a Census-designated place) located North of the Village of Highland Falls in Orange County New York It was constructed at the Sterling Iron Works, in Warwick, Orange County, by Peter Townsend, under the supervision of Timothy Pickering. Warwick is a Village in Orange County, New York, United States. Orange County is a County located in the US state of New York. Timothy Pickering ( July 17 1745 &ndash January 29 1829) was a politician from Massachusetts who served in a variety of roles The task was completed in six weeks.

S Curve of the Hudson as seen from Trophy Point at West Point

Fields of Fire from Fort Constitution on the Hudson River during the American Revolutionary War.

The Hudson River's narrow width and sharp turns at West Point created adverse sailing conditions and prompted construction of The Great Chain in 1778 as an obstacle to the movement of British Ships north of West Point. West Point was chosen for the placement of The Great Chain because of the distinctive "S-Curve" the Hudson makes there, which would force any large ship to slow down in order to navigate it, thus making the ship an easier target.

American soldiers positioned the chain to impede the progress of a ship should it attempt to turn into the east-west channel against frequently unfavorable winds and a strong current. Due to the Lower Hudson River actually being an estuary, it is subject to significant tidal currents which make navigation by sailing vessels particularly difficult. Cannons were placed in forts and batteries on both sides of the river to destroy the ship as it slowed to a halt against the obstacle.

Sketch of the Great Chain and log boom

When finally completed, the 600-yard chain contained iron links two feet in length and weighing 114 pounds. The links were carted to New Windsor, where they were put together, and floated down the river to West Point on logs late in April. New Windsor is a Town in Orange County, New York, United States. Including swivels, clevises, and anchors, the chain weighed 65 tons. For buoyancy, 40-foot logs were cut into 16-foot sections, waterproofed, and joined by fours into rafts fastened with 12-foot timbers. Short sections of chain (10 links, a swivel, and a clevis) were stapled across each raft and later, in the river, the chain sections were united. A swivel is a connection that allows the connected object such as a gun or Chair to rotate horizontally and/or vertically A clevis pin is a type of Fastener that will allow rotation of the connected parts about the axis of the pin

On 30 April 1778, Captain Thomas Machin, the Artillery Officer and engineer responsible for assembling and installing the obstruction, oversaw the extension of the chain across the river. Its northern end was anchored to Constitution Island and the southern end was secured to a small cove on the western bank of the river. The Constitution Island side was protected by Marine Battery and the emplacement on the West Point side was protected by Chain Battery. Chevaux-de-frise were also placed in the channel between Pollopel's Island and the western shore of the river, just above the North Gate of the Hudson Highlands. The cheval de frise (plural chevaux de frise) was a Medieval defensive obstacle consisting of a portable frame (sometimes just a simple log covered with Pollepel Island is an Island in the Hudson River.Also known as Pollopel Island, Pollopel's Island and Bannerman Island, it is the

The remnants of the earthworks of Chain Battery at West Point

Both ends were anchored to log cribs filled with rocks, keeping the ends in place. A system of pulleys, rollers, ropes, and mid-stream anchors adjusted the chain's tension to overcome the effects of river current and changing tide. Until 1783, the chain was removed each Winter and reinstalled each Spring to avoid destruction by ice.

A log "boom" (resembling a ladder in construction) also spanned the river about 100 yards downstream (south of the chain) to absorb the impact of a ship attempting to penetrate the barrier.

The British never attempted to run the chain; but "In the course of his correspondence with the British, Benedict Arnold claimed that a well-loaded ship could break the chain. Benedict Arnold V ( – June 14, 1801) was a General during the American Revolutionary War who originally fought for the American Continental "^[1] Peter Townsend received a great sum of money from the Continental Congress for manufacturing the chain. The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the

The greater system of fortifications at West Point, of which the chain was part, was designed and built by Polish Engineer Tadeusz Kościuszko. Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko (; 1746 &ndash 1817 was a Polish and American national hero and general George Washington was responsible for delegating this responsibility.

After the Revolution, the portion of the Chain not saved was "relegated to the West Point Foundry furnaces near Cold Spring, New York, to be melted down for other uses. "^[2] The portion of the chain that was saved was first displayed at the West Point ordnance compound along

The Chain at Trophy Point in 1933

with captured cannon much as the black and white drawing to the right. ^[3] It would also be displayed at Trophy Point in various poses where it is currently on display with the chain surrounding a pile of rocks. The display consists of thirteen links of the chain (one for each original state), one swivel, and one clevis. A section of the boom was recovered from the river in 1855 and is now on display at Washington's Headquarters Museum in Newburgh, New York.

John C. Abbey, and later Francis Bannerman, made profits from counterfeited chain links sold to collectors and museums. ^[4]

Fort Washington's Chevaux-de-Frise (1776)

This barricase was not a chain, but actually a chevaux-de-frise that was sunk underwater with the intention of sinking any British ships that passed over it. The cheval de frise (plural chevaux de frise) was a Medieval defensive obstacle consisting of a portable frame (sometimes just a simple log covered with It was placed south of West Point between Fort Washington, on the island of Manhattan, and Fort Lee, across the river in New Jersey. Manhattan Island, in New York Harbor, is much the largest part of the Borough of Manhattan, one of the Five Boroughs which form the City of New York Fort Lee is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. However, an opening was left for the passage of American ships, and the British obtained its location with the help of a local inhabitant. The British were well aware of its existence, and successfully passed the barrier several times^[5]. Fort Washington was captured on November 16, 1776, rendering the barrier useless. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published Year 1776 ( MDCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a

Fort Montgomery Chain (1776-177)

A chain and boom were stretched across the river from Anthony's Nose to Fort Montgomery, at the lower entrance to the Highlands, just North of the modern day Bear Mountain Bridge. Anthony's Nose is a peak along the Hudson River at the north end of Westchester County, New York, well-known since Colonial times Fort Clinton was just South of the Chain, also on the West Bank of the river, on the opposite side of Popolopen's Kill (or Popolopen Creek). Captain Machin, the officer who would later be responsible for the emplacement of the Great Chain at West Point, also headed this effort. In November of 1776, a faulty link broke under stress induced by the river tides, highlighting some of the difficulties in the first attempt to run a chain across the Hudson^[6]. It was repaired and reset however. The capture of Fort Montgomery and Fort Clinton by the British on October 6, 1777, allowed them to dismantle the chain^[7] and raid upriver as far as Kingston, New York. Fort Clinton was an American Revolutionary War fortification in Orange County New York, and a companion to Fort Montgomery. Events 105 BC - Battle of Arausio: The Cimbri inflict the heaviest defeat on the Roman army of Gnaeus Mallius Maximus Year 1777 ( MDCCLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Kingston is a City in Ulster County, New York, United States.

Governor Clinton saw a positive aspect to this loss in that the British never attempted to run ships through the chain, risking everything to capture the forts and take down the chain. ^[8] It seemed as though the basic idea of obstructing the river seemed sound, and after Captain Machin recovered from his wounds, he would begin work on the stronger Great Chain at West Point.

Pollepel Island's Chevaux-de-Frise (1776-1777)

Despite the failure of the chevaux-de-frise at Fort Washington, another was constructed between Plum Point and Pollepel Island, North of West Point. Pollepel Island is an Island in the Hudson River.Also known as Pollopel Island, Pollopel's Island and Bannerman Island, it is the The defenses of the obstruction were never fully completed, and its importance was overshadowed by the Great Chain at West Point.

Bibliography

• Hudson River Chain. Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History, Vol. IV, p. 447, Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1905.
• Information plaques at Trophy Point at West Point, New York.
• West Point Fortifications
• U. S. Military Academy Department of History's "West Point Fortifications Staff Ride Notecards," second edition (1998)

References

External Links

• The Chain and Boom By Merle Sheffield
• West Point Fortifications
• The Great Chain
• Chaining of the Hudson in 1778
• The Great Chain
• Chaining The Hudson
• George Washington's letter about the strategic importance of the Hudson
• Contract for the forging of The Great Chain
• New York Times Article about The Chain February 17, 1895
• Chain Salvaging Blurb
• Revolutionary West Point: "The Key to the Continent"