Gateway
to the Hudson River Valley
Volume 3 April, 2003 
What is the Hudson River Valley
Institute?
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225th Anniversary
of the floating of the Great Chain across the Hudson River
Saturday May 3rd
Time :10:00am-4:30pm (Rain or Shine)
Venue :Park at Cold spring Metro-North parking lot, Board
shuttle bus
The Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, the Hudson River Valley
Institute, the Constitution Island Association, the Putnam County Historical
Society, the West Point Garrison Commander, and the 5th New York will
host the 225th anniversary of the floating of the Great Chain across the
Hudson River to connect Chain Battery at West Point with Fort Constitution
on Constitution Island. It will also allow us to join Valley Forge with
a feu de joie to remember the ratification of the American-French Treaties
of Alliance on 4 May 1778. To honor this heroic feat of engineering and
ingenuity, re-enactors of the Brigade of the American Revolution will
conduct a encampment to interpret life in the garrison at West Point and
to simulate the chaining of the Hudson. This event will mark a significant
milestone in the history of West Point, because 225 years ago West Point
began its record as the longest continuously occupied post in the United
States Army. Additionally, Congress established the United States Military
Academy to educate American officers to do such mighty feats of engineering.
Activities to include :Regiments of the Brigade
of the American Revolution present military life to the public with drills,
parades, and other activities of camp life. On May 3, boats of the West
Point Harborcraft fleet will be available to shuttle re-enactors and the
public to and from West Point (after 1400 hours) and Constitution Island
for events and tours of fortifications at both sites, including Fort Putnam,
Fort Clinton, and Chain Battery at West Point and Romans’ Battery,
Greaton’s Battery, and Redoubts 5, 6, and 7 at Constitution Island.
Shuttle buses will transport visitors to South Dock and Constitution Island.
In the afternoon, a commemoration ceremony at Trophy Point’s amphitheater
will mark the floating of the chain with appropriate speeches, music by
the Hell Cats, fanfare, and salutes by soldiers and artillery, including
the West Point Salute Battery. The Sloop Clearwater will participate in
the program and provide cruises as required. This event will serve to
remind Americans of the significant role that West Point played in the
American Revolution. Bring a picnic - no alcohol - beverages provided.
New on the Web
Chaining
of the Hudson Lesson Plan
The Hudson River Valley Institute is preparing Fourth Grade level lesson
plans on Hudson Valley history. These lessons include activities to locate
the Forts to determine the best place to construct a chain barrier on
the Hudson River to stop British ships of war, and calculating material
and cost of the actual forging of the chain.
Washington's
Letter of July 14th, 1777 discussing the importance of the Hudson River
and the need to prevent the British from controlling it.
Contract
between the Army of the United States and Noble Townsend & Co. to
forge the chain for the Hudson River.
Events
This Month
3rd, 10th, 17th, & 24th, Thursday
18th
Century Van Schaick Family and Hudson River Valley Furnishings 3rd,
10th, 17th & 24th, Thursday
Civil
War Soldier's Exhibit 6th , 13th, 20th, & 27th, Sunday
"Made
in Yorktown: Artists of Quality" 6th, Sunday
Saturday
Family Fun at Locust Grove 26th, Saturday
Seminar
- The City at the Heart of the American Revolution 12th, Saturday
Loyalists:
The Forgotten Patriots 1766-1784 26th, Saturday
Hudson Valley
Philharmonic Concert Event III - Brahms's Double 4th, Friday
Upcoming
Events
April 12, 2003
Seminar - The City at the Heart of the American Revolution
Historic Event :Loyalists: The Forgotten Patriots 1766-1784
Activities :Dr. Barnet Schecter, historian, author of
The Battle for New York.
Time :10:00am
Fee :Lecture Admission - FREE; Luncheon with speaker $25/person
Venue :Lecture - Boscobel Mansion, 1601 Route 9D, Garrison, NY
: Luncheon - Thompson Room, Carriage House
Contact :(845) 265-3638, ext. 110 to reserve a place info@boscobel.org
Website : http://www.boscobel.org/
April 26, 2003
Loyalists: The Forgotten Patriots 1766-1784
Activities :Mr. Christopher Moore, author of The Loyalists - Revolution,
Exile, Settlement.
Time :10:00am
Fee :Lecture Admission - FREE; Luncheon with speaker $25/person
Venue :Lecture - Boscobel Mansion, 1601 Route 9D, Garrison, NY
: Luncheon - Thompson Room, Carriage House
Contact :(845) 265-3638, ext. 110 to reserve a place info@boscobel.org
Website : http://www.boscobel.org/
May 2nd-4th 2003
Chaining the Hudson
An event is being planned for 2-4 May 2003 at West Point and Constitution
Island to salute the technological achievement of forging the Great Chain
and floating it across the river for the first time on 30 April 1778.
Participants at Constitution Island will also join symbolically in the
feu de joie at Valley Forge in commemoration of the 225th anniversary
of Congress’ debate and ratification of the Treaty
of Amity and Commerce of 1778. To follow the events of the 225th Anniversary
of the American Revolution in New York, see http://www.hudsonrivervalley.org,
and to learn more about Constitution Island see www.constitutionisland.org.
May 3rd-4th 2003
Feu De Joie at Valley Forge
Valley Forge Historical Park (PA) will hold a "Grand Military Formation"
(with hundreds of re-enactors) to
celebrate the signing of the treaties of alliance with France.
See www.valleyforge.org/VF-PatCalendar03.asp
This Month's Featured Web-site
Hudson River
Maritime Museum
This website is based upon the Hudson River Maritime Museum,
the only museum in New York State exclusively preserving the maritime
history of the Hudson River.
This Month's Featured Historic site
Fort Montgomery
The first chain across the Hudson was placed beneath the fortifications
across from Anthony’s Nose at the Twin Forts Montgomery and Clinton.
Begun in February 1776 Fort Montgomery had three landward redoubts and
river batteries while Fort Clinton (August 1776) had a battery and two
redoubts. On October 6, 1777, in a diversion to draw off American forces
opposing General John Burgoyne's expedition into New York from Canada,
General Sir Henry Clinton led 2,100 Loyalists, Hessians, and Regulars
from King's Ferry against the landward approaches of Forts Montgomery
and Clinton. American Brigadier Generals Governor George and James Clinton
had to defend the two forts with a garrison of fewer than 700 men. On
the river five American warships protected the iron chain on wooden rafts
and boom of ships' hawsers. Despite the gallant American efforts, the
undermanned twin forts fell to overwhelming British attack by nightfall.
While British forces won the battles of Forts Clinton and Montgomery,
these fortifications disrupted Sir Henry Clinton's timetable, complicating
any attempts to relieve Burgoyne's trapped army.
See Fort Montgomery on the Hudson
River Valley Institute website for directions and details.
This Month's Featured Historic Town
of the Hudson River Valley
City of
Beacon
1 Municipal Center
Beacon, NY 12508
Telephone: (845) 838-5000
Beacon, situated on the east bank of the Hudson River at
the foot of stately Mount Beacon, is located 59 miles north of New York
City and approximately 90 miles south of Albany. Incorporated on May 15,1913,
by combining the old villages of Fishkill Landing and Matteawan, the City
of Beacon was so named to commemorate the historic Beacon fires which
blazed forth from the summit of the Fishkill Mountains warning the Revolutionary
Armies of the movement of the British Troops. Beacon has the distinction
of being the First-Commission-Government City in the State of New York
as well as one of the first in the United States.
Newsletter designed by: Mary Kate Carew '03
Amy Mathason '03
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