Battle of Forts Clinton and Montgomery
- When
- 1777
- Where
- Hudson River approach and Stony Point landing; Fort Clinton and Fort Montgomery; Riverbank below the forts; Forts Clinton and Montgomery
- Episodes
- 4
On October 6, 1777, British forces under Sir Henry Clinton stormed and captured Forts Clinton and Montgomery in the Hudson Highlands, dismantling the Hudson River Chain. The attack diverted American troops from opposing Burgoyne, and the forts were later destroyed and evacuated on October 26.
Episodes
- British Advance and Feints
Sir Henry Clinton sailed up the Hudson on October 3 with 3,000 men, using feints to fool Putnam into withdrawing troops eastward before landing 2,100 men at Stony Point.
- Assault and Capture of the Forts
After hours of hiking through hilly terrain, Clinton divided his troops for simultaneous assaults; despite a contested approach to Fort Montgomery, both forts fell after a relatively short battle.
- American Escape
A number of the garrison, including General Clinton, escaped by scrambling down the embankment to the river, where gunboats ferried them to safety across the Hudson.
- Destruction and Evacuation of the Forts
With the New York garrison thinned by the Hudson operation, Clinton recalled Vaughan and the troops holding the forts; the forts were destroyed and evacuated on October 26.
Background and detail
Background. The Hudson River valley was strategically critical throughout the American Revolutionary War. In June 1777, General John Burgoyne moved south from Quebec to gain control of the area. The highlands near West Point were defended by Continental Army troops and state militia under Major General Israel Putnam, based at Peekskill.
Fortifications and the Chain. Several miles upriver from Peekskill, above the Popolopen Gorge, the Americans stretched a chain across the Hudson to block British naval vessels. Fort Montgomery guarded the chain's western end and overlooked the gorge, while Fort Clinton stood south of the gorge on the west bank.
Garrison and Command. Both forts were garrisoned by about 600 Continental Army troops commanded by brothers General George Clinton and General James Clinton. General Israel Putnam led additional troops at nearby Fort Independence in the vicinity of Peekskill, New York.
Aftermath. After the battle, Clinton moved north along the western shore as a defense against attacks further upriver, while Putnam defended against attacks to the east. A flotilla under Vaughan carrying 1,700 men departed October 15 to assist Burgoyne, but Clinton later recalled Vaughan and the fort garrisons; the forts were destroyed and evacuated on October 26.
People involved
- General Sir Henry Clinton · British commander who captured the forts
- General George Clinton · Continental Army commander of Fort Clinton; escaped after the battle
- General James Clinton · Continental Army commander, brother of George Clinton
- General Israel Putnam · American commander based at Peekskill; deceived by British feints
- General John Burgoyne · British general whose Hudson campaign the attack was meant to support
- General Horatio Gates · American general whose army the British sought to divert
Sources
- Battle of Forts Clinton and Montgomery Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-12
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.