Installation of the Hudson River Chain

Installation of the Great Chain. After recovering from battle wounds, Machin began work on the stronger Great Chain at West Point, constructed and installed in 1778. In spring 1778, a heavy chain supported by huge log rafts was stretched from West Point to Constitution Island to impede British ships moving north of West Point. Machin, the artillery officer and engineer who had installed the Fort Montgomery chain, directed the installation across the river on April 30, 1778.

Significance and Aftermath. The Great Chain, the more significant and successful of the Hudson River barriers, was used through war's end in 1782. Together with the high ground above the river's narrow "S" curve, it enabled the Continental Army to prevent the Royal Navy from sailing upriver and dividing Patriot forces. Until 1783, the chain was removed each winter and reinstalled each spring to avoid destruction by ice. Governor George Clinton noted the British never attempted to run ships through the chain.