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Towns of Bloominggrove, Cornwall and Monroe

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All of the mountain legion or highlands along the Hudson in this county, are in this town, and during the war of the Revolution, it was deemed of prime necessity, to occupy and hold them in a military point of view. This was rendered especially necessary, when the English by their public operations evinced their intention to invade the State simultaneously from the north and south, and through the instrumentality of the Hudson, to separate the Eastern from the Middle States, thus to weaken the concentrated energies of the country. To defeat such hostile intent on the part of the enemy, which if carried into execution would be so deeply injurious in its results, Congress directed the fortification of the Highlands and the obstruction of the river at different points, so as to prevent the ascent of the English shipping.

With this view Forts Clinton, Montgomery, Constitution and Putnam, were ordered to be erected as early as 1775, though the whole of them were not completed and fully armed and garrisoned till 1777, shortly before being assaulted, taken and demolished, by the enemy.

The first notice we find on the Records of the Continental Congress, in relation to fortifying the Highlands, was on the 18th of August, 1775.

Resolved and Ordered, That the fortifications formerly ordered by the Continental Congress, and reported by a committee of this Congress, as proper to be built on the banks of Hudson's River, in the Highlands, be immediately erected, and that Isaac Sears, Mr. John Berrien, Col. Edward Flemming, Anthony Rutgers and Christopher Miller, be Commissioners, &c.

A guard of twenty-four men was appointed to accompany them. Mr. Romans was the Engineer who furnished the plans, &c. It is impossible from the records of the Congress to give anything like an accurate account of the building of the respective fortifications, for the commissioners were frequently changed, the reports do not designate the location of the forts respectively, and the Resolves of Congress generally speak of the fortifications in the Highlands.

Oct. 16, 1775, Barnard Romans made the following Report to the committee of safety.

Heavy cannon, such as of 18, 24 and 32 pounds, seem to be all that is wanted. I think on Saturday next to be able to mount from 12 to 18 cannon, 8 of which might be heavy ones. We are in a miserable timber country-- even facines are got with more difficulty than stones; of the last we have such plenty, that in four days 150 perches of wall have been properly laid by twelve masons. The point on the west side, above Verplank's Point, is too easy of access, and in the vicinity of many ill-disposed people; but at Pooploops kill, opposite to Anthony's Nose is a very important pass. The river is narrow, commanded a great way up and down, full of counter currents, and subject to almost constant fall winds; nor is there any anchorage at all, except close under the works to be erected, etc. I understand it will be an easy matter to obstruct the navigation of the river, so as to confine it to twelve or fourteen feet, and in that case it remains large enough for our use, etc.

At the reduction of Forts Montgomery and Clinton, Oct. 6, 1777, the eyes of the government and of military men were more immediately directed to West Point as the most eligible point to defend the ascent of the river, and General Washington directed Gen. Putnam to determine the spot at which the Highlands were to be fortified. He selected West Point, and to him belongs the honor and wise determination of locating on that beautiful and strong position for national defence, which was instantly began and completed during 1778-79.

These matters belong to general history, with which we have little to do, further than to illustrate our local history; and as they have been published long since and are to be found everywhere, we shall not enter into a detail of the war as it was then conducted, in the vicinity we speak of.

All of our readers know the position and locality of these forts, and that they were on the margin of the Hudson in this town, except Fort Clinton, which was on the south side of Poplopen's Kill, in Rockland county, and about 600 yards from Fort Montgomery. Fort Putnam stands on the hights west of the Point, which it commands in a military point of view, which was the reason for planting it there, though we believe there is another elevation in the immediate vicinity which commands it, and therefore the location was injudiciously selected. This and the Point were not in possession of the English during the war, though Arnold, in his treasonable attempt to deliver the Point, came very near accomplishing such untoward result.