Military
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In 1775, the first American patriots occupied Martelaer’s Rock across the river and soon renamed it Constitution Island after the British Constitution. That year, the Americans built Romans’ Battery on the island, the first fortification in the West Point area. By the end of 1776, they had also built Marine Battery, Hillcliff Battery, and Gravel Hill Battery. In 1777, the British destroyed these positions. In 1778 and 1779, the Americans partially rebuilt Marine Battery, completely rebuilt Gravel Hill Battery, and constructed three interior redoubts to protect the river batteries from attack from the north, adding depth to the West Point defensive zone. In 1778, the Great Chain was anchored at Constitution Island in the cove below Marine Battery.
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West Point, New York · United States
