The Historic 1777 & 1779 Trails

The 1777 and 1779 trails follow as closely as possible the routes taken during Revolutionary War operations in the Hudson Highlands. The 1777 trail retraces the route of British General Sir Henry Clinton's forces on October 6, 1777, when after landing 2,100 men at Stony Point he marched north to capture Forts Clinton and Montgomery. At Doodletown, the trail divides: the east branch follows forces under Sir Henry Clinton and Major John Vaughn to Fort Clinton, while the west branch follows Lieutenant Colonel Mungo Campbell's forces to Fort Montgomery. That campaign was undertaken to aid General Burgoyne's British army stalled at Saratoga, but although Clinton's combined force of 3,000 soldiers destroyed Forts Montgomery and Clinton and burned Kingston, the delay kept them from reaching Burgoyne in time. The 1779 trail traces Brigadier General Anthony Wayne's Corps of Light Infantry in its assault on the British fortifications at Stony Point just after midnight on July 16, 1779. In a brief but fierce bayonets-only fight lasting 30 minutes, Wayne's men captured Stony Point in one of the Continental Army's most spectacular victories, boosting army morale and earning Wayne a medal from Congress.

Stony Point, New York · United States