British soldiers built the first known defenses on these bluffs in 1779, and by controlling the Narrows they secured New York throughout the Revolutionary War. Soon after the British left in 1783, newly independent Americans moved in. Over the next two centuries, the United States established various defense systems here and replaced them as weapons improved in distance, power, and accuracy. The site served in the defense of New York and the United States. It is also part of Gateway National Recreation Area, whose three units together contain 26,000 acres of beaches, dunes, woodlands, bays, three forts, and two historic airfields, including the Staten Island unit with Fort Wadsworth, Miller Field, and Great Kills Park.
