
Map of West Point defenses 1780
Fort Clinton was the main defensive garrison of the
Revolutionary War defense network at
West Point. Commanded by and named after
Benedict Arnold before his betrayal of the Revolutionary Army and defection to the British, it was later renamed after General
James Clinton. Construction was begun under Captain Louis de la Radiere, and completed under the command of
Tadeusz Kosciuszko between 1778–1780; it was the key defensive fort, overlooking the turn in the
Hudson River and the
Great Chain. After the war, the remains of Fort Clinton fell into disrepair and were eventually demolished to make way for the expansion of the
United States Military Academy, founded at the garrison in 1802. Today, all that remains of the fort are some earthworks and stone base structure, easily seen off of Thayer Road as its rounds the Plain and the soccer fields at West Point.