AMERICAN-REVOLUTION-L Archives

From: "Ed St.Germain" <>
Subject: [A-REV] Washington's watch chain
Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 18:32:24 -0700

Chaining the Hudson: Celebrating industry and the French

BY TONY SEIDEMAN

It is a sharp, snapping, rattling noise like the explosion of a shopping
bag full of large firecrackers. In 1778, they called it "feu de joie" —
the fire of joy. It was made by soldiers firing their muskets into the
air in happiness.

On Saturday, May 3, muskets will fire into the air again on historic
territory near the Hudson River, as historic organizations celebrate two
of the most important, least known turning points in the American
Revolution.

>From 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., visitors will be able to park at the Cold
Spring Metro-North stop and take a shuttle bus to Constitution Island —
or cross the river and view a different series of events celebrating the
same history over at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Without the two successes the May 3 events are celebrating, there's a
chance the entire American Revolution would have foundered, said Dr.
James M. Johnson, executive director of the Hudson River Valley
Institute at Marist College.

In 1777, the American Revolution was in desperate trouble. It was
surviving on the strength of a single great victory — the conquest of a
British army near the Hudson River at Saratoga in 1777.

Yet that same Hudson could be used as a crack with which the embattled
colonies could be pried apart. The British knew this, and were bent on
sending their battle fleets up the river to split New England from the
rest of the still aborning United States.

At the same time, the rebels also lacked the resources to continue
anything but a long, dreary, withering battle of attrition against the
British Empire. Things looked bleak — but two miracles of skill,
professionalism and persuasion turned things around by the spring of
1778.

One of those triumphs was technological, the other political. Both were
crucial. The technological victory involved creating an iron chain of
unprecedented length and strength to block the Hudson River at West
Point.

If British ships had controlled the length of the Hudson, the Revolution
would have been hard put to survive. "It could have been catastrophic,
because it could have isolated the individual sections of the colonies,
and then allowed the British to potentially crush the Revolution one
state at a time," Johnson said.

Cold Spring was home to some of America's great foundries. They faced an
urgent deadline — the chain had to be in place by the time the ice on
the Hudson melted in early spring. Johnson is utterly astonished at what
was accomplished.

"The contract was signed on the 2nd of February and the chain was out in
the river on the 30th of April 1778," he said. British ships might have
been able to get past West Point's cannon with minimal damage. But they
couldn't take on both the great chain and the big guns.

"The soldiers called it Washington's watch chain," Johnson said.
Washington himself said that Fortress West Point on the Hudson River was
"the key to America."

Chaining the Hudson was important — but another event that also occurred
225 years ago was equally vital — the signing of the treaties of
alliance between France and America. Though America's relationship with
France has been a mix of admiration and exasperation virtually since the
nation's beginning, without the intervention of that then-mighty
military power, chances are good the Revolution could have sputtered and
withered away.

Obviously, an event of that scope is worth some serious celebration.
Thus the feu de joie, which will be performed by re-enactors who will
demonstrate camp life, engage in military drill and conduct other
activities.

West Point observances will include parachutists, the Cadet Rifle Drill
Team, the Cadet Glee Club, the Hellcats and a discussion by Lincoln
Diamant on the laying of the chain. Regiments of the Brigade of the
American Revolution will camp at Constitution Island.

Sponsors of the event include the Hudson River Valley National Heritage
Area, the Hudson River Valley Institute, the Constitution Island
Association and the Putnam County Historical Society & Foundry School
Museum.

--
For Revolutionary War information on the Internet, your first choice
should be AMERICANREVOLUTION.ORG

This thread:

• [A-REV] Washington's watch chain by "Ed St.Germain" <>