Fort Clinton

During the War of 1812 New Yorkers assumed that the British would attack from the southern tip of Manhattan Island, and they built forts in that area accordingly. But in fact the British stormed Long Island Sound at Stonington, Connecticut on August 1814. New Yorkers became fearful that the enemy would sail west through Long Island Sound and attack Manhattan from the north. In August and September several fortifications were built on the high cliffs that flanked the Kingsbridge Road (also known as the Albany/Boston Post Road). From that vantage point, the American troops could see any advancing ships from the Hudson and East Rivers and the Long Island Sound, as well as any armies coming from the northern end of Manhattan. Named after Mayor DeWitt Clinton, Fort Clinton was one of four fortifications on the site that is now Central Park. Although soldiers were stationed at the fortifications, the British never attacked New York City, and in 1815 the Treaty of Ghent ended the war.