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Highlands at West Point, Hudson River #1

Pattern Category: Places

Series: Shell Border, Circular Center

Object Type: Dinner and Dessert Wares

Dimensions:

  • Diameter: 6.625 inches

Description:

This plate shows this stretch of the Hudson, where the river narrows and forms a sharp S curve.  It was called the "key of America" by George Washington, as the British could have cut off New England from the rest of the colonies during the Revolution by controlling this point. The Americans established fortifications here in 1778, and stretched a heavy iron chain across the river to Constitution Island to prevent the British moving further upstream. Benedict Arnold, commander of the fort, tried unsuccessfully in 1780 to turn the fort over to the British in exchange for money and a position in the British army.