Hudson and the Revolutionary War

While reading Tom Lewis' section on the impact of the Hudson on the Revolutionary War from his book I was intrigued at how much of an impact the river had on the outcome and strategy of the war. When thinking of the Revolutionary War I think of many important battles, but i never thought about the location of the battles in relationship to the Hudson River. The Hudson River, according to Lewis, was instrumental to many of the decisions that generals and George Washington made throughout the war. George Washington knew that the river valley would be important and "kept a wary eye on the valley knowing that 'passage of the Enemy up the North River, is a point big with many Consequences to the public interest." The English were considered to have the best navy in the world, and the fact that a militia army was able to hold the river amazes me. One of the aspects of George Washington's military intelligence that impresses me is that he knew that it was imperative that the English did not control the river with their navy and he constructed a remarkable fortress in West Point. The fortress consisted of a massive chain that went across the river as well as a fortresses that altogether consisted of sixty cannons. The river now became in control of the rebels and only sabotage from the inside it seemed, would allow the English to take control of the river. The fortress of West Point served its purpose in the Revolutionary War and would continue to be a landmark in the US military. Another battle in the Hudson River Valley that intrigues me is the battle of Saratoga. The American forces were able to us their knowledge of the land and we were able to surround the British on three sides with the river as the fourth and 'cork the bottle' on the British troops and not allow them to retreat. The American army used its knowledge of the river to build a fortress at a key location on the river and its knowledge of the landscape to win an important battle at Saratoga