Washington Heights & Inwood Online

On a hill in Washington Heights overlooking the Hudson River is Bennett Park, which was named for James Gordon Bennett, founder and publisher of the New York Herald. The park was the site of the worst military defeats of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Bennett Park is located on Fort Washington Avenue between 182nd and 185th Streets.

It is considered by local history aficionados as the Alamo of the American Revolution, where 2,800 ill-equipped and poorly trained patriots were forced to surrender the fort to an overwhelming force of 9,000 British and Hessian troops. This site, known as Fort Washington, was lost in battle on November 16, 1776.

According to military customs and protocol of the period, the superior army offered terms of surrender to the defenders. In this case one of General Cornwallis’ subordinates came to Fort Washington with surrender terms on November 15, 1776. These terms were flatly refused by Colonel Robert Magaw who said that he and his men would fight to the last extremity. The battle lines were drawn at 7 a.m. the following morning and the battle was underway by noon due to inclement weather on the morning of November 16th.

By the end of the day, the Royalist forces had surrounded Fort Washington, and the American colors were struck. The American prisoners were forced to march to lower Manhattan to be processed and placed on prison ships. Most of these ships were in Wallabout Bay (now the Brooklyn Navy Yard) for the duration of the war. Over 11,000 Americans died on these ships due to sickness, brutality and malnutrition. In time, officers like Colonel Magaw were released, pardoned or exchanged for high-ranking British soldiers held prisoner by the Americans.

After the surrender of the fort, the Hessians occupied northern Manhattan. Fort Washington was renamed Fort Knyphausen in honor of the commanding general of the Hessians Wilhelm von Knyphausen. A Second Lieutenant under Knyphausen, Johan Karl Philip von Krafft, was stationed at the fort. Von Krafft wrote a diary about military life during the occupation. He reported the harshness of the weather during the summers and winters. Shortages of munitions and other supplies as well as illnesses were mentioned.

At the end of the American Revolution, the British and other occupational forces were ordered to withdraw from New York City. The city had become a haven for people who were still loyal to the crown and wanted to leave with the troops. Evacuation Day was November 25, 1783. As the Royalist forces withdrew from Fort Washington, the American Army repossessed the site, and the American flag was proudly raised over the fort that had been lost seven years before.

After the war, the ownership of the land passed through several hands. The remains of the fort could still be seen. Richard F. Carman purchased the property in the 1850s. James Gordon Bennett Sr. purchased the property in 1871 for a summer estate. Unfortunately, the elder Bennett died the following year and his son James Jr. inherited the property.

The younger Bennett was instrumental in placing a plaque honoring the valiant soldiers who served during the Battle of Fort Washington. The plaque was erected at the site of the northeast bastion of the fort and was adorned with a cannon of the Mexican War period. The Empire State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution was also involved with the plaque, which was officially dedicated on November 1, 1901, the 125th Anniversary of the Battle of Fort Washington. By 1904, the cannon that adorned the memorial had disappeared. The plaque is located on the Fort Washington Avenue side of Bennett Park.

The driveway to the estate started at what are now 181st Street and Colonel Robert Magaw Place north to 183rd Street and then west to Fort Washington Avenue. At the entrance to the driveway was a wrought iron fence. This fence was eventually purchased by George Grey Barnard, whose collected works of medieval artifacts became the centerpiece of the collection of The Cloisters, which is now a part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In time Bennett Jr. moved to France and conducted the day-to-day operations of the Herald from there. Bennett died in Bealieu, France, in 1918 and is buried in Paris.

The property was acquired on July 18, 1928, by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation for use as a park. It was named in honor of the Bennetts who had purchased the property.

Within the park is an outline of Fort Washington, which has been laid with granite stones and can be seen by all who enter the park. The park also contains a marker indicating the highest natural point in Manhattan — 267.75 feet above sea level. During the renovation of the park in the 1980s, a cistern was unearthed and was dated to the 1850s when George Morewood and his family lived on the property.

The year 2001 offered a triple celebration for Bennett Park and the community. First was the 225th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the start of the American Revolution. Second, the anniversary of the Battle of Fort Washington on November 16th. And finally, the centennial anniversary of the memorial plaque at Bennett Park. Another anniversary of note was held at Bennett Park on July 18, 2003, honoring the 75th year that Bennett park was under the jurisdiction of the Parks Department.

The Friends of Bennett Park and the Washington Heights Neighborhood Association have, since 2001, celebrated the Battle of Fort Washington at Bennett Park and at Fort Tryon Park every November. The event is celebrated with re-enactors from the Brigade of the American Revolution. Colonial arts and crafts are displayed too. Every July 4th, a historical tour of the park is given with a lecture of the Battle of Fort Washington and on the lives of the Bennetts. Free concerts and dance performances are held in the park during the summer months.

Bennett Park serves as a haven for those who come to enjoy a stroll in the park or to bring their children to the playground. For more information regarding Bennett Park, visit the Parks Department’s website.