Gravel Hill Battery

<br>With its excellent field of fire, Gravel Hill Battery was the island’s key fortification against British ships. Constructed in the spring of 1776, after Fort Constitution’s inability to command the Hudson had become evident, it was destroyed during British operations in October 1777. The battery was rebuilt in 1778 as the island’s first fortification in the new West Point defensive complex.<br><br>This simple battery was hastily constructed in both 1776 and 1778. No stone masonry was used, and the earthen parapets were probably held in place by timber or fascines. The number of cannon in the battery varied; eleven were listed in 1776, six in 1778.