page_title: Fort Lee Historic Park
section_title: Defense of the Hudson River
hierarchical_section_title: Fort Lee Historic Park / Fort Lee (American Revolutionary War) / Defense of the Hudson River
caption_attribution_description: English: HMS Phoenix, Roebuck and Tartar, accompanied by three smaller vessels, forcing their way through a cheval-de-frise on the Hudson River with the Forts Washington and Lee and several batteries on both sides. The painting is a copy by Thomas Mitchell after the original rendering of the subject, a scene from the American Revolutionary War, by Dominic Serres the Elder.
context_page_description: Fort Lee Historic Park is located atop a bluff of the Hudson Palisades overlooking Burdett's Landing, known as Mount Constitution, in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Native Americans appear to have lived in the area for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans. Site of George Washington's 1776 encampment opposite Fort Washington at the northern end of Manhattan. Fort Lee is named for General Charles Lee. The site is a reconstruction of the encampment including the blockhouse, battery, quarters as well as a visitors center. It is part of Palisades Interstate Park.
  At the north end of the park there are two overlooks with views of the George Washington Bridge, the Hudson River, and the skyline of upper Manhattan. There is metered parking.
context_section_description: These twin forts were intended to protect the lower Hudson from British warships.  At first, efforts were concentrated close to the water level near Burdett's Landing.  Later, fortifications were added atop the bluff under the supervision of Joseph Philips, Battalion Commander of the New Jersey State Militia.  The Bourdette's ferry service was taken over by the Army, and Peter Bourdette was forced to vacate his house; although as a patriot he considered it no sacrifice and offered the work of his slaves to General Mercer's construction efforts.   At the end of September 1776, Fort Constitution was renamed Fort Lee, for General Charles Lee of the Continental Army.  George Washington used the stone Bourdette house for his headquarters when he passed time at Fort Lee.  At this stage of the war the ferry operated as a supply line and the only link between Forts Lee and Washington.
caption: British warships trying to pass between Fort Lee and Fort Washington
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