The Plain ( West Point ) The Plain is the parade field at the United States Military Academy at West Point , New York . The flat terrain of the Plain is in contrast to the varied and hilly terrain of the remainder of the campus . The Plain rises approximately above the Hudson River and has been the site of the longest continually occupied US Army garrison in America since 1778 . In its early years , the entire academy was located on the Plain and it was used for varying activities ranging from drill and mounted cavalry maneuvers to an encampment site for summer training . Currently , the Plain refers to just the parade field where cadets perform ceremonial parades . Geography . The Plain in the early days of the academy comprised approximately of relatively flat ground rising approximately above the Hudson River . It was not always the level and manicured parade ground that is seen today . History . Before the development of the modern academy , the term " The Plain " referred to the relatively flat geographic area that the current academy occupies . It included the area where Fort Clinton was constructed . The term now specifically applies to the parade field . The Connecticut militia that first occupied West Point on 27 January 1778 encamped there during that particularly harsh winter . That summer , construction began on Fort Arnold , later to be renamed Fort Clinton , which stood at the far western edge of the Plain and overlooked the sharp westerly turn in the Hudson River . The land was owned by a private citizen , a Mr . Stephen Moore of North Carolina . Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton authorized the army ' s purchase of the land for $ 11 , 085 in 1790 . In the early days of the academy , the Plain was used for many purposes beyond its current use for ceremonial parades . From its earliest days until just after World War I , the Corps of Cadets spent their summers encamped on the Plain as part of their tactical field training . Semi - permanent tents were erected , hard - floor planking , and furniture and books were moved out to the campsite as the Cadets moved out of the barracks for the summer . Cadets practiced military drill and cavalry maneuvers on the Plain ' s open areas . However , after the superintendency of Douglas MacArthur from 1919 to 1922 , summer camp was no longer held on the Plain . Before the construction of Michie Stadium , the Army football team played their home games upon the Plain . For the first 100 years of the academy , there was a large depression on the northern edge of the plain near trophy point . This area was known locally as Execution Hollow as reportedly military executions occurred there during the Revolutionary War period . The hollow remained until 1912 , when it was filled in with soil excavated from the construction of Bartlett Hall . The area now is a small grassy field between the Superintendent ' s review stands , Clinton Field , and Battle Monument on Trophy point . The field contains a small putting green used by the Department of Physical Education for golf instruction and a spruce tree planted in 2009 as a post Christmas tree . Uses . The Plain in present day is used primarily for ceremonial parades , known at the academy as " reviews " . Because of the cold weather common at the academy , cadet reviews are usually held between April and November . Cadets also use the Plain for recreational activities or as a place to retreat from the barracks during the late spring or early fall . The general public is asked not to walk on the grass Plain . Visitors can access and view the Plain up - close from Diagonal Walk , a walkway which bisects the Plain running north - south from Eisenhower statue to MacArthur statue . The Plain is also the location of the Corps of Cadets ' Tap Vigils when a member of the corps passes away . Shortly before 2330 hours , the entire corps assembles in silence on the large paved eastern edge of the plain , known as the Apron . The traditional military hymn " Taps " is played , followed by a singing of the " Alma Mater " by the corps , followed by the playing of " Amazing Grace " by the Pipes and Drums . The cadets then disperse in silence back to their rooms . Monuments . The periphery of the Plain is home to several monuments to past American military leaders . A horse - mounted George Washington is depicted atop Washington Monument on the western edge looking out over the Plain . World War II Generals of the Army are remembered with Eisenhower Monument and MacArthur Monument , which sit at opposite ends of Diagonal Walk . In the far north west corner , Thayer Monument commemorates the " Father of the Military Academy " , and stands watch over the Plain . On the far eastern edge of the Plain , just beyond Clinton field , Polish General Tadeusz Kosciuszko looks out over the Hudson River at Kosciuszko ' s Monument .