Historic event1776Hudson Heights
George Washington and the Battle of Fort Washington
George Washington based his operations at Fort Washington in 1776; its fall in November was a pivotal American defeat, and the neighborhood later took its name from the fort.
Bennett Park, Fort Washington Ave and W 183rd St
NYC Parks’ historical sign says General George Washington located his base of operations at the high point now occupied by Bennett Park, and also fortified a position across the Hudson at Fort Lee so he could gain control over river traffic. Fort Washington was built in 1776 and was the last American stronghold as the battle for New York swept north on Manhattan.
On November 16, 1776, British and Hessian troops swiftly attacked and seized the fort in what NYC Parks calls a pivotal defeat for the Americans. After the war the remains of the fort disappeared, and the surrounding area came to be known as Washington Heights. At the south end of Bennett Park, bluestone and granite paving outlines part of the fort, and a 1901 monument by the Sons of the American Revolution stands on the park’s eastern wall.
NYC Parks’ Highbridge Park history adds that Washington used the Morris-Jumel Mansion as his headquarters in September and October 1776, and that a later fort, Fort George, stood in the park’s northern portion in 1779.