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Primary sourceArtifact1778

Fort Putnam

1778

Part of the West Point fortifications designed by Kościuszko in 1778–1780, built to defend the Hudson River.

Kościuszko designed the fortifications at West Point, including Fort Putnam, as a military engineer for the American cause.

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Stone wall ruins of Fort Putnam at West Point with black cannons mounted on a stone parapet, a wooded mountain range under a hazy sky behind, and metal railings in the foreground.
Fort Putnam, West Point, New York, built 1778. Photographed 1 May 2010.

About this source

What it is

Fort Putnam was a Revolutionary War garrison at West Point, New York, built by Colonel Rufus Putnam's regiment and completed in 1778. Tadeusz Kościuszko convinced American officers of the need to fortify the hill and drafted the plans.

Why it matters

The fort supported Fort Clinton in defending the Hudson River, a strategically vital waterway during the American Revolution. Kościuszko's engineering work at West Point, including this design, was central to making the position nearly impossible for the British to take, and shows his contribution to American independence as a military engineer.

Look closer

  • Why was controlling high ground like Crown Hill important for defending the Hudson River?
  • What does the survival of stone walls and cannons tell us about how forts like this were built?
  • How might Kościuszko's engineering training have shaped his choice of this site?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Tadeusz Kościuszko on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Portrait of Tadeusz Kościuszko

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Handwritten manuscript page in Polish, dark ink on aged paper, with an ornate title reading 'Ustawa Rządowa' and the opening invocation 'W Imię Boga w Trójcy Świętey Jedynego', followed by a list of royal titles and body text in cursive. A handwritten date notation appears at top right.Document

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Constitution of May 3, 1791

3 May 1791

Line engraving in an ornate scrolled border titled JEFFERSON. Inside an inner frame, a profile bust portrait in three-quarter view facing right of a man with a laurel wreath in his powdered hair, wearing a dark coat and white cravat against a cloudy background. Printed caption is along the bottom edge of the image.Painting

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Thomas Jefferson, Line Engraving by A. Oleszczynsky after T. Kosciuszko

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