Trophy Point and the Great Chain

Trophy Point on the Academy grounds displays a substantial section of the original 1778 Great Chain — the massive iron chain stretched across the Hudson River to block British warships. Each link weighs approximately 114 pounds; the full chain weighed roughly 65 tons and stretched 1,700 feet across the river. The chain was installed each spring and removed each winter. The surviving links at Trophy Point are the most tangible physical remnant of the fortification that defined West Point's Revolutionary War role.