Reconstructed mortar battery faces the Hudson River

Reconstructed mortar battery faces the Hudson River at Fort Lee Historic Park, Fort Lee, N.J., Oct. 22, 2020. Construction of Fort Lee, which was the New Jersey counterpart of Fort Washington in New York and part of the Hudson River defense, began in July 1776. On Nov. 16, 1776, Fort Washington fell to British forces. Four days later, Gen. George Washington ordered the Fort Lee soldiers to retreat resulting in the loss of all their supplies and artillery. It was also the beginning of the Continental Army’s “Retreat to Victory” across the Jerseys. This loss lead Thomas Paine to write: “These are the times that try men’s souls…” (New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs photo by Mark C. Olsen)