Battery Park (Fort George Site)

The southern tip of Manhattan, now Battery Park, was the site of Fort George — the British colonial fortification that anchored the defense of New York harbor. The fort was demolished after the Revolution and the area extended by landfill. The park today features Castle Clinton (1811), a later fortification, and offers views of the harbor that explain immediately why control of New York was the central British strategic objective from 1776 onward.