Trophy Point is a scenic overlook of the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

Valley located at

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...

. It has been the subject of numerous works of art since the early 19th century. Trophy Point is the location of

Battle Monument The Battle Monument, located in Battle Monument Square on North Calvert Street between East Fayette and East Lexington Streets in Baltimore, Maryland, commemorates the Battle of Baltimore with the British fleet of the Royal Navy's bombardment ...

, one of the largest columns of granite in the world. Designed by architect

Stanford White Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was an American architect. He was also a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms. He designed many houses for the rich, in additio ...

and dedicated in 1897, Trophy Point was formerly the site of West Point graduation ceremonies before the class sizes became larger in the mid-twentieth century. Trophy Point gets its name from the numerous displayed pieces of captured

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

spanning from the Revolutionary War to the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

. From the 1840s to the 1930s it was the site of the Siege Battery where cadets learned artillery. File:Trophy Point USMA.JPG,

File:TrophyPoint.jpg, c. 1860 File:Battle Monument and Trophy Point seen from Jefferson Hall Feb 2009.jpg, Trophy Point and Battle Monument seen from Jefferson Hall File:Trophy Point 1909.jpg, Looking north, 1909 File:Trophy Point Guide Map.jpg, Trophy point visitor map File:Cannons on display from Mexican War at Trophy Point.jpg, Cannon on display File:Battle Monument West Point NY on a Spring Afternoon 2009.JPG, Battle Monument on a spring afternoon File:GreatChain1933.jpg, The

Great Chain The Hudson River Chains were a series of chain booms constructed across the Hudson River at West Point by Continental Army forces from 1776 to 1778 during the American Revolutionary War. These served as defenses preventing British naval vessels ...

on display at Trophy Point in 1933 File:View from Battle Monument.JPG, View from Battle Monument in the Summer

References

United States Military Academy {{OrangeCountyNY-geo-stub