For five days in May, 1781, the quiet
landscape atop the Palisades was transformed into a daily battlefield,
pitting some 200 Loyalists against 300 Bergen County Militiamen. The
horrors of civil war were never more evident in this all-American
encounter, in what was the last major pitched battle in Bergen County.
The NJ Section of the Palisades
Interstate Park is pleased to commemorate this historic event with a
weekend of living history demonstrations and lectures that will bring to
life the epic events that happened here 225 years ago.
Events will include reenactments of the
Loyalist and Militia attacks, along with an interesting “what-if” scenario
that pits the forces of Colonel Alexander Scammell against those of Sir
Henry Clinton. Visitors will be able to meet the combatants and followers
of both sides, reliving the daily life of Bergen County’s soldiers of
1781. An evening of lectures will provide the historic background to the
event, told in the words of the original combatants.
On these Web pages you will find a
number of documents and material relating to the original events of 1781,
information for visitors to the event as well as a participating groups
section.
For further information, please contact Todd W.
Braisted at
IVBNNJV@aol.com,
or John Muller at
flhp@njpalisades.org.
Additional pages about the blockhouse:
Event Schedule
Historical Background
Album
Please click here to
read
"American
v.
American: the 1781 Battle of Fort Lee" by Todd Braisted.
Please click here to
read an article about the Battle of Fort Lee in the Record (Sun.,
Feb. 9, 2006)