Sherburne’s Redoubt was built to protect Fort Arnold from possible land assault from the west and northwest. Sherburne’s Redoubt guarded the Great Chain and its covering batteries from attack. It was thought that an attack could come down the road leading to the valley near the Moore House that served as Washington’s headquarters in the summer and fall of 1779. This redoubt also provided insurance should the British run both the water obstacles and cannon fire between West Point and Constitution Island and attempt a landing in the cove near Moore’s House. Originally drawn by French engineer Colonel Louis de la Radiere as a square fort, Sherburne’s Redoubt was capable of holding 120 men, and, according to Major General  Alexander McDougall, “The west face of the Redoubt [was] to be Built near the long Barrack to be 18 Feet, the North and East face 14 Feet.”The map above shows the location of  Sherburne’s Redoubt in relation to Fort Arnold as indicated by Fortress West Point Chief Engineer Viillefranche’s 1783 drawing; it has been superimposed on a recent aerial view of West Point today.

Recent scholarship suggests that what is currently known as Sherburne’s Redoubt on Trophy Point was probably a barracks. The redoubt was located further west with artillery aimed at British ships coming down from Canada before entering the “S” Curve.

As was the case with many of the other fortifications, it was named for the commander of the unit that constructed it. Colonel Henry Sherburne was a Revolutionary war hero who was recognized for his bravery in the Battle of Trenton. He was given command of Sherburne’s Additional Continental Regiment created in 1777 as one of sixteen additional regiments authorized by the Continental Congress to increase troop strength during this critical period in the Revolution.

The soldiers of this regiment who constructed Sherburne’s redoubt were from Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Previous to their assignment at West Point they endured the winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge.  Several descendants of the Sherburne family are graduates of West Point.