At the extreme southwestern end of the Island of Manhattan lies Battery Park. This can be a confusing name to those only familiar with the common, non-military use of the term. In this case, “battery” indicates a position of cannon or heavy guns—usually with some accompanying fortification work like a wall.

When New York City comprised little more than Lower Manhattan, anyone attacking the town from the sea would do so from here. Which is why “The Battery” was the premiere site from which to defend the city’s inhabitants.

Alexander Hamilton walked these acres many hundreds of times in his life.

In Hamilton’s time and beyond, the Battery was an important social gathering place and essentially open-air park where ocean breezes could sweep away the acrid smells of the city. Back in the day, this included a mother lode of cow and horse manure!

Battery Park is the spot where— while transitioning from a King’s College student to a militia leader—a young Alexander Hamilton, in August, 1775, with pal Hercules Mulligan, joined an impulsive and daring raid to steal some cannon belonging to the Redcoats.

When the British and Hessian expeditionary force arrived in overwhelming “shock and awe” numbers in June, 1776, Hamilton was stationed here with his New York artillery troop in a bid to repel the  invaders. One big gun under his command exploded by accident, killing and injuring several of Hamilton’s men.

Like the rest of New York City, Battery Park was far behind enemy lines from summer 1776 to late autumn 1783. Hamilton would not have been here once during that entire period. But he would have returned, of course, as Battery Park slowly re-commenced its earlier quotidian role in civilian life.