Editing Hudson River (section)

===American Revolution===
During the [[American Revolutionary War]], the British realized that the river's proximity to Lake George and Lake Champlain would allow their navy to control the water route from [[Montreal]] to New York City.<ref name="West Point Chain"/> British general [[John Burgoyne]] planned the [[Saratoga campaign]], to control the river and therefore cut off the [[Patriot (American Revolution)|patriot]] hub of [[New England]] (to the river's east) from the South and Mid-Atlantic regions to the river's west. The action would allow the British to focus on rallying the support of loyalists in the southerly states.<ref name="Saratoga"/> As a result, numerous battles were fought along the river and in nearby waterways. These include the [[Battle of Long Island]], in August 1776<ref name="NYTimes Battle of Long Island"/> and the [[Battle of Harlem Heights]] the following month.<ref name="Battle of Harlem Heights"/> Later that year, the British and Continental Armies were involved in skirmishes and battles in rivertowns of the Hudson in Westchester County, culminating in the [[Battle of White Plains]].<ref name="Westchester Magazine White Plains"/>

Also in late 1776, New England militias fortified the river's choke point known as the [[Hudson Highlands]], which included building [[Fort Clinton]] and [[Fort Montgomery (Hudson River)|Fort Montgomery]] on either side of the Hudson and a [[Hudson River Chain|metal chain]] between the two. In 1777, Washington expected the British would attempt to control the Hudson River, however they instead conquered Philadelphia, and left a smaller force in New York City, with permission to strike the Hudson Valley at any time. The British attacked on October 5, 1777, in the [[Battle of Forts Clinton and Montgomery]] by sailing up the Hudson River, looting the village of [[Peekskill, New York|Peekskill]] and capturing the two forts.<ref name="Battle of the Hudson Highlands"/> In 1778, the Continentals constructed the [[Hudson River Chain#The Great Chain (1778–1782)|Great West Point Chain]] in order to prevent another British fleet from sailing up the Hudson.<ref name="Great West Point Chain"/>