Show history of old fort lee consisted merely of earthworks earthworms Earth works ana was abandoned by ay order arder of general washington the fort lee oi of revolutionary days day j was on top lop of the palisades Pall sadea about two tulles miles etli the river from fiani tho the vil ia lage ge of edgewater edged ater where the fortl fort I 1 lee ferry has its new jersey landing in the strict sense of the word d it was hardly worthy 0 of bl eing being caller called a fort since it consisted merely of earth works of which not a vestige la ix to be seen today tradition says that the fort was laid out by oen gen israel putnam and slime boma of the historians thus one ac account e aunt for the fact that the defenses were rather ex panalee for their purpose at first it was waa called fort constitution but was soon renamed re named natured port poi C lee le thin temporary stronghold trong hold was really constructed construct id to co ororato operate with fort Waa hington on tho the NOW new jerk arh side oi of the Hud hudson stin in the defense of the river in the beginning it was vas be lieveld that the two defenses would be able to turn the british war fleet back bach and prevent it from getting up the river to west point but from the first washington to la known to have questioned Us its useful ness and ti it was on his orders that it was finally evacuated in november 1776 all that was left of the american army in now new jersey abandoned abandon ed tb the a tort fort and set out on its ita bi historic retreat to philadelphia tradition says bey that there was a fort un under dee the cliff of the river front at some fomo point not far from edgewater earlier in the revolution but there ti Is po co authentic record of its existence and it therefore cannot be |