128 The Story of The Bronx 



A new street, a continuation of the ancient Boston Post- 

 road of 1673, passes down the hill from Sedgwick Avenue, 

 connecting the Boston with the Albany Post-road, and en- 

 croaches slightly upon the ramparts of the old fort. Another 

 street, a little west of the one just mentioned, also leads down 

 the hill past the old Montgomery house and is called Fort 

 Independence Street. 



The British Headquarters map of 1782 (or 1783) shows seven 

 other redoubts lying south of Number Four along the Ford- 

 ham ridge, making eleven in all from the Hudson to the shore 

 of the Harlem abreast of Fort George on Manhattan. In 

 addition, there are shown entrenchments across the Boston 

 Road to the east of Number Four and a small redoubt, called 

 the Negro Fort, about half-way between Fort Independence 

 and Williamsbridge. It was so called because, so it is stated, 

 it was garrisoned by negroes from Virginia; it was situated just 

 south of the old Boston Road — this part of it now called Van 

 Cortlandt Avenue, — about where the new Concourse joins 

 Mosholu Parkway. A semicircular redoubt was also erected 

 by the orders of General Heath about one thousand feet west 

 of the bridge across the Bronx River, to command the passage 

 of that stream and the Boston Road to Williams's bridge. It 

 was located on the Bussing farm, and its site is now within 

 the limits of Woodlawn Cemetery, close to the point of inter- 

 section of the ancient Boston and Gun Hill roads. 



Number Five was a square redoubt of about seventy feet, 

 situated on the old Tetard farm, due south of Fort Indepen- 

 dence, and commanding the Farmers' Bridge. It can still be 

 distinguished at the southwest corner of the Jerome Park 

 reservoir, a few rods east of Sedgwick Avenue, adjoining the 

 Ames property. It was occupied by the British in 1777, and 

 abandoned September 18, 1779. In the summer of 1910, 



