117 
him, after which he destroyed the fort. The government after¬ 
wards acquired the ground on which West Point stands, as well 
as the adjoining heights. It appeared to me, if not necessary, 
still to be useful to build Fort Putnam again, in order to complete 
the important position of West Point, which can serve in time of 
war as a fortified camp, or place of refuge for the people, &c. as 
impregnable as it was before. But to my astonishment, I learn- 
ed that this would probably not take place, that on the contrary, 
with regard to the defence of the country, reliance was placed on 
the fortified entrance of New York, and that in general in the in¬ 
terior of the country no fortifications would probably be made. 
They appear to think that the impregnability of the country 
particularly consists in having no powerful neighbours; that Eng¬ 
land could not send over a strong army, and that even if this 
should happen, England would be obliged to scatter her strength 
too much, so that single corps could be subdued with ease. 
This view appears to me doubtful; I wish from my heart that 
these excellent people may never find by experience, that they 
have deceived themselves. But security, when too great, is always 
dangerous. A very fine view is enjoyed from Fort Putnam of 
the plain of West Point, and of the Hudson, which here calls to 
mind the high banks of the Rhine. The view to the north is par¬ 
ticularly handsome, in which direction Newburgh, lying on the 
river, is seen in the back ground. We saw nothing of the Cats- 
' kill mountains. 
We went with Colonel Thayer and the cadets to church. The 
chaplain of the academy, Dr. M‘Ilvaine, an Episcopalian clergy¬ 
man, performed divine service. The sermon was very good and 
sensible, and very well adapted to the young men. He proposed 
several objections which are made against the superiority of the 
Christian religion, and refuted them all, by deriving his arguments 
from the new testament and human reason. I was much pleased 
with the deportment of the cadets in the church, a deportment 
which is not always observed in young people in other countries 
at such times. 
The topographical drawings which the cadets make, and ac¬ 
cording to which they are instructed in fortification, were shown 
to me by the excellent Captain Douglass, teacher of engineering. 
The so called modern system, or the Carnmontaigne system, im¬ 
proved by the French engineers, forms the basis of the instruc¬ 
tion. Captain Douglass, who also instructs them in the forma¬ 
tion of roads and bridges, makes use of Wiebeking. Many of 
the cadets who do not intend to remain in the military service 
as officers, being bound to remain but one year in service, 
after leaving the academy; serve each in his own state, as civil 
engineers, and perform very essential services. All officers of 
