The institution possesses four principal buildings. The two largest serve as barracks for the cadets, a third contains the mess-room and inn, and the fourth the church, chemical laboratory, library, and the hall for drawing, in which are some of the best drawings of the cadets. As a model of topographical drawing, they had taken the Montjoui of Gironna, designed according to the Atlas of Marshal G. St. Cyr. They have adopted the French manner of drawing plans; I saw, however, in the library, Lehmann's work translated into English. A very fine marble bust of the Emperor Napoleon stands in the drawing-hall.
A large level space, consisting of several acres, lies in front of the buildings, forming a peninsula and commanding the navigation of the Hudson, above which it is elevated one hundred and eighty-eight feet. Towards the river it is surrounded with steep rocks, so that it would be difficult to ascend, unless by the usual way. At its junction with the main land, it is commanded by a mountain, whose summit is five hundred and ninety-six feet above the level of the river. This position called to my mind the plain below Lilienstein, in Saxony, opposite to Koenigstein. On the summit of this mountain lie the ruins of Fort Putnam, so that the plain on which the buildings of the academy stand, is entirely insulated, and may be very well defended as well in the direction of the river as of the main land. During the revolution this fort was erected, like Fort Clinton, and was impregnable. To seize it, the English had recourse to bribery, and General Arnold, who commanded West Point, was on the point of delivering this position to them. This disgraceful treachery was fortunately prevented by the seizure of Major André. The tragical end of the major, and the flight of Arnold on board the English corvette Vulture, which lay at Verplank's Point ready to receive him, are well known.
The above-mentioned Fort Clinton stood on the eastern point of the level, and was considered as a redoubt. It consisted of a crown-work of three bastions, and the redoubt which the two wings of the crown-work adjoined. The redoubt stands on the extreme point of the rock, and the remains of the battery can still be seen in it, which completely commanded the river, both above and below West Point. The fort is now in a state of dilapidation, and the foundations of the buildings alone, are to be seen. During the revolution, chains were extended here across the river. On the left side, in an oblique direction towards West Point, is another rock, not so high, and similar to a peninsula, washed by the Hudson on three sides and separated from the main land by a morass. Two redoubts stood on this rock, in order to have complete control over the river.