The Miraculous Iron Ore & The Great Chain

One of the keys to winning the Revolutionary War was controlling the Hudson River.  If the British could have gained possession of the river throughout the war, they would have effectively cut the American colonies in half.  During the winter of 1777-78, a plan was devised to forge an iron chain that would keep the British from coming up river by ship.  The most strategic point to install the chain was 50 miles upriver from New York City. 

                At West Point, New York, the river narrowed and two sharp curves created a hazardous “S” curve.  The curve caused ships traveling up river to slow down, reset their sails, travel a little further and re-tack again.  With high hills on either side, a strong river current, and frequent unfavorable winds, West Point was deemed the perfect location to set up the chain.  Forts and artillery batteries could be placed on both sides and reign down cannon balls on ships attempting to navigate the river.

From his tent in Valley Forge, General Washington issued the order to manufacture and install a chain across the river.  Late on Saturday, February 2, 1778, a government contract was executed to forge the chain; by daylight the next morning, forges were in operation.  In an engineering feat that would be difficult to duplicate even today, the chain was manufactured from start to finish in just six weeks.  Creation of the chain was so important that the government’s contract specified that workmen were exempted from military duty throughout the period of its construction. Seven forges and ten welding fires were kept in operation around the clock.  The chain was affixed across the river on April 30, 1778. 

The chain was approximately 600 yards in length, composed of two foot long, 2.25" thick iron links, each of which weighed 114 pounds. The entire chain weighed 65 tons and required 40 men to install. The chain floated on rafts assembled from four 16' sharpened, waterproofed logs, anchored between Constitution Island and West Point.  An elaborate system of pulleys allowed the chain’s tension to be adjusted to overcome the changing tide and current. 

While the importance of the Great Chain is often remembered, the Lord’s hand in the construction of the chain is often overlooked.  By clear act of providence, one of the largest and richest iron deposits in the world is located in Warwick, NY, just a few miles from West Point. 

The Sterling Iron Works were widely recognized as producing some of the highest grade iron in the world.  “The rich, black magnetite ore at Sterling was 60 to 70 percent pure, which meant that it was easily broken into chunks sufficiently pure to bypass customary and time-consuming 18^th century washing and drying procedures, enabling the chain to be completed in record time.”  “The famously cold winter of 1777-78 that severely tested soldiers at Valley Forge [some 140 miles to the south] proved to be a blessing at the Sterling Forge, where it alleviated the intense heat of the forges.”^[1]

During the remainder of the war, the chain was removed every autumn and reinstalled every spring to avoid destruction by ice.  The chain proved to be a brilliant success; the British never attempted to run the chain.  Washington’s troops controlled the Hudson throughout the remainder of the war which significantly contributed to the American victory.  In fact, many historians consider the great chain at West Point as the “Key to the Continent”.

Before the formation of the world, the Great Creator knew that a chain, strategically placed along the Hudson, would someday be helpful in freeing the early colonists.  The Great Orchestrator of the Universe provided marvelously rich iron deposits, high hills, a narrow river, the sharp “S” curve, strong winds and current.  The “best spirits the God of Heaven could find on the face of the earth”^[2] were then assembled to lead the cause.  Inspiration was given to men who would listen and act, and the perfect weather for forging a chain was provided.  Everything came together at the needed time, not by chance, but by providence.

An ancient American prophecy concerning the revolutionary War was thus fulfilled: “And I beheld that the power of God was with them, and also that the wrath of God was upon all those that were gathered against them to battle.  And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations”.^[3]  A new nation, conceived in Liberty was born, where the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness could spread throughout the world. 

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[1] Kenneth L. Alford, “‘Delivered by the Power of God’: Nephi’s Vision of America’s Birth,” in The Things Which My Father Saw: Approaches to Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision (BYU Religious Studies Center and Deseret Book, 2011), 273-275

[2] Wilford Woodruff, LDS Conference Report, April 1898

[3]The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Christ; 1 Ne. 13:18-19

Learn more at www.TheGloriousCauseOfAmerica.org

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[1] Kenneth L. Alford, “‘Delivered by the Power of God’: Nephi’s Vision of America’s Birth,” in The Things Which My Father Saw: Approaches to Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision (BYU Religious Studies Center and Deseret Book, 2011), 273-275

[2] Wilford Woodruff, LDS Conference Report, April 1898

[3]The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Christ; 1 Ne. 13:18-19