Wood's Monument is an obelisk monument in honor of Colonel Eleazer Derby Wood (1783–1814), an engineer officer and early graduate of

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

who died during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

at the

Siege of Fort Erie The siege of Fort Erie, also known as the Battle of Erie, from 4 August to 21 September 1814, was one of the last engagements of the War of 1812, between British and American forces. It took place during the Niagara campaign, and the Americans ...

on 17 September 1814. Old prints of West Point show this monument located on a knoll near the flag pole. The monument was once used as a navigational aid for ships making the passage down the Hudson River.

Eleazer Wood

Eleazer D. Wood Eleazer Derby Wood (December 1783 – September 17, 1814) was a Colonel and United States Army, American Army officer in the War of 1812. Fort Wood (New York), Fort Wood, which became the base of the Statue of Liberty, was named in his honor. ...

(1783 – September 17, 1814) was born in

Lunenburg, Massachusetts Lunenburg is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,782 at the 2020 census. History Lunenburg was first settled by Europeans in 1718 and was officially incorporated in 1728. The name stems from one of ...

. Wood was one of the earliest graduates of the

U.S. Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as commissioned officers in the United States Army. The academy was founded ...

, becoming the 17th graduate of the academy in 1806. He was well known among the army officer corps as an engineer and artillery officer. He built

Fort Meigs Fort Meigs was a United States fortification along the Maumee River in what is now Perrysburg, Ohio during the War of 1812. The British Army, supported by Tecumseh's Confederacy, failed to capture the fort during the siege of Fort Meigs. It is ...

in Ohio as well as other fortifications. Fort Wood, an early 19th-century star-shaped fortification on Bedloe's Island (named after Isaac Bedloo), now called

Liberty Island Liberty Island is a federally owned island in Upper New York Bay in the northeastern United States. Its most notable feature is the Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''), a large statue by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi that was ...

, was named in his honor, as is

Wood County, Ohio Wood County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 132,248. Its county seat is Bowling Green. The county was named for Captain Eleazer D. Wood, the engineer for General William Henry Harriso ...

History of the monument

At the conclusion of the War of 1812, Major General Jacob Brown contacted Colonel

Sylvanus Thayer Sylvanus Thayer (June 9, 1785 – September 7, 1872) was an United States, American military officer, engineer and educator who served as the fifth superintendent of the United States Military Academy, superintendent of the United States Militar ...

, Superintendent of the Military Academy, and ordered the monument's construction at West Point at his own expense. The monument is a four-sided

obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...

approximately tall. Erected in 1818, it was once prominently located near the site of present-day

Trophy Point Trophy Point is a scenic overlook of the Hudson River Valley located at West Point, New York. It has been the subject of numerous works of art since the early 19th century. Trophy Point is the location of Battle Monument, one of the largest colum ...

. As the academy expanded, the monument was moved to the

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...

in 1885, where it is located next to the graves of the Warner sisters,

Susan Susan is a feminine given name, the usual English version of Susanna or Susannah. All are versions of the Hebrew name Shoshana, which is derived from the Hebrew ''shoshan'', meaning ''lotus flower'' in Egyptian, original derivation, and severa ...

and

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna of East Anglia, King (died c.654) * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th c ...

. Its dedication in 1818 makes it the oldest monument at the academy. Image:The Plain at West Point in 1828.jpg, Wood's monument depicted in an 1828 painting

References

{{USMA Monuments and memorials at West Point 1818 sculptures Stone sculptures in New York (state) 1818 establishments in New York (state)