Picturing Washington's Army

In 1782, Continental Army engineer Pierre Charles L’Enfant created two panoramic watercolor paintings of the Continental Army encampments at West Point and Verplanck’s Point in New York’s Hudson Highlands. Together, the two rare paintings visualize Washington’s army, from the perspective of an eyewitness, at the height of its professionalism following the 1781 Siege of Yorktown. While the end of the Revolutionary War and American independence still hung in the balance, Washington prepared his troops for the next potential campaign against the British and hoped for continued French support.

Explore the two paintings below to find out more about their details and significance.

Both paintings were featured in the Museum’s 2018 special exhibit Among His Troops: Washington’s War Tent in a Newly Discovered Watercolor.

Thank you to the Landenberger Family Foundation for generously supporting the Museum’s acquisition of the Verplanck’s Point watercolor.