This shell was found in 1915 by boys digging a trench on the site of Fort Independence. Built by the Continental Army in the summer of 1776, Fort Independence was part of a chain of eight American forts north and east of the Harlem River that commanded the northern approaches to Manhattan. The shell was part of a large stash of artillery ammunition that was buried in November, 1776 by the fort's retreating garrison in anticipation of a looming British assault.