South Landing is a river access point below Fort Clinton, connected to the surrounding grounds by a short path. Its proximity to a locust tree where part of a hanging rope remained makes it a significant landmark in the investigation, while a sentry’s account places it on a route that did not lead directly from his post to North Barracks.

Setting and Access

The landing lies below Fort Clinton. From the path, the descent takes five minutes and the return ascent ten, according to Epaphras Huntoon, who said he had taken that route toward the river. He did not reach the river. His post was number four, near Fort Clinton, and Augustus Landor observed that the patch where they stood was not on the way from the fort to North Barracks. The landing’s path therefore helps establish the discrepancy between Huntoon’s assigned post and the ground where he was questioned.

The Locust Tree Above the Landing

About a hundred yards up from South Landing stood a black locust, described as slender and furrowed, with long mahogany pods. A vine-like length hanging from its bough was in fact the remainder of the rope used to hang a dead man. More than thirty-two hours had passed since the event; those who found the body had severed the rope just above the dead man’s head and left the rest dangling. At the tree, Captain Hitchcock tested it with a tug and pull, his weariness apparent after a night and day on his feet and an early summons to Sylvanus Thayer’s quarters.

Role in the Investigation

South Landing anchors two separate strands of the inquiry: the physical trace of the hanging at the nearby tree, and Huntoon’s account of where he walked after leaving his post. The measured distance from the landing gives the rope’s location a concrete relation to the river route, while the mismatch between Huntoon’s post and the patch where he was questioned makes the surrounding paths part of Landor’s examination. The place is thus more than a route marker: its nearby tree preserves evidence, and its approach helps test a witness’s movements.