[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]When you think of the American Revolution you don’t really think of Connecticut. There’s good reason for that as this was the only battlefield that I could find in the state. Fortunately I paired it with a stop to take in the Connecticut Tigers just up the road in Norwich so it worked out beautifully.[/vc_column_text][vc_media_grid grid_id=”vc_gid:1575309869141-4a98a9ed-a29d-7″][vc_column_text]The area around Groton was a major base for Colonial naval operations like privateering. The area was protected by two forts, Fort Grisword in Groton and Fort Trumbull in New London. Neither fort was particularly imposing and were manned by local militia suffering from numerous shortages like gunpowder and cannonballs.
For the most part these problems were not exploited by the British as they never made an attempt to close the port of New London. In fact by the latter stage of the war Fort Griswold’s infrastructure was still incomplete and Fort Trumbull was nothing more than a series of unfinished earthworks.
British interest in the area changed. George Washington saw an opportunity to eliminate a large British army when Charles Cornwallis’ Southern Campaign failed and he sought refuge near Yorktown. Washington’s army headed south leaving New England wide open. The British commander in New York City Henry Clinton decided to take advantage of that and dispatched turncoat Benedict Arnold (and native of Norwich, Connecticut) to raid into Connecticut. Clinton’s end goal was to keep Washington tied down and distracted while closing off the port as well.
Arnold had about 1,700 men made up of British infantry, Loyalists and even some Hessians. They were transported by ship to about 30 miles from New London on September 4 and on the following day to New London in late afternoon.
The militia in the area was notified and began to muster. The British began unloading troops the following day on both sides of the river. Arnold and half of his force captured New London without any resistance and Fort Trumbull fell with the 23 militia men firing one volley and fleeing. 7 of the men were wounded or captured. Only Fort Griswold remained. New London was also sacked and the Colonial stores were burned. Unknown to Arnold a warehouse of gunpowder was also in town and exploded leaving the town in flames.
Colonel William Ledyard commanded Fort Griswold and had about 150 men under his command. The approach here was through tangled woods meaning the other half of Arnold’s force moved slowly. Arnold believed that the fort could be taken quickly but when he arrived he saw that the defenses were more complete and would take preparations. His main reason to take the fort was to prevent the escape of the ships in the harbor but most had managed to escape, fleeing when the town caught fire. Arnold tried to recall the commander on scene, Lt. Col. Edmund Eyre but Eyre began the attack before the messenger reached him.
Ledyard was given the opportunity to surrender and refused. The attack stalled as the Colonials opened fire with the cannons dropping many British soldiers and forcing them back. Eyre rallied and attacked again but this time he was wounded. His second in command Major William Montgomery was able to move his men around east of the fort to an abandoned redoubt and managed to gain entry into the fort after hard fighting. Montgomery was killed by a pike thrust from Jordan Freeman, a former slave of Ledyard.
Seeing that the British were in the fort Ledyard ordered his men to cease fire and prepared to surrender. Ledyard signaled that he wanted to surrender according to American sources but the British kept on firing and killed nearly every man in the fort. Ledyard is believed to have been killed in cold blood by his own sword. The British claimed that some of the militia did not stop fighting after Ledyard signaled a surrender and in the confusion kept firing.
Arnold was praised by Clinton for his actions though Clinton was not happy with the cost of taking the fort. He did not endear himself to the average British soldier with this effort. This was one of the last British victories of the war as Cornwalis surrender at Yorktown came only a month later.
Arnold lost about 200 men in taking the fort. The Colonial militia lost around 160 men according to a plaque at the fort. Not everyone was killed, 35 men were wounded and 28 were taken prisoner. Fort Griswold has been preserved as the Fort Griswold State Historic Park and Fort Trumbull has since been extensively modified and is open as the Fort Trumbull State Park.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]