Battle of Groton Heights

The Battle of Groton Heights was a battle of the American Revolutionary War fought on September 6, 1781 between a small Continental Army force led by William Ledyard and the more numerous British forces lead by Benedict Arnold and Lieutenant Colonel Eyre. It resulted in a decisive British victory.

Background

During the war, the harbor on the Thames River was a home port for many privately owned ships, many of them armed. They preyed upon the British merchant marine and supply ships. These privateers were licensed by the state of Connecticut. By 1781, the largest military structure on the New London side of the river was Fort Trumbull, which was still unfinished and vulnerable to attack.

East of the river on Groton Heights, Fort Griswold commanded the harbor and the surrounding territory. The fort is square with protecting fortifications on the two corners. The lower walls were faced with stone and were topped with a barrier of cedar pickets projecting outwards. A tunnel-like passage way led to a covered ditch which ended at a battery for the cannon southwest of the fort. There were barracks for 300 men inside the fort.

Late in the summer, British generals were eager to distract General George Washington. They decided to create a diversion by attacking an essential northern supply center of New London and destroy the “Rebel pirate ships” in a single blow. The command of this mission was given to Benedict Arnold, who had deserted the American cause the year before. Arnold, being a native of Norwich, Connecticut, knew the area very well.

Battle

At sunrise on September 6, 1781, a large force of 1,700 British regulars landed on both sides of the river’s mouth. The people of the town could do nothing but evacuate. Several ships in the harbor escaped upstream. The 800-man detachment that Arnold led met with no resistance as it destroyed stockpiles of goods and naval stores. Under the orders given, much of the town was to be spared. Unknown to Arnold, however, at least one of the ships he was to burn contained a large quantity of gunpowder. When it ignited, the resulting explosion set fire to the surrounding buildings. The fire was soon uncontrollable and 143 buildings were consumed by flames.Meanwhile, the British force of 800 men that landed on the east side of the Thames River was slowed by tangled woodlands and swamplands. A battalion of New Jersey Loyalists, who were responsible for moving the artillery, could not keep pace with the regulars who came within striking range of Fort Griswold.

The fort was garrisoned by 164 militia and local men under the command of Colonel William Ledyard. He and his officers were expecting reinforcements soon. British commander Colonel Eyre sent a flag demanding the surrender of Fort Griswold, but Ledyard declined. Eyre then threatened to give no quarter to the defenders if he were to force to storm the fort, but Ledyard responded as before.

Soon, the British force advanced on the fort. As they neared the ditch, they were met by an artillery bombardment which killed and wounded many. Some tried to take the southwest bastion, but were repulsed. Colonel Eyre was badly wounded during the assault. Under heavy musket fire, another group removed some pickets and, in hand-to-hand combat, captured the cannon and turned it against its own men. Another party, led by Major Montgomery, led a bayonet charge, in which Montgomery was killed. A few of the British regulars forced open the gate and entered the fort. Colonel Ledyard then ordered his men to cease fire, but fighting continued on both sides.

The American version of what followed claims that after Ledyard gave up his sword in surrender, he was immediately killed with his own sword and a massacre followed. The British version makes no mention of either the massacre or Ledyard’s death.

Aftermath

The British troops embarked, leaving behind a small group to lay a gunpowder trail from the magazine to the barracks and then torch it. The sabotage failed when a Rebel put the fire out. Arnold reported losses of 51 dead and 142 wounded.

Fort Griswold was the scene of military preparations in at least four other wars.

Some modern accounts of the battle mistakenly state that George Middleton, an African American militia leader from Boston, was at the battle. The confusion arose because another person named George Middleton, later a mayor of Newark, New Jersey, witnessed the battle as a child and wrote about it many years later.

External links

* [http://www.dgmaestro.com/photo%5Fby%5Fdates/7_23_2006/GrotonHeightsBattleMemorial/index.htm Photos of the battle site, National Historic Landmark]
* [http://www.battleofgrotonheights.com Photos of battle sites, surviving structures, battle information and aftermath]
* [http://boston1775.blogspot.com/2006/08/mistaken-identity-at-fort-griswold.html "Mistaken Identity at Fort Griswold"] , about George Middleton