British Raid on New London and Groton

By Albert E. Van Dusen

The final British attack on Connecticut was the most perfidious and brutal of the war. Sir Henry Clinton, British commander-in-chief, apparently launched the expedition to prevent part of the northern France-American forces from going against Lord Cornwallis in Virginia. He also wanted to punish New London because its privateers were taking a high toll of British merchantmen. Benedict Arnold (1740/41-1801), who was born in nearby Norwich and knew the area intimately, was given overall command with about 1,700 men.

On September 6, 1781, the British fleet entered New London harbor, experiencing little opposition. In New London itself Arnold's forces encountered only token resistance and were able to destroy much shipping and large quantities of goods recently seized by privateers. Warehouses, shops, and some homes were set afire, and an unfortunate shift in the wind spread the conflagration, burning much of downtown New London, destroying about 140 buildings.

Across the Thames River in Groton on top of a high hill overlooking the harbor stood Fort Griswold, which about 800 veteran British troops under Colonel Edmund Eyre set out to capture. To defend it, Colonel William Ledyard (1738-1781) had only about 150 militiamen. When Ledyard rejected a surrender demand, the British attacked furiously. The Americans, using their cannon and small arms effectively, inflicted heavy casualties, approximately 40 killed and 100 wounded, while suffering only light casualties themselves.

Despite the resolute defense, British troops finally broke into the fort. Realizing that further resistance was futile, Ledyard ordered his men to surrender. A British officer shouted: "Who commands this garrison?" Ledyard promptly tendered his sword, replying, "I did, sir, but you do now." The sword was taken and instantly plunged through his body. The roused British soldiers then butchered about eighty men from the garrison, before the officers finally halted the carnage. Determined to blow up the powder magazine, the British placed some of the American wounded in a wagon which got out of control on a hill, plunged downward into a tree, and killed several prisoners.

From the British viewpoint, the attack had proven to be an expensive triumph--48 killed and 145 wounded. While great damage had been wreaked on the Americans, with ninety-seven families left homeless, many of the vessels in the harbor were able to escape up the Thames River. For Connecticut people, the bitterness over the loss of life, the fire, and the defeat was greatly accentuated by having their traitor-son Arnold lead the expedition. Years later, in 1793, those who had their homes burned were finally compensated by grants of land in a part of the Western Reserve, appropriately named the Firelands.

For Further Reading

Harris, William E. The Battle of Groton Heights ..., rev. Charles Allyn. New London, Connecticut, 1882.

Caulkins, Frances M. History of New London, Connecticut. New London, 1895.

* Entry under revision.