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The Battle of Groton Heights (also known as the Battle of Fort Griswold, and occasionally called the Fort Griswold massacre) was a battle of the American Revolutionary War fought on September 6, 1781 between a small Connecticut militia force led by Lieutenant Colonel William Ledyard and the more numerous British forces led by Brigadier General ...
- September 6, 1781
- British victory
The Battle of Groton Heights (also known as the Battle of Fort Griswold, and occasionally called the Fort Griswold massacre) was fought between a small Connecticut militia force and the more numerous British forces.
Sep 6, 2013 · The British troops set to destroying military and naval supplies and accidentally caused a fire that soon spread, burning much of the town. Meanwhile, across the river in Groton, militia forces commanded by Colonel William Ledyard had manned Fort Griswold, a substantial fortification atop Groton Heights, a hill overlooking the Thames River ...
Fort Griswold is a former American defensive fortification in Groton, Connecticut named after Deputy Governor Matthew Griswold. The fort played a key role in the early stages of the American Revolutionary War, in correspondence with Fort Trumbull on the opposite side of the Thames River.
- Events Leading to Arnold’s Invasion of New London
- Brigadier Benedict Arnold Sails For New London
- British disembark. Fort Trumbull Attacked and Taken
- British Forces Assault Fort Griswold
- Major Montgomery Killed by African American Jordon Freeman
- Massacre of The Fort’Sdefenders
- Colonel Ledyard Murdered
- Casualties
- Destruction of New London & Arnold Departs
- Resources
It may be safe to say, had there been no siege of Yorktown, there would have been no Battle of Groton Heights and the city of New London would never have been torched. After the failed attempt by then American Major General Benedict Arnold to surrender West Point to the British on Sept., 21, 1780, and his escape to the British in New York, the newl...
Clinton needed a man for the expedition who was familiar with the region and who would be both efficient and ruthless in its execution. He had to look no further than former Connecticut resident, Benedict Arnold, who was born and raised just ten miles from New London. After having demonstrated his thoroughness in the conflagration of Virginia, the ...
At 10 AM, Thursday morning, September 6, 1781, Arnold landed his troops on either side of the river in two divisions of about 800 men each. To the west, at New London, he took personal charge while east, on the Groton side of the river, Lieutenant Colonel Edmund Eyre was in command. Arnold’s division marched up the Town Hill road from which he sent...
The British under Lt. Col. Eyre and Major Montgomery launched a full-scale assault on the southwest bastion of the fort. They formed in two lines of battle; Eyre assembled his line behind Packer’s Rocks, and Montgomery deployed his men to the north of them. As the British neared the fort’s ditch, they were met by a hail of musket shot and grapeshot...
Major William Montgomery led his second party to an abandoned redoubt, just east of the fort. From there, they cut across the ditch and assaulted the ramparts. Having gained the bastion against fierce resistance, Montgomery mounted the rampart and was immediately impaled, killed by a ten-foot pike thrust upwards by Jordan Freeman, an African Americ...
Accounts differed widely as to what next occurred and as to why. Some historians suggested that earlier in the battle, the American flag had been shot down. British soldiers mistook it as a sign of capitulation and some of them had been killed when they lowered their weapons. This resulted in a brutal butchery of Americans who would try to surrende...
Others point to first-hand accounts that detail the actions of Americans trying to surrender and British officers purposely putting them to the sword. Rhode Island soldier Joseph Wood gave witness to what occurred during the final moments of the battle: “When Colonel Ledyard found that he was not able to withstand the attack upon the fort, he opene...
Prior to the fort’s surrender, Sergeant Hempstead reported that six or seven had been killed with eighteen wounded. Dozens would be slaughtered in the closing minutes of the battle, during and after the American commander Colonel William Ledyard attempted to surrender. Some survivors escaped, such as George Middleton, but most were taken prisoner. ...
While Eyre’s command assaulted Fort Griswold, Arnold’s battalion was busy with the destruction of New London. After pilfering what supplies he could, Arnold split his command into two groups, planning to burn the city from both ends. However, reportedly, he was suppose to spare the homes of known Tory residents, some who still resided in the city –...
Avery, Rufus & Jonathan Rathbun & Stephen Hempstead [eyewitness accounts] Narrative of Jonathan Rathbun : with accurate accounts of the capture of Groton Fort, the massacre that followed, and the sacking and burning of New London, September 6, 1781… 1840: New London, CT. Burnham, Norman Hammond. The battle of Groton Heights: a story of the storming...
The Groton Monument, sometimes called the Fort Griswold Monument, is a 135 feet (41 m) granite obelisk in Groton, Connecticut dedicated to the defenders who fell during the Battle of Groton Heights on September 6, 1781.
On September 6, 1781, the British landed 800 men on the Groton side of the Thames River, about 1 ½ miles south of Fort Griswold, as well as an additional 800 soldiers on the New London side. The combined forces were commanded by General Benedict Arnold, who was from Norwich, Connecticut.
