Battle of Groton Heights

Battle of Groton Heights
Part of the American Revolutionary War
Fort Trumbull by Seth Eastman This image depicts Fort Trumbull, which is situated in New London, across the Thames River from Fort Griswold in Groton. It was painted in the 1870s; the fort had been extensively improved since 1781.
Date September 6, 1781 Location New London and Groton, Connecticut Result Tactical British victory
Belligerents
United States	Great Britain Hesse-Kassel
Commanders and leaders
William Ledyard † William Latham	Benedict Arnold Edmund Eyre John Bazely
Strength
New London: Fort Griswold: 150	1,700 regulars (800 engaged at Fort Griswold)
Casualties and losses
85 killed 60 wounded (many mortally)	52 killed 145 wounded

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 Benedict Arnold and Lieutenant Colonel Edmund Eyre.

Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton ordered General Arnold to raid the Connecticut port of New London in an unsuccessful attempt to divert General George Washington from marching against Lord Cornwallis's army in Virginia. The raid was a success, but the Connecticut militia stubbornly resisted British attempts to capture Fort Griswold, across the Thames River in Groton. New London was burned, along with several ships, but many more escaped upriver.

Originally, there was thought to be little resistance on the New London side, but it has been discovered through first-hand reports that resistance was stiff as the regulars landed, similar to that at Lexington and Concord in 1775. More than 400 militia organized during the raid on the New London side from as far as Lyme and Stonington, but they had no leadership, as Col. Harris reportedly felt ill and rode off.

Several leaders of the attacking British force were killed or seriously wounded, and much of the defending garrison was killed, mortally wounded, or captured when the fort was stormed. High British casualties led to criticism of General Arnold by some of his superiors. The battle was the last major military encounter of the war in the northern United States, preceding and being overshadowed by the decisive Franco-American victory at Yorktown, Virginia about six weeks later. At the battle of Yorktown, the Marquis de Lafayette reportedly yelled "Remember Ft. Griswold!" as US and French forces stormed the redoubts.

...
Wikipedia