Tryon's raid

In July 1779, British Major General William Tryon and 2600 men embarked onto a Royal Navy fleet led by Admiral George Collier, and raided the Connecticut ports of New Haven, Fairfield and Norwalk. Military and public stores, supply houses, and ships were destroyed, as were private homes, churches and other public buildings. The raids were ineffectually resisted by militia forces.

The raid was part of a larger strategy designed by the British Commander in Chief, Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton, to draw Major General George Washington's Continental Army on to terrain where it might be more effectively engaged. The strategy failed in this goal, and both sides criticized General Tryon for the severity of his action. Although the raid had economic ramifications and affected military supplies, Clinton's efforts had no long-term strategic impact.

Following France's entry into the American Revolutionary War in 1778, British forces in New York City were primarily concerned with defending the city and its important harbor. The military activity in the northern states was reduced significantly, and the armies of George Washington and Sir Henry Clinton warily watched each other in the New York area. Washington based his defense in New Jersey and at West Point, where he guarded critical communications and supply links. In 1779 Lieutenant General Clinton hatched a plan that he hoped would convince General Washington to move his army so that he might be engaged in a "general and decisive action". He first launched an expedition late in May that seized Stony Point and Verplanck's Point, opposite sides of a key crossing point on the Hudson River. Although Washington did move additional troops into the New York highlands, Clinton felt the position too strong to attack. He then decided to dispatch Major General William Tryon who organized an expedition to raid the coastal communities of Connecticut, while Clinton staged a body of troops at Mamaroneck, New York, that would go after Washington when he moved troops to oppose the raids, and also attack Continental Army positions in New Jersey.

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