According to some accounts, Ledyard was run through and killed with his own sword when he surrendered it to the British officer in charge. Colonel Ledyard, seeing his troops were outnumbered, ordered the surrender of the garrison. What happened next is a source of controversy. Fort Griswold Massacre Remains a Matter of Debate American cannon fire caused considerable casualties among the British when they attacked the fort, but additional assaults finally breached the fort’s defenses. 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. The British troops set to destroying military and naval supplies and accidentally caused a fire that soon spread, burning much of the town. The citizens fled the town, and Fort Trumbull, guarding the west side of the river, was quickly abandoned as Arnold’s force of about 1,700 men landed from the British ships anchored off New London. This detail shows the puncture hole in Ledyard’s shirt – Connecticut Historical Societyīy 1781 it was becoming apparent to both sides that outright British victory in the American Revolution was unlikely, in part due to the commitment of French troops and other resources that would culminate in the successful Yorktown campaign in October 1781.Ĭonnecticut native Benedict Arnold, a skilled military leader who switched his allegiance to Britain, was ordered to attack the port of New London in an attempt to divert some of General George Washington’s army away from the developing Virginia campaign, punish New London for its successful privateering operations against British shipping, and possibly to establish a base for future British military operations in New England.
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