The last major military action in the northern United States during the Revolutionary War, notable for the killing of surrendered American defenders by British forces.
Key Facts
- Date
- September 6, 1781
- American commander
- Lt. Col. William Ledyard
- British commanders
- Brig. Gen. Benedict Arnold & Lt. Col. Edmund Eyre
- Fort captured
- Fort Griswold, Groton, Connecticut
- Outcome
- British victory; New London burned
- Strategic context
- Diversion raid before Siege of Yorktown (~6 weeks later)
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton ordered Brigadier General Benedict Arnold to raid the port of New London, Connecticut. The purpose was to divert General George Washington from marching his forces south against Lord Cornwallis's army in Virginia, easing pressure on the British southern theater of operations.
On September 6, 1781, British forces under Arnold and Lieutenant Colonel Edmund Eyre attacked New London and Fort Griswold. Connecticut militia under Lieutenant Colonel William Ledyard stubbornly defended the fort before the British breached its walls. After the Americans surrendered, British soldiers continued firing, killing many of the defenders, an act later described as a massacre.
The raid succeeded in burning New London and several ships, though many vessels escaped upriver. High British casualties drew criticism of Arnold from some superiors. The battle proved the last significant military encounter in the northern United States, but was overshadowed within weeks by the decisive Franco-American victory at the Siege of Yorktown, which effectively ended the war.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
William Ledyard.
Side B
1 belligerent
Benedict Arnold, Edmund Eyre.