Battle of Ridgefield

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Battle of Ridgefield Part of the American Revolutionary War Date April 27, 1777 Location Near Danbury and Ridgefield, Connecticut Result Tactical British victory; Strategic American victory Belligerents  United States Great Britain Commanders David Wooster  † Gold S. Silliman Benedict Arnold John Lamb Jedediah Huntington Henry Ludington William Tryon William Erskine James Agnew Invasion Fleet: Henry Duncan Strength 700+[1] 2,000 6 guns Casualties and losses 20 killed 80 wounded 200 killed and wounded 40 captured

v • d • e Northern coastal theater Fort Cumberland – Ridgefield – Freetown – Rhode Island – Chestnut Neck – Penobscot Expedition – Groton Heights

The Battle of Ridgefield was a series of engagements and skirmishes between American and British forces during the American Revolutionary War between Danbury, Connecticut and the coastline near modern Westport, Connecticut. On April 25, 1777 a British force under the command of the Royal Governor of the Province of New York, Major General William Tryon landed between Fairfield and Norwalk (in what is now Westport), and marched from there to Danbury. There they destroyed Continental Army supplies after chasing off a small garrison of troops.

When word of the British troop movements spread, Connecticut militia leaders sprang into action. Major General David Wooster, Brigadier General Gold S. Silliman, and Brigadier General Benedict Arnold raised a combined force of roughly 700 Continental Army regular and irregular local militia forces to oppose the British,^[2] but did not reach Danbury in time to prevent the destruction of the supplies. Instead, they set out to harass the British on their return to the coast.

The main encounter took place at Ridgefield, Connecticut on April 27, 1777, where several hundred militia under Arnold's command confronted the British and were driven away, but not before inflicting casualties on the British. Militia forces continued to harass the British as they retreated back to Compo Beach, where the fleet awaited them. Arnold again rallied the militia and skirmished with the British shortly before they reached the beach and returned to their ships.

The battle was a tactical victory for the British forces, but their actions in pursuing the raid galvanized Patriot support in Connecticut, which was not subjected to further raids until, quite ironically, General Arnold led British troops in the 1781 Battle of Groton Heights.

Contents 1 Danbury 2 Ridgefield 3 British return to the fleet 4 Aftermath 5 Remembrance 6 Landmarks 7 Notes 8 References

[edit] Danbury

An invasion fleet embarked from New York on April 22 by order of the Commander and Chief of British forces, General William Howe with twelve transports, a hospital ship, and some small craft commanded by Captain Henry Duncan.^[3] General Howe's orders were for General Tryon to lead a ground invasion force to the primary target of an inland Patriot supply depot in Danbury. General Tryon disembarked on April 25 at Compo Beach near the mouth of the Saugatuck River in Long Island Sound and proceeded north towards Danbury with 1,500 regulars, 300 Loyalist militia irregulars, a six-piece artillery unit, and a small mounted contingent of dragoons.^[4] The British reached Danbury after a day of forced marching and drove off 150 Continental Army regulars who had been attempting to remove supplies,^[3] killing at least three and capturing at least two in skirmishes.^[5] Before their departure early the next morning, the British destroyed 4,000 to 5,000 barrels of pork, beef, and flour, 5,000 pairs of shoes, 2,000 bushels of grain, and 1,600 tents among other supplies,^[3] in addition to consuming significant quantities of rum.^[6]

The British fleet was first spotted when it passed Norwalk. When the troops landed messengers were dispatched to warn Danbury and local militia leaders of the movements. Generals Wooster and Arnold were in New Haven when messengers reached them on April 26. Wooster immediately sent the local militia to Fairfield. When he and Arnold reached Fairfield, they learned that General Silliman had already departed for Redding, with orders that any militia raised should follow as rapidly as possible; they immediately moved in that direction.^[7] The forces assembled at Redding moved toward Danbury in a pouring rain, but had only reached Bethel, about 2 miles (3.2 km) short of Danbury by 11 pm, where they decided to spend the night rather than press on to Danbury with wet gunpowder.^[8] The forces consisted of about 500 regular militia members and about 200 volunteers.^[1]

[edit] Ridgefield

Tryon was alerted to the presence of the Americans in Bethel around 1 am, cutting short thoughts of remaining for another day in Danbury.^[9] Rousing the troops, he ordered the houses of Patriots to be burned; in all, more than twenty structures were destroyed.^[10] The troops then left Danbury around dawn on April 27, marching south toward the village of Ridgefield in an attempt to avoid General Wooster's forces. Hoping to delay General Tryon until overwhelming reinforcements arrived, General Wooster split his force. The main body, about 500 men, went with General Arnold and General Silliman overland to Ridgefield, while Wooster personally chased after the British column with the remaining 200. Wooster's chase was assisted by local Patriots who created impediments before the British column, including the destruction of at least one bridge.^[11] With the element of surprise, Wooster engaged Tryon's rear guard as it paused briefly for breakfast about three miles north of the town of Ridgefield. Killing at least two British soldiers,^[4] Wooster took about forty prisoners in this first engagement, then retreated for cover in nearby woods.^[3] Wooster struck again an hour later, but the British were more prepared for a second engagement, having positioned three artillery pieces in the rear.^[4] Rallying his men, the 67-year old General Wooster was mortally wounded moments after yelling "Come on my boys! Never mind such random shots!"^[3] about two miles from Ridgefield's town center (a marker now graces the site) and his inexperienced militia dissolved in confusion. Wooster died five days later in Danbury at the home of Nehemiah Dibble, whose house had also served as General Tryon's temporary quarters in Danbury. Wooster's last words were "I am dying, but with a strong hope and persuasion that my country will gain her independence."^[12] Wooster's harassment of the British column had provided enough time for Arnold and Silliman to prepare a defensive position at Ridgefield.^[4]

The British column arrived at the base of Arnold’s barricade at the northern end of Ridgefield's town center sometime after noon.^[4] Following an hour-long artillery barrage of the barricade, Tryon dispatched flanking parties to test both sides of the American position. Having anticipated this move, General Silliman posted forces at both flanks that blunted initial thrusts.^[4] Outnumbering the Patriot forces by more than three to one, Tryon chose to advance on all three fronts including a 600-man column under covering artillery fire against the barricade itself under the leadership of General Erskine.^[3] Superior numbers and disciplined tactics ensured a tactical victory for the British, but not without at least sixteen killed and thirty wounded.^[4] After breaching the barricade the British pursued their Patriot forces in a running battle the length of Town Street, gaining control of the town. With twelve dead and twenty four wounded, the Americans withdrew under General Arnold's orders.^[4] Arnold was positioned between his men and the advancing enemy. Arnold was dismounted and pinned to the ground after his horse fell from nine musket wounds from a distance of only thirty yards.^[13] However, Arnold killed a British soldier who ran up to take him prisoner and was able to disengage his forces amid the overwhelming British cannonfire.^[14]

[edit] British return to the fleet

After encamping for the night just south of Ridgefield, the British forces departed the next morning, leaving six houses and the Episcopal church (a Patriot supply depot and field hospital)^[15] in flames.^[4] General Tryon's forces attempted a quick return to the invasion fleet at Compo Beach having reached near exhaustion and with militia now swarming around their vulnerable position. Determined to even the score with the British, Arnold once more rounded up the militia. Artillery reinforcements under Colonel John Lamb of New York and further militia under Colonel Jedediah Huntington of Connecticut and Colonel Henry Ludington of New York joined Arnold.^[3] The April 28 retreat proved to be costly for Tryon, comparable to a smaller scale retreat from Concord to Boston in 1775.^[3] From behind convenient stone walls, trees, and buildings the militia fired continually at the British marching on the road heading south to Compo Beach. Arnold stationed his forces so that they commanded both roads by which Tryon might try to gain the safety of the invasion fleet's ships.^[3] The exhausted British were now outnumbered and vulnerable to capture, but reinforcements of marines from the fleet prevented a devastating American attack. Arnold rode attempting to rally his men to repulse the marines and close in on Tryon during which time another horse was shot under him and a bullet ripped through his coat collar.^[3] Although Lamb's artillery also fought valiantly, the bulk of the American forces fled. In the confusion Tryon's men slipped aboard their ships. Final British casualties were approximately two hundred, including ten officers. The Americans lost about twenty killed and forty wounded.^[3]

[edit] Aftermath

Although Tryon’s raid on Danbury and actions in Ridgefield were British successes, the engagements by American forces at the Battle of Ridgefield and the proceeding influx of American forces in the area deterred the British from ever again attempted a landing by ship to attack inland colonial strongholds during the war. The British also would never again conduct inland operations in Connecticut, despite Western Connecticut's strategic importance in securing the Hudson River Valley.^[4] After the raid on Danbury and the Battle of Ridgefield, George Washington ordered supply depots moved beyond a one day march from the coast.^[3]

The destruction by the British of at least 19 houses and 22 stores and barns, along with many military and medical supplies.^[15] The town estimated that the expedition caused more than £16,000 in damage, and submitted claims to Congress for recompense. Congress issued a payment of £500 to the town selectmen in response. Further applications were made to the state's General Assembly in 1787, which resulted in the awarding of land in the Ohio Country including the modern city of Sandusky, Ohio.^[16]

The raid increased support in the area for the Patriot cause, thus negating the short-term gains by Tryon against Patriots in territory that had previously been neutral.^[15] Soon after Tryon sailed away from Compo Beach, approximately 3,000 Connecticut citizens joined the Connecticut Army of Reserve.^[15] Due to New York's militia's assistance of Patriot forces in the engagement, ties between Patriot residents of Connecticut and New York would grow. Connecticut's forces would later assist New York's Patriots later that year, sending a considerable number of militia to help General John Stark at the Battle of Bennington. And later, they sent 200 cavalry and two regular regiments of to assist General Horatio Gates in the defeat of General John Burgoyne at the historic Battle of Saratoga.^[15]

[edit] Remembrance

Beginning in 1877, residents of Ridgefield have remembered the battle with some form of anniversary ceremony every twenty-five years. A full day tribute was hosted at former Connecticut Governor Phineas C. Lounsbury’s Town Street mansion in conjunction with the town's bicentennial celebration of 1908. The 150th anniversary affair in 1927 featured the publication of George L. Rockwell’s History of Ridgefield, while the 200th anniversary was held a year early to tie-in with America's bicentennial celebration of 1976. The bicentennial and 225th anniversary celebrations included reenactments of the battle, for which portions of Town Street (now Main Street) were covered with dirt for sake of authenticity.^[4]

This battle was depicted in the book "My Brother Sam is Dead".

[edit] Landmarks

The dead from both sides in the final engagement were buried together in a small cemetery on Main Street: "...foes in arms, brothers in death..."

The Keeler Tavern, a local inn and museum, features a British cannonball still lodged in the side of the building. Educational markers are maintained at various points of significance throughout the town, including the locations where David Wooster was mortally wounded and Benedict Arnold was pinned by his shot horse.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References