By early 1777, Danbury, Connecticut served as a major supply depot that included food, clothing, dry goods, and necessary materials for the Continental Army’s survival. Washington’s main army was at winter quarters in and around Morristown, New Jersey. A large contingency of men were also stationed in the Lower Hudson Valley, at Peekskill, New York, north of Westchester County and New York City, which had been captured by the British in September and October of 1776. These troops, under General William Heath and General Samuel Holden Parsons, were stationed to hold General William Howe’s army to New York City, keep an eye on General Henry Clinton’s large force on the coast of Rhode Island, and to protect New England from any incursions, especially by sea and land pirates called ‘cowboys’ and ‘skinners.’
Danbury was the ideal place for an army’s supply depot. It was an important trading and manufacturing center that was served by several major roads. Located approximately twenty-five miles inland from the Long Island Sound, the town was considered beyond the easy reach of the British. However, as a precaution and to protect the supplies, a state militia regiment of 100 men under Colonel Jedediah Huntington, along with an additional 50 men under Colonel Joseph P. Cooke were stationed in and around the town.
British Land and March to Danbury
In the spring of 1777, General William Howe, commander of British Forces in America, learned of the depot at Danbury through his spy network that included Native American agent Guy Johnson. So too, the British must have been aware of General Samuel Holden Parson’s reorganization of the New England regiments at Peekskill, NY. While the Continental regiments were either in Peekskill or scattered throughout the area, many unarmed, the former royal governor of New York, now Major General William Tryon, tasked with “entering Connecticut as circumstances may point out,” decided to strike.
On April 25, 1777, at 5 PM in a soft rain, 1,850 regulars and loyalists, along with field artillery, disembarked from British ships. Twelve transports, a hospital ship, and additional small craft, under the command of Captain Henry Duncan, had anchored at Compo Beach (present day Westport). Late that night, the infantry began their march along the Redding Road to Danbury (present day Route 58). Word quickly spread the alarm that called out local militia who only lightly harassed the British. At midday, General Tryon halted his troops at Redding to rest before carrying on to Danbury, arriving the evening of the 26th, twenty-four hours after having landed.
Depot Destroyed. Storage Buildings and Homes Burned
Prior to the British arrival, many townspeople fled, mainly those who favored the Whig cause. The 150 militia under Huntington and Cooke hastily removed what they could, including much needed medical supplies, but with the British rapidly approaching, were forced to leave most behind before they retreated. When the British arrived, a brief skirmish erupted between Cooke’s men who were quickly driven off. Tyron immediately set about locating and gathering the dry goods and supplies. He had no wagons to cart the stores back to his ships, nor did he have the time to do so, knowing rebel militia would be assembling to counter his retreat back to the coast. That which was stored in the Anglican Church was piled in the streets along with many other supplies found in nearby buildings. All were set afire. Twenty-two storehouses were set ablaze with food and other supplies within. Many homes were torched; however, known Tory houses of those loyal to the crown were spared.
Tryon wanted to avoid his troops becoming targets while marching in column back to his ships. He did not want another repeat of Lexington and Concord. Therefore, he quickly made short order of the depot. While concluding operations he received word at around 1 AM that the American militia was approaching Danbury. He immediately prepared his men to begin their march back toward the coast. He knew he would face resistance during the march, but calculated that the Americans would not have assembled enough men block his path or throw up quick defenses.
Three Rebel Generals Assemble the Troops
Currently, Connecticut had two experienced generals in charge of state militia forces; generals Gold Silliman, and David Wooster, who was in overall command of all of Connecticut’s militia. Also present was one of America’s best generals who had been wintering at his home in New Haven, Connecticut, General Benedict Arnold. They would receive word of the raid and gather what forces they could. Too late to prevent British General Tryon from wreaking havoc on Danbury and destroying the depot, they planned to prevent his force from returning to their ships.
General Gold Silliman, at the war’s outbreak, was a brigadier general of Connecticut militia. He was present during the 1776 battles in and around New York City. In 1777, he was put in command of the Connecticut Fairfield County militia who secured the southern border of the state against British and loyalist incursions. He was at his home in Fairfield when word reached him of Tryon’s raid. He immediately ordered expresses sent out to sound the alarm in all the nearby towns and collect what militia he could. Ordered by General Wooster to Fairfield, Silliman arrived the morning of the 26th and collected the men there. He immediately took off after the British, sending out word for any additional militia to join him. At noon that day, he arrived at Redding Connecticut with more militiamen arriving by the hour. By then, Tryon was already approaching Danbury to do his worst.
General David Wooster had been with General Montgomery during the failed 1775 invasion of Canada. After Montgomery’s death during the Battle of Quebec, he assumed command of the American forces in Canada until relieved by General Thomas in the spring of 1776. Having botched his military command of Montreal in which he alienated the local population while avoiding a court-martial, he returned to Connecticut and was put in command of the state’s militia. Like Silliman, he too was home when he received word of the raid. He arrived at Fairfield; Silliman had already left for Redding. He quickly followed.
Benedict Arnold commanded one of the American wings after the December 31, 1775 failed attack on Quebec, receiving a severe wound to the leg. The attack was preceded by the torturous trek through the Maine wilderness. Arnold remained with the American army in Canada, for a spell commanding Montreal. After the retreat from Canada, he remained in the Ticonderoga region where he oversaw the construction of a fleet of gunboats to halt a British invasion from the north. After the Battle of Valcour on Oct. 11, 1776, Arnold was sent home to New Haven, Connecticut where he wintered and helped organize the state’s militia. Having made enemies in Congress, he was passed over for Major General and was departing for Philadelphia to contest that decision when word of the raid reached him. He quickly joined General Wooster at both Fairfield and then Redding.
Once the three generals were united at Redding, at their command was 500 militiamen and 100 Continental soldiers. They organized columns and advanced towards Danbury. The going proved slow due to heavy rain. At around 11:00 PM, they stopped at Bethel to rest and dry their powder for the expected action. Further west in New York, at Peekskill, Brigadier General Alexander McDougall was informed of Tryon’s raid and had begun assembling Continental troops to march to Connecticut’s aid.
Battle of Ridgefield Became a Running Fight
It was just before dawn on the 27th when General Tryon assumed the British march toward the coast. After receiving reports that the Americans were near Bethel, he moved his force south in the hopes of reaching the coast via Ridgefield. This did not go unnoticed and Wooster received word of Tryon’s intent. Arnold and Wooster decided they needed to slow the British column to allow additional militia, as well as Continental troops from Peekskill to arrive. The Americans split their force in two with Arnold taking 400 men directly to Ridgefield so to block Tyron’s advance. Wooster commanded the rest of the men, around two hundred, and started to pursue the British, hoping to harass them in rear guard action to slow their advance.
Three miles north of Ridgefield, Tryon paused his tired troops for a brief rest and breakfast. He was unaware of Wooster’s close proximity. Wooster’s men suddenly struck and surprised Tyron’s rearguard, killing two and capturing forty. Wooster quickly called off the attack and in guerrilla fashion, hit hard an hour later. This time Tryon was ready and repelled the Americans with his six-pounders. Wooster, in the thick of the fight, fell mortally wounded.
While Wooster was delaying the British, Arnold and his men worked to construct barricades along Ridgefield’s streets. At noon, Tryon’s force arrived outside Ridgefield and noting the American force aligned behind the barricades, began an artillery bombardment of the rebel positions. At first, Tryon tried to flank the Americans; however, Silliman had anticipated this and deployed his men to block such a movement. Having a numerical advantage, Tryon decided to press the attack in force. He assaulted both flanks as well as sending 600 men against the center barricades.
Outnumbered three to one and facing a heavy barrage from cannon, Arnold’s men began to fall back when the British succeeded in turning the rebel flank. The battle advanced through the town as the Americans withdrew down Town Street and the British followed close on their heels. During this action, Arnold’s horse was killed between lines and Arnold was nearly captured when he had been briefly pinned beneath his mount. With the Americans driven off and the coming darkness, as well his troops facing exhaustion, Tryon chance camping for the night south of Ridgefield.
Third Day of the Raid and More Action
During the night, Arnold and Silliman assembled their men and received reinforcements. Additional New York and Connecticut militia had arrived. So too a company of Continental artillery under New Yorker Colonel John Lamb. With larger numbers, Arnold began to establish a blocking position on Compo Hill that overlooked the roads leading to the beaches where Tryon’s ships awaited.
As soon as the British set off the next morning, Tryon’s fear of another Lexington and Concord began to take shape. Local militia forces began to fire upon the British column from behind stone walls and trees along the route. However, this harassing fire, though intense at times with casualties on both sides, did not last long as the British quickly approached Arnold’s blocking position. Rather than a direct assault to force a breach in the American line, Tryon decided to push further south where he crossed the Saugatuck River above Arnold’s position, forcing the aggressive American commander to join Silliman’s militia in pursuit.
Once Tryon reached the coast, he was met by his fleet’s reinforcement. This did not stop Arnold from an attempt to slow the British from embarking on their ships. Using Colonel Lamb’s artillery for support, he attack the British, but was quickly driven back by a bayonet charge. Arnold lost another horse during the initial attack and was unable to rally and reform his men for any further attacks on the British. With his rear guard holding the line, Tryon was able to load his troops and cannon onto small boats to the transports and depart for New York City.
Casualties
During the three days of the Danbury Raid and Ridgefield Battle, British losses amounted to 26 killed, 117 wounded, and 29 missing. The American loss was 20 killed and varying reports of 40 to 80 wounded. General Wooster was taken to the Dibble House in Danbury where he succumbed to his wounds on May 2, 1777.
Aftermath
General Howe later listed what was destroyed at the Danbury Depot: A quantity of ordnance stores, with iron, etc.; 4000 barrels of beef and port; 1000 barrels of flour; 100 large tierces of biscuit; 89 barrels of rice; 120 puncheons of rum; several large stores of wheat, oats, and Indian corn, in bulk, the quantity thereof could not possibly be ascertained; 30 pipes of wine; 100 hogsheads of sugar; 50 ditto of molasses; 20 casks of coffee; 15 large casks filled with medicines of all kinds; 10 barrels of saltpeter; 1020 tents and marquees; a number of iron boilers; a large quantity of hospital bedding; engineers’, pioneers’, and carpenters’ tools; a printing-press complete; tar, tallow, etc.; 5000 pairs of shoes and stockings. At a mill between Ridgebury and Ridgefield, 100 barrels of flour and a quantity of Indian corn.
Though General Howe was pleased that General Tryon achieved his objective of destroying critical American supplies at Danbury, the number of casualties and fierce resistance by both militia and Continental troops proved a concern for any future attempt at inland operations. All future raids in Connecticut became limited to coastal targets. This was true when Tryon conducted another raid in 1779, as well as turncoat Benedict Arnold did in 1781’s Battle of Groton Heights.
With the destruction of homes in Danbury and fear of future such raids, the patriot cause in Connecticut gained support with increased enlistments in the Continental Army’s regiments. So too, when Major General Gates called for additional troops to counter General Burgoyne’s invasion south from Canada, Connecticut militiamen turned out in droves.
As a final chapter on the affair, in recognition for his actions at the Battle of Ridgefield, Brigadier General Benedict Arnold finally received his coveted promotion from Congress; Major General. Plus, he was also given a new horse, which was once more shot out from under him during the Battle of Saratoga later that year; this time landing on his leg and shattering it.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO READ MORE ON THE DANBURY RAID OR WAR IN AND AROUND NEW ENGLAND, CHECK OUT THESE BOOKS ON AMAZON
OF SIMILAR INTEREST ON REVOLUTIONARY WAR JOURNAL
RESOURCE
“American Revolution: Battle of Ridgefield.” ThoughtCo., Humanities, History, and Culture.
Buel, Richard. Connecticut History.Org “The Burning of Danbury.”
Case, James Royal. An Account of Tryon’s Raid on Danbury in April, 1777: Also the Battle of Ridgefield and the Career of Gen. David Wooster… 2017: Fine Books and Collections, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Darley, Stephen. Call to Arms; The Patriot Militia in the 1777 British Raid on Danbury, Connecticut. 2015: Create Space Self-Published.
Dawson, Henry B. The United States by Sea and Land….In Two Volumes. Book 1, The War of the Revolution. 1858: Johnson, Fry and Co., New York, NY.
McDevitt, Robert F. Connecticut Attacked, A British Viewpoint, Tryon’s Raid on Danbury. 1974: Globe Pequot, Lanham, Maryland.
Ward, Christopher. The War of the Revolution. 1952: Macmillan Company, New York, NY.