The Massacre at Fort Griswold occurred on September 6, 1781. In an attempt to cause General Washington from marching against General Cornwallis's army in Virginia failed, Lieutenant General Henry Clinton ordered Benedict Arnold to attack the New London port in connecticut. Although the surprise attack was a success, the militia in Connecticut resisted against the British through their attempts to capture Fort Griswold, which is across the Thames River from New London in Groton. New London was burned and so where several of the vessels in port. However many more escaped upriver. They later received land grants in New York and Ohio after the battle because they lost property in the battle. Originally there wasn’t that much resistance on the
