Groton

Ebenezer Avery House

Historic House · 57 Fort St, Groton, CT 06340

A surviving 18th-century house moved to the Fort Griswold park grounds, associated with the aftermath of the 1781 battle. The house was used to shelter wounded survivors after the massacre. Its preservation near the battlefield site creates a domestic counterpoint to the fortification — reminding visitors that the men who died were farmers, fishermen, and tradesmen from the surrounding community, not professional soldiers.

Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park

Battlefield · 57 Fort St, Groton, CT 06340

The site of the September 6, 1781 Fort Griswold Massacre, one of the bloodiest single engagements in Connecticut's Revolutionary War history. The restored earthwork fort, monument obelisk, and museum interpret the battle in which approximately 165 American defenders held the fort against 800 British troops under Lt. Col. Edmund Eyre, ultimately surrendering after Col. William Ledyard was killed — reportedly with his own sword — and 88 defenders were massacred. The earthworks and ditch are substantially intact.

Fort Griswold Monument

Monument · 57 Fort St, Groton, CT 06340

An 1830 obelisk, 127 feet tall, erected to honor the 88 men massacred at Fort Griswold on September 6, 1781. The monument was among the first large-scale commemorative structures in New England dedicated to Revolutionary War victims. A museum at the base contains artifacts from the battle, the names of those killed, and exhibits on Colonel William Ledyard and the aftermath. The monument is visible from the Thames River.

Jordan Freeman Memorial Marker

Monument · 57 Fort St, Groton, CT 06340

A marker honoring Jordan Freeman, a Black soldier who fought at Fort Griswold on September 6, 1781. When British Major William Montgomery led his men over the fort's parapet, Freeman killed him with a spear, helping to briefly check the British surge. Freeman was killed in the subsequent massacre. His act of valor was recorded in multiple contemporary accounts and represents the documented role of Black soldiers in Connecticut's Revolutionary War defense.

Groton Public Library (Bill Memorial)

Landmark · 401 Thames St, Groton, CT 06340

The Bill Memorial Library building, while 19th century in construction, stands near the center of the community that endured the 1781 massacre. The surrounding neighborhood preserves the scale and layout of the colonial-era settlement from which Fort Griswold's defenders were drawn. Local historical collections held here include genealogical records connecting modern Groton families to men who fought and died at the fort.

Thames River Crossing (Gold Star Memorial Bridge Vicinity)

Landmark · Thames River, Groton, CT 06340

The Thames River separates Groton from New London and was the geographic dividing line between the two simultaneous attacks of September 6, 1781. From the Groton bank, Benedict Arnold directed the burning of New London while Lt. Col. Edmund Eyre's force assaulted Fort Griswold. The river's width — about a quarter mile — meant the two battles were audible to each other but beyond mutual support. The modern bridge vicinity preserves this critical strategic geography.