April 27, 1777

The chief engagement of Connecticut's only inland battle during the War for Independence was fought approximately 100 yards from this site. Several hundred hastily-mustered militia joined a handful of Continental troops under Generals Benedict Arnold and Gold Stilliman to face British regulars more than thrice their number led by Major General William Tryon.

Only an hour before, American General David Wooster fell mortally wounded during his second attack on the British rearguard as it retreated toward Ridgefield after burning patriot supplies at Danbury. Although Tryon's redcoats carried the day in Ridgefield, the resulting "Hornet's Nest" of patriot farmer-soldiers ensured Crown troops never returned, and may have contributed to British General John Burgoyne's isolation and surprising defeat at Saratoga six months later.

In memory of those who fell in defense of America at Ridgefield:
Major General David Wooster, Lt. Col. Abraham Gould, Lt. Hezekiah Davenport, Lt. Nathan Gray, Lt. Ephraim Middlebrook, Lt. William Thompson, Joshua Bartlett, Bradley Dean, Silas Haines, Samuel Seeley, David Selleck, Abraham Smith, David Stevens

Dedicated on the 225th Anniversary of the battle by:
The Connecticut Society of the Order of the Founders and Patriots of America
Edward Franklin Romig, II ? Governor

225th Anniversary Committee
Keith Marshall Jones ? ? Chairman
Rudolph Marconi, ? ? First Selectman

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Ridgefield
Ballard Park
Smith Tavern - A Colonial Meeting Place
Main Street in the Late 1800s
The Elms Inn and Stebbins Homestead
The Village in the 1900s
The Ridgefield Train Station
The Gilbert House
The Museum in the Streets
A Much-Loved Old Church and a Watering Trough for Horses

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