Battle of the Frogs

Battle of the Frogs

Illustration from The story of Bacchus, and Centennial souvenir
Map
Date	June or July 1754
Venue	Frog Pond (then Follett's Pond)
Location	Windham, Connecticut Colony, Thirteen Colonies
Coordinates	41°42′15.8″N 72°8′10.2″W / 41.704389°N 72.136167°W / 41.704389; -72.136167
Also known as	Windham Frog Fight Windham Frog Fright
Type	Local legend
Cause	Water scarcity or a lekking
Participants	Townspeople of Windham, bullfrogs
Deaths	Hundreds to thousands of bullfrogs

The Battle of the Frogs^[a] was a frog-related incident in the Connecticut Colony town of Windham in 1754.^[b] On a summer night in June or July, the people of Windham were awakened by a mysterious loud noise whose source they could not identify. The French and Indian War had recently broken out and, fearing an attack, a scouting party was sent out to investigate. By the morning, it was discovered that the sound was bullfrogs, hundreds to thousands of which were found dead in a nearby mill pond.

News of Windham's embarrassing "battle" with the frogs spread throughout the colony and became a running joke in the region. Ballads and exaggerated accounts of the incident proliferated. The townspeople adopted the frog as an emblem of the community, creating a town seal with a frog and using frog vignettes on Windham Bank currency. The comic opera The Frogs of Windham was written about the Battle of the Frogs. The Thread City Crossing in Willimantic is colloquially known as the "Frog Bridge" for the four enormous copper frogs that perch at each corner.

Various theories for the behavior of the frogs have been raised. Some sources attest to a severe drought that summer and it has been speculated that the frogs fought among themselves for access to scarce water. Other explanations suggested that there had been an outbreak of disease or a lekking amongst the frogs.

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