The Battle of Groton Long Point was a minor skirmish on August 12th, 1814, between American Militiamen and British forces during the War of 1812. The engagement occured on a small spit of land, Groton Long Point, near Mystic, CT, following the bombardment of Stonington Borough.
A British fleet was in anchorage at the mouth of the Thames River, harrassing the residents of Groton and New London, capturing and burning many American vessels and firing upon Connecticut's coastal towns. This fleet was involved in a number of small engagements including the Battle at Roger's Farm west of New London (Nov. 28, 1813), the Raid on Essex (April 5, 1814), the Battle of Stonington (Aug. 9-12, 1814), and the Battle of Groton Long Point (Aug. 12, 1814).[1][2]
The Americans earned 2,600 dollars in prize money as a result of their actions.
One of the ships comprising this fleet, the HMS Terror, was subsequently involved in the bombing of Fort McHenry and the inspiration for the national anthem, the "Star Spangled Banner."[3]
On September 13, 2015, a plaque was placed upon Patriot Rock in Groton Long Point with the following text describing the Battle of Groton Long Point.[4]
"On this small beach, a squad of Mystic Militiamen lay in hiding as a fishing boat was used as a decoy to lure in the British Navy from their anchorage near the Hummocks. A longboat armed with a small deck cannon, 8 sailors, 6 Royal Marines, and a lieutentant was sent in pursuit from the Bomb-ship HMS Terror.
The decoy boat was run up on the beach with the British longboat in close chase. A signal was given from behind Patriot Rock and the Mystic Militiamen rose to attack the British longboat as it approached the shore. The British suffered one dead and two wounded as the militiamen captured the longboat. The captured men were moved to Providence and later returned to their homeland through a prisoner exchange
'I have heard of Yankee tricks, but this is the first that I have experieced.' - Lieutenant Chalmers, HMS Terror
On September 13, 1814, HMS Terror was in Baltimore Harbor firing upon Fort McHenry and is forever immortalized in the Star Spangled Banner for its 'Bombs bursting in air'."
- ^ Association, Groton Bank Historical. "Groton Bank Historical Association". Groton Bank Historical Association. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
- ^ Normen, Elizabeth (2015-04-03). "War of 1812: Attack on Stonington". Connecticut Explored. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
- ^ "Five interesting facts about the HMS Terror". canadiangeographic.ca. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
- ^ "June 24, 2016 by GLP News - Issuu". issuu.com. 2016-07-09. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
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