Fort Griswold Fortified

Fort Griswold was fortified beginning in 1775 as part of the effort to defend the Thames River and New London harbor. The earthwork fortification on Groton Heights commanded views of the harbor and the river, providing a defensive position from which artillery could challenge British naval approaches.

The fort was designed to complement defenses on the New London side of the river. Its garrison was typically drawn from local militia, as the Continental Army could not spare regular troops for coastal defense. This reliance on militia meant that the fort's defenders in 1781 were local men — farmers, craftsmen, and sailors fighting on ground they knew intimately.