Revolutionary Road

Begin your Revolutionary tour at Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park in Groton, where, in September 1781, British troops under Benedict Arnold raided and burned New London in the Battle of Groton Height. Arnold was a traitor, and he gave the British enough secrets about the Americans’ defenses so they were able to prevail after a pitched battle. Today the site here includes the restored earthwork battery, cannons, monuments and memorials.

Visit the birthplace of Connecticut’s State Hero, Nathan Hale, who was hanged as a spy during the Revolutionary War. The house, built in 1776, belonged to Nathan’s parents and family, and is located on the only site he ever called home. The Hale Homestead is situated on 17 acres, adjoining the 1500-acre Nathan Hale State Forest, lending to the site’s substantial rural character.

Stay in the mood by spending the night at a historic B&B in the heart of Wethersfield. After breakfast, get out and explore Old Wethersfield itself, where many of the attractions predate the Revolution. The Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum consists of three houses – the Joseph Webb House served as George Washington’s headquarters in May 1781, the Silas Deane House was built for America’s Revolutionary War diplomat to France.

Next, get over to western Connecticut to take in some of the Revolutionary War sights there. Before Benedict Arnold was a turncoat, he was an inspirational leader, never more so than during the Battle of Ridgefield in April 1777. Here, outmanned Colonial forces engaged British troops three separate times as the latter attempted to return to the coast after burning a supply depot in Danbury. The story of the battle can be found at the Keeler Tavern Museum, where a cannonball from that day remains lodged in the side of the building.

End your tour at Putnam Memorial State Park in Redding, the site chosen by Major General Israel Putnam as the encampment for his troops during the winter of 1778/79. Today, the park holds the remains of the encampment, reconstructed log buildings and a museum, where large display panels tell the story of the war in general, Connecticut’s role in it and the events that took place during Putnam’s winter encampment.