Arnold sent a letter to McDougald, who was still in Peekskill, on the morning of April 27th, stating that “at 9 this morning the Enemy set Fire to the Meeting House and most of the Buildings in Town”. He further reported that the British then left Danbury and seemed to be marching toward Peekskill and Tarrytown, New York. Arnold assumed “they are destined for the latter”. Arnold informed McDougald that “we propose following them immediately in hopes of coming up with their rear”.
He urged McDougald to “take them in front”. Arnold concluded by stating that “Our loss at Danbury is great but I hope not ‘irreparably”. Arnold, who was writing from “Wt. Red’ing”, was convinced that the British were headed to attack Peekskill again.
Arnold, Wooster and General were acting as an informal joint command of the American forces that would be resisting Tryon. The three generals agreed that Wooster would take command of a smaller force of approximately 200 men to attack the British rear, and that Arnold and Silliman would go to Ridgefield with approximately 400 men to confront the British there.
The British were forced to travel along the existing roads because they had supplies in wagons and livestock with them. The American force, on the other hand, could make much better time across the interior that was largely wilderness at that time. Arnold pushed his men and they were able to arrive in Ridgefield before the British. The British were not trying to hurry because they were unaware of the numbers that the Americans had gotten together to face their little army. Tryon believed he had gotten away from Danbury soon enough and that by taking the different route back, he had successfully avoided the army of the other side.
Wooster initiated the first action in the Battle of Ridgefield, at about eight o’clock in the morning, when he overtook the British army and fell on their rear detachment while they were halted to rest and eat. This action was short lived and ended up with Wooster capturing a number of British prisoners. Each side had different estimations of the number of prisoners. McDevitt estimates the number to be between 12 and 15 British soldiers taken prisoners. Some American reports stated that the number could be as high as 40.
Tryon realized that the Americans were closer than he thought and that he would not have an uncontested route back to his ships. The British army then proceeded at a faster pace, but Wooster continued to harass his rear units. At one point in those efforts, Wooster thought he could capture some British field pieces and made a major thrust to do so. In that attack, Wooster first had his horse shot out from under him. When he mounted another horse to continue the attack, he received a shot in his groin, which threw him off his horse. The troops under Wooster were untested militia and when they saw that Wooster was wounded, they took him up and left the field of battle. Wooster had his wound attended to by a local physician and was then taken by carriage back to Danbury. His wound turned out to be fatal and he died on May 2nd while recuperating in Danbury. Some of the more adventurous of Wooster’s men circled around and joined with Arnold and Silliman in their Ridgefield efforts.
Local legend in Ridgefield has tried to make Wooster the hero of the battle because of Arnold’s subsequent treason. However, most historians recognize that Wooster’s effort to harass the British rear units was inconsequential to the progress of the British army to return to their ships. Undoubtedly, Wooster could have been more effective if he had a larger force and if his force consisted of trained soldiers instead of untested “militia”. Wooster’s military career, while it included two wars, was not as successful as Arnold’s. In 1776, Wooster had been discharged from his command in Canada in disgrace. He certainly did not have a military reputation comparable with Arnold’s in the view of either the Americans or the British.
Keeler Tavern
Arnold and Silliman arrived at Ridgefield at approximately 11, their numbers constantly growing. “General Arnold’s fame was widespread and all men considered it a unique privilege to serve under his command”. Most authorities have estimated Arnold’s force at 500 men. Arnold made his stand “at a naturally defensive position blocking the road leading to the village”.
Arnold had his men set up a barricade across the road consisting of “logs, stones and carts”. The site was a good choice because on the right was a farmhouse and then the land dropped of at a sharp angle and on the left was a “rocky ledge”. It would be difficult, therefore, for the British to flank the barricade on either side but rather would be forced to meet it head on. Two hundred men were posted at the barricades and the rest of the troops were placed so that they “protected the flanks”.
Tryon’s army came upon the barricade that Arnold’s force had erected at the outskirts of the small village of Ridgefield about 3:00 in the afternoon. Tryon, who assumed that his army could overrun the barricade with no problem, ordered a frontal attack. Much to his amazement Arnold’s troops held steady under the British fire. Arnold described this engagement as “a smart action which lasted about one hour”. Finally, seeing that the frontal attack would not work, Tryon sent out flanking maneuvers on each side of the barricade. The flanking party on the left side was able to get to the top of the ledge from which they had a good view of the barricade and the troops behind it. The British immediately began firing at the troops behind the barricade and, more particularly, at Arnold who was conspicuously directing his troops about thirty yards away.
Arnold’s troops, primarily inexperienced militia, were not disciplined enough to stay in position and take enemy fire. Some began to run from their positions. Arnold drew his sword and rode back and forth among the retreating men to try to form them into a more disciplined rear guard. In the midst of his efforts to control his men, Arnold’s horse was shot out from under him. “Having been hit by nine balls, the tortured animal, thrashing in death throes, had his rider pinned to the ground.
An enemy soldier, climbing the ledge, rushed forward with bayoneted musket in hand. Supposedly he shouted, ‘Surrender! You are my prisoner!’
‘Not yet’, was Arnold’s alleged reply as he deftly retrieved a pistol from his saddle holster, took aim and leveled his adversary with one shot. Freeing himself from the flailing horse, Arnold hobbled off toward a nearby swamp, with musket balls flying around him.” An English magazine described Arnold’s action as his “usual intrepidity”.
Arnold’s actions had the immediate impact of delaying Tryon’s march back to his ships at Compo Beach. Since it was late in the day, the British moved to the edge of town and rested for the night. Meanwhile, that night Arnold was riding through the countryside to try to put his force back together and recruit some new men in order to attempt to stop Tryon again. “By early morning on Monday, April 28, he had raised the rebel standard two miles north of Norwalk at a geographical point where Tryon would have to follow one of two roads to the coast.”
Unfortunately for Arnold, Tryon learned where he was making his stand and maneuvered around the American position. “By the time Arnold learned about Tryon’s maneuver, he could not redeploy his force quickly enough to strike effectively at the enemy column.”
The action then became a continuous hit and run attack on the British columns by Arnold and his troops. Finally the British reached the hill overlooking Compo Beach and were reinforced by the troops from the ships. Because of the presence of Lamb’s artillery with the American forces, Tryon sent a force of 400 troops, mostly from the ships, to run off the Americans for the last time.
Arnold had been leading the harassing troop movements all day and according to one observer, “exhibited the greatest marks of bravery, coolness, and fortitude” during those efforts. As the 400 British troops came toward them, Arnold’s untrained militia again broke ranks and began to run away. As Arnold tried to form his men, he had another horse shot out from under him and a musket ball passed through his coat. Arnold himself escaped once more and realized that there was nothing more he could do.
More Battle of Ridgefield
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© Copyright 2001 by David W. Tschanz.
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