Stonington Land Battery - Stonington, CT
N 41° 20.196 W 071° 54.420
19T E 256751 N 4580201
This historical marker stands near the center of town in Stonington, Connecticut, about a half mile north of where the event it commemorates took place.
Waymark Code: WMJEKD
Location: Connecticut, United States
Date Posted: 11/08/2013
Views: 6
This historical marker is located on the east side of Water Street, between Broad Street and High Street in Stonington, Connecticut. It is situated along the tree lined street adjacent to a green space surrounding the Stonington Free Library. The historical marker reads:
QUI TRANSTULIT SUSTINET
1/2 Mile South
STONINGTON
LAND BATTERY
Repulsed a British
Naval Force, 1814
"The first British attack on Stonington had occurred on Aug. 30,1775, by the frigate HMS Rose. Commanded by 44-year-old Sir James Wallace, the Rose was larger than any American naval ship and boasted 20 guns. It mainly patrolled Narragansett Bay early in the war, successfully suppressing the smuggling that had made Newport wealthy. So angered by the attacks by HMS Rose were the people of Rhode Island that they declared their state's independence from England on May 4, 1776, exactly two full months before the Declaration of Independence severed ties with the British!
The second bombardment of Stonington in the month of August occurred in 1814 and was a sustained attack. Four British warships under the command of Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy anchored offshore of Stonington and began a prolonged bombardment from Aug. 9-12. The damage to Stonington was heavy but only one citizen, an elderly woman who was already deathly sick, perished. Stonington, defended with only two guns, inflicted much more damage on the British; in fact, accurate shooting killed and wounded several British sailors and ultimately forced the English ships under "Kiss Me Hardy" to withdraw." SOURCE
The book, The Defence of Stonington (Connecticut) Against a British Squadron, August 9th to 12th, 1814 provides more detail on the battle at Stonington.