On September 6, 1781, during the final months of the American Revolutionary War, American-born turncoat Benedict Arnold led a brutal raid on his home state of Connecticut. Acting under British command, Arnold ordered the burning of New London, leaving much of the once-thriving seaport city in ashes.
Arnold, once celebrated as a daring Continental Army general, had betrayed the American cause in 1780 by conspiring to surrender West Point to the British. Now serving the Crown, he sought to cripple American supply lines and demoralize the patriot resistance. New London, with its busy harbor and stores of military goods, became his target.
Commanding roughly 1,700 British regulars and Loyalists, Arnold’s forces landed on both sides of the Thames River. While one division stormed Fort Griswold in Groton—resulting in a bloody massacre of the outnumbered defenders—Arnold led the assault on New London itself. After overrunning the town’s defenses, he ordered fires set throughout the city. Warehouses, ships, homes, and businesses were consumed by the flames. By the end of the attack, nearly the entire town had been reduced to ruins.
The destruction of New London shocked the young nation. Patriots denounced Arnold not only as a traitor but also as a man who had turned his fury against his own neighbors. Survivors recalled the smoke rising across the harbor, a haunting symbol of betrayal and devastation.
Although Arnold’s raid inflicted heavy losses, it failed to alter the course of the war. Within weeks, George Washington and French forces would trap Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, effectively bringing the Revolution to an end.
Today, the burning of New London is remembered as one of the darkest acts of Benedict Arnold’s career. Once hailed as a hero of Saratoga, he is instead remembered as America’s most infamous traitor—a man who turned his back on his country and left scars on his own birthplace.
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