The Original Plans for the Defenses of New London Harbor

“The Plan of New London Harbour,” Continental Congress Papers, Letters from Carleton and Hutchins, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

According to an official report filed by military engineer Samuel Mott to the Continental Congress in 1776, New London was supposed to have four fortifications to protects its harbor. They included a small unnamed battery (on the Parade near the county courthouse) built during the French & Indian War, Fort Trumbull (south of New London), Fort Hancock (on Winthrop's Neck), and Fort Washington (later named Fort Griswold) on Groton Heights in Groton.

Mott also recommended the construction of an arsenal at Fort Hancock and located two ideal locations at the south end of the harbor to move field artillery to impede a British attack. Both Fort Trumbull and Griswold kept lighter field guns that properly manned by either sailors or militia could be used outside the fort to support both fortifications.

However, due to budget constraints and lack of available cannon, of the originally planned fortifications, only Forts Trumbull and Griswold were fully constructed and armed with cannon. The fortification on Winthrop's Neck was constructed, mostly through the efforts of Brig. Gen. Gurdon Saltonstall (it was on this property the fort was constructed) but never equipped with cannon. It was mostly destroyed by the British in 1781 and never repaired. The fort on the Parade in New London was disassembled in 1777 and used to complete Fort Trumbull.

In 1779, with concern that Fort Trumbull was exposed from the land side, Continental Brig. Gen. Samuel H. Parsons, who temporarily assumed command over the post pressed Governor Jonathan Trumbull and his Council of Safety to either rebuild Fort Trumbull or to construct another fortification atop Town Hill, south of New London, to protect it.

The Council of Safety approved the latter proposal and a fourth fort (not shown on the maps as it was not an original fortification) was constructed on the Daniel Way Jr. farm atop Town Hill during the summer in 1779. This fort was known by several names including the Town Hill Fort, the Town Hill Battery, or Fort Nonsense. It remained there (along modern-day Mahan Street) until sometime after the War of 1812.

This image shows the planned fields of artillery fire. Each line represents where a cannon would be able to fire. To maximize the firepower on enemy vessels you would want to create these "interlocking fields of fire." (Governor Jonathan Trumbull Papers, Connecticut State Library, Hartford, CT)