The Battle of Groton Heights.
keets
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The Battle of Groton Heights (also known as the Battle of Fort Griswold) was a battle of the American Revolutionary War fought on September 6, 1781 between a small Connecticut militia force led by Lieutenant Colonel William Ledyard and the more numerous British forces led by Brigadier General Benedict Arnold and Lieutenant Colonel Edmund Eyre. The smaller Militia Force inside the fort was able to initially withstand assaults but the larger British Forces breached an eastern wall. Initially the Militia surrendered but confusion within the British caused them to continue firing after weapons had been laid down.
The result was approximately 85 killed and at least 60 injured. The Battle of Groton Heights was the last major battle in the North and proceeded The Battle of Yorktown by about six weeks. Fort Griswold stands in Groton Heights overlooking the Thames River towards New London, Connecticut.
The SC$ below is from a series dedicated to Revolutionary War Battles, HK-119 through HK-137 and tied to the 1876 Centennial of American Independence held in Philadelphia. The pictures are of HK-125b and struck in Bronze, 40mm. I was the winning bidder in a recently held Stack's auction in Baltimore.
The area of Northeastern Ohio where I live has a connection with the area where the Battle was fought in Connecticut. The British burned out the residents and after the War an area starting at the Pa. border west was set aside for settlers who had lost their homes to the British, known in various forms as the Firelands of the Western Reserve or just the Western Reserve. Moses Cleaveland worked as a surveyor for the Connecticut Land Company and made his way up the Cuyahoga River to the point where the present day city of Cleveland stands.
Enjoy.
Al H.
Comments
Al thanks for posting! Love
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Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
Congrats Al! Awesome pick up. The Groton Heights So-Called Dollar is one of my favorites and I was following that one. I'm glad you were able to pick it up.
I think you got it at a good price considering the issue and its excellent condition and top pop (2/0) grade. I also like that it has a provenance though I don't know much about the Newmark Collection, but another piece I was following is also from that collection.
I do think Stack's and others could do more of a description on So-Called Dollars, especially since this is a top pop 2/0.
Here's the description for others:
Neat coin and great story Al.
Here's some more info on the Battle of Groton Heights:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Groton_Heights
Al mentioned that the British were partially led by the traitor Benedict Arnold which makes it somewhat more notable.
Wikipedia mentions the battle as a massacre as does the So-Called Dollar itself inside the fort.
This is local for me and I eat at a restaurant that is nearly in the shadows of where the monument is today. A few years ago I handled a silver one of these in a PCGS 64 holder and they are quite cool.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Do you have any images of the 64?
I wasn't able to find it but here's a TrueView of a MS66 in silver:
Also, is there any idea or theory on who designed, engraved, struck and issued these? HK doesn't mention anything.
I like it when issuers or engravers had their names on the medals because otherwise some of these are impossible to attribute.
That is a really nice SC Al.... and thanks for the history to go with it.... Cheers, RickO
I found an old article which attribute Whitehead and Hoag as the manufacturer but that isn't possible since that company wasn't founded until 1892.
Nice read