On this day in 1777, one day after troops under William Tryon destroyed the Continental Army’s supply depot in Danbury, Patriot soldiers and militiamen struck back in the town of Ridgefield.

Connecticut State Historian Walter W. Woodward says 700 Continental Army troops launched an offensive against a British column of nearly 2,000 troops in the town of Ridgefield during the Revolutionary War.

Woodward says while the fiercest fighting occurred at a ridge top near the town’s center, the Battle of Ridgefield evolved into a running battle that ultimately pushed British forces back to present day Westport where their ships were waiting for them.

Overall, 100 to 150 British and Loyalist men had been killed or wounded, and another 40 captured.

The Patriots, in addition to their 20 fatalities, had 40 to 80 men wounded despite winning the battle. 

In 2019, human remains believed to be those of soldiers from the battle were discovered by contractors working on a home dating back to 1790 in Ridgefield.

Acting State Archeologist Nick Bellantoni discovered five male skeletons dating from the 18th century. Forensic investigations of the skeletal remains have been conducted at several universities including Quinnipiac, to determine if the remains are of those of men who fell in the Battle of Ridgefield.