[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 49 (Friday, April 26, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3465-S3466]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING THE HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF RIDGEFIELD, CONNECTICUT

 Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the town of 
Ridgefield, Connecticut, as it celebrates its rich historic and 
cultural heritage. Located in Southwestern Connecticut, Ridgefield was 
established by Norwalk settlers in 1708 on twenty-three square miles 
purchased from the Ramapoo Indian chief Catoohnah. A year later the 
town was chartered by the Connecticut General Assembly. At its 
founding, Ridgefield was a small town of farmers organized along a 
remarkable 8 mile long main street, then called Town Street. Slowly, 
shops and public buildings began to spring up on Town Street, including 
the Keeler Tavern, founded in 1772, which served as a meeting-place for 
the early Colonial settlers, and an inn for tired travelers. Indeed, 
the Keeler Tavern, which coincidentally still stands today as a museum, 
was a place for lively debate among Loyalists and Patriots in the 
nascent days of the Revolution, and became a meeting place for early 
Revolutionaries.
  As Keith Jones, a town historian, has reported, on April 27, 1777, 
the Revolution arrived at the doorstep of the Keeler Tavern, as the 
village of Ridgefield became host to Connecticut's only in-land battle 
of the war. On that date, a small band of revolutionary colonists led 
by General Gold Selleck Sillman and General Benedict Arnold, before his 
traitorous switch to the British, arrived on Town Street shortly before 
noon with 500 Fairfield County men where they joined forces with 
Colonel Philip Burr Bradley and other troops from the Ridgefield-based 
5th Connecticut line and the recently formed 1st Ridgefield militia. 
General Arnold quickly took command, and a barricade was formed on the 
north end of Town Street to await the British troops under General 
William Tryon who were advancing Southward from Danbury to retreat from 
the advancing Patriot Major General David Wooster who was closing in 
from the East.
  The three forces engaged in what has now become commonly known as the 
Battle of Ridgefield. The fighting was fierce, with casualties on both 
sides, including the mortal wounding of General Wooster. In hours, 
British reinforcements joined Tryon's beleaguered forces, greatly 
outnumbering the Patriots while advancing on the barricade. Superior 
numbers carried the day, and the British stormed down Town Street, 
seizing the town. With 12 dead, and 24 wounded, General Arnold ordered 
the Patriots retreat. As he moved his troops back, Arnold's horse was 
shot out from underneath him, pinning him to the ground. He escaped and 
made it to rendevous with supporters the next day.
  Despite the valiant efforts of the Patriots, the battle was a clear 
victory for the British who encamped South of town after burning six 
homes and the Episcopal church. On the way out of town, the British 
fired on the Keeler Tavern a few times, after having correctly learned 
that musket balls were being made in the basement. That day, a small 
cannonball was fired into the walls of the tavern, and today, the 
cannonball is still embedded in one of the corner posts of the Keeler 
Tavern. Word of the battle of Ridgefield spread quickly, and within six 
hours of the British army's departure, thousands of Patriot soldiers 
poured into the area to block future British attacks. They were 
successful in deterring new attacks, and no more inland battles were 
waged in Connecticut.
  Beginning in 1877, Ridgefielders have held some form of ceremony 
remembering the battle every 25 years. This year, on the 225th 
anniversary of the battle, the town is planning an ambitious program 
called ``Patriot Weekend.'' This weekend will include Revolutionary war 
storytelling for children, historical fact scavenger hunts, special 
theatrical performances, and a period craft fair. In addition, the 
Keeler Tavern will host a special exhibit of battle artifacts. Capping 
off the weekend, a large-scale recreation of the Battle of Ridgefield, 
complete with black-powder musketry, will be conducted by the Brigade 
of the American Revolution.

[[Page S3466]]

Over 130 units representing all the various infantry, cavalry, 
artillery, artificers, and musicians of the war, will re-create the 
military tactics and maneuvers of the battle in painstakingly 
reproduced clothing, weapons, and gear. This will be a truly amazing 
spectacle, and one that brings the rich history of Ridgefield, and 
Connecticut, alive.
  Ridgefielders are justly proud of their heritage, and I commend them 
for organizing this truly remarkable historic celebration. What began 
as a small farming town in the 1700's grew to become a weekend retreat 
for New Yorkers in the 1900's, and is now a vibrant town of 23,000. 
Historic Town Street, now called Main Street, still houses small shops 
and restaurants, and signs mark the locations of the key points of this 
exciting battle, while the world-renowned Aldrich Museum of 
Contemporary Art looks forward to the future. Connecticut is fortunate 
to be home to such rich cultural treasures as the town of Ridgefield, 
and I would like to take this opportunity to publicly express my 
commendation for this weekend's activities.

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