Pratt Stories - Col. Abraham Gould IV

What happened after Col. Gould was killed and what was its historical significance?Adapted from Wikipedia:

 

With twelve dead and twenty four wounded, the Americans withdrew under Benedict Arnold's orders (he had assumed command after General Wooster was mortally wounded).

 

After encamping for the night just south of the village, the British forces departed the next morning, leaving six houses and the Episcopal Church in flames. General Tyron's forces attempted a quick return to the invasion fleet...having reached near exhaustion and militia now swarming around their vulnerable position. Artillery reinforcements out of New York and further militia out of New York and Connecticut joined Arnold's forces.

 

The April 28 retreat proved to be more costly to the British than the a smaller retreat from Concord to Boston in 1775. From behind convenient stone walls, trees and buildings the militia fired continually at the British marching on the road leading south to the beach. Arnold placed his forces so that they commanded both roads by which Tryon might try to gain the safety of the invasion fleet's ships. The exhausted British were now outnumbered and vulnerable to capture, but reinforcements of Marines from the fleet prevented a devastating American attack. Arnold attempted to rally his men to repulse the Marines and close in on Tryon (he had two horses shot from under him that day). but the bulk of the American forces fell back or fled. In the cofusion the British troops slipped aboard their ships. Final British casualties were approximately two hundred, including ten officers. The Americans lost about twenty killed and forty wounded.

 

 Although Tryon's raid on Danbury and actions in Ridgefield were British successes, the engagements by American forces at the Battle of Ridgefield and the proceeding influx of American forces into the area would deter the British from ever again attempting a landing by ship to attack any inland colonial strongholds during the war. Our ancestor did not die in vain.

 

Next: The Burr family. 

Emailed Sept. 15