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Stonington, CT
During the War of 1812, the British decided to attack the town of Stonington. So on August 9, 1814 four British ships under the command of Capt. Thomas Hardy, appeared off of Stonington Point. A hand written letter was transferred by rowboat to the towns people of Stonington, warning them that they had 1 hour to leave, before the village would be destroyed. Little did the British know that hidden in a shed nearby were these two cannons. The people decided to stay and fight, rolling out these canons, and over the next 4 days inflicted heavy damage on the British ships and successfully defended their town. The victory had a huge psychological impact on the war for this small town defeated a much more powerful British force. These are the actual cannons used to defend Stonington, now standing in Canon Square.
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Great looking canons. They are larger than I would have thought. The oldest canons we are likely to see in the Midwest are from the Civil War, but much more common are from WW II. The British must have gotten a nasty surprise when they realized Stonington could shoot back with both force and accuracy.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know this bit of history. Good for little Stonington! And good for Ed, for his very nice photos.
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