On July 5, 1779, the first division of a British raiding force landed near this West Haven shoreline and began advancing toward New Haven. Major General William Tryon commanded the overall operation, while Brigadier General George Garth led approximately 1,000 men in the initial landing. The attack opened a series of destructive raids against Connecticut coastal communities intended to destroy military supplies, disrupt commerce, and draw American forces away from other theaters.

New Haven supported the Patriot war effort through its harbor, privateering, manufacturing, and storage of provisions. British planners considered such towns legitimate military targets. The Royal Navy gave Tryon mobility and allowed troops to appear with little warning along exposed sections of coast. Local militia had to assemble rapidly without knowing where the main blow would fall.

Garth’s troops came ashore and pushed inland despite resistance from militia, Yale students, and armed civilians. Fighting occurred along roads and at bridges as defenders tried to delay the advance. The British entered New Haven, destroyed some military and commercial property, and seized supplies. Discipline varied, and residents suffered plunder even though the town escaped the extensive burning later inflicted elsewhere.

Tryon’s second division landed on the opposite side of the harbor and joined the operation. After withdrawing from New Haven, the raiders attacked Fairfield and Norwalk, burning large portions of both towns. The raids displaced families, destroyed homes and businesses, and demonstrated that Britain could still project power along Long Island Sound four years into the war.

The Connecticut attacks did not achieve a decisive strategic result. Militia resistance increased, and the destruction hardened resentment. British commanders hoped Washington might detach Continental troops from the Hudson Highlands, but the American main army remained in position. Coastal raiding imposed suffering without restoring royal authority.

This marker identifies the landing area rather than the entire battlefield. The shoreline was the essential feature. Boats carried soldiers from transports to land, naval guns protected the movement, and nearby roads determined the route toward New Haven. Changes to the coast have altered the appearance of the site, but the geography still explains how the raid began.

The landing illustrates the vulnerability of civilian communities in a maritime war. Connecticut lay behind the principal armies, yet ships could bypass American defenses and deliver troops directly to its towns. Residents became combatants, refugees, or victims within hours. The site preserves the opening moment of the 1779 raid—when organized British troops stepped ashore, local alarms spread, and the war again reached the doorsteps of people who had supplied and supported the Revolution from the Connecticut coast.