New-York tribune., 1881-09-05
GROTON HEIGHTS.

Ni'V" Observation-Disclosures OF THE COMING
ohLEbRATIoN-PROMfNENT VISITORS EXPECTED.
l'ho" STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRrnuNEl
NE"-LoNDoN, Conn, Sept 3.-These shores are
sonewhaf changed since that September morning
nuh"reu years ago when to Captain William
Ia li''' IN comm and of the scanty garrison of the
ea'th"orks on Groton Heights the report of q sem
'ihei came that British fleet was standing in to-
w'u .ne mouth Of the river threatening an attack.
,eic 'noh were virgin forests uncultivated fields
ana barren shores, charming landscape
dotted with rich, productive farms and with cus-
'ets vi eiegant villas, aproned with yelvety lawns
,"u'n' IN color and fragrant with rare and beauti-
iui mowers, now greets the eye This spacious har-
Nof, that hundred years ago lay empty and de-
Serted waiting for hostile fleet 10 yex the Stiffness
OF It's waters, was whitened yesterday by q hundred
SAIL OF all descriptions, from the lght-beeled.
iuA"io"s pleasure vessel to the great flag
sup OF the North Atlantic Squadron,
whose guns are grinning at me as I write The
TWO towns of NewLondon and Groton on either
sue OF tue Thames, are much liveer to-day beyond
qnoston than they were even on the morning Of Sep
Vchoer q, i|Sl, when all the population was astir
WIN WONDERFUL tIdings of an enemy at tho gates.
bu' the acuYlty is of different sort To-day the
towns cover themselves with flags and banners and
patrotic elnbcms, and bedeck themselves gaily IN
d" 'ne coiors OF the rainbow; commit ees
are Tying about; there is noise every-
bus'ie and activity Another invasion is at hand,
but th's time of friends and guests aud the prepara
tios ac tor their comfort and hosptabe entertain
ment.
vi the event itself which the good people Of this
pornon OF Connecticut arc about 10 commemorate,
need not go into the details. They are familiar to
every stud ut OF our Revolutionary history The bat
Tie, or more properly the massacre of Groton
heights was one of the closing scenes in that great
drn nnaa atNrr t..,
final act ut Yorktown. IL has peculiar interest for
Connecticut citizens, from the fct of its being the
only collision resembling pitched battle that took
place upn the soil Of the State during the Revolu-
tlonary War. That interest is painfully heightened
by the circumstance that the invading force
was led by traitor who was born within
fifteen miles Of the scene of his infamous
enterprise, and of the exceeding barbarity
ana Dlood-thirstness which marked the
transaction. The burning Of New-London and
Groton and the brutal massacre of Colonel
Lodyard aud rho garrison of Fort Griswold after
they had surrendered and entitled by the
laws OF civilized warfare tn be treated prisoners
may he counted among the most shameful acts that
stain the annals of IN aern warfare. But hundred
years have gore since the British officer who re-
ceivcd the gracefully y-snrrendcr sword of
Colonel Ledyard, plunged it through the
body of that gallant patriot ard to-day the descend
MUS oi tne lscuyafuS, Tie AVeIy5, the AIynG, the
Lathans and the rest who suffered martyrdom, in
stcad OF ireasuring the ancient wrong. are feeling
their hearts warmed toward the old country and
the kindred people by tho messages of tenderness
and sympathy flashed To us under the sea from the
successor Of George ILL., blessed thing is the heal
ing influence of tune. Thereby it happens that the
centennial Of s'ie massacre at Groton Heights will
be celebrated without rcviving a single vengeful
thought against its authors or harshy awaking an
unkindly memory.
But per- aps 20 too fast Tho name Of one man.
the leader of the attacking force can never be men-
toned without exccration. Though all the passions
aud hates engendered BY tho war for independence,
have long been buried and forgotten and even
the descendants of the martyrs of Groton
Heights have passed TO the charge of
momentnry madness the brutaties which
their fathers suffered, there is neither forgiveness
oblivion for the crime of Benedict Arnold. The
rugged monument on the heights that conmemor-
ates the event bears striking testimony to the sin
cerity and depth of the detesatiou in which he il
held by the people of his native county and State.
The monument is PLAN shaft of rough granite
erected under the patronage of the State in 1880.
Its only inscription is upon a marble slab in the
front of the base which gives the date OF the
erection and states that it commentaries the
services OF the brave who fell there "when the
Britt an under command of THE TRAITOR BENE-
DICT ARNOLD burnt the towns of New-IIondon
and Groton, and spread devastation and woe
throughout this region The most striking line
emphasized rs it in large capitalists 1.-THE
TRAITOR BENEDICT ARNOLD" II strikes one
little queer at first that this should be the only
name visible upon monument erected ostensibly to
the memory Of tne patriots whose death he caused.
but s very sugge tive of the earnesness and perma
nence Of the feeling with which the traitors memory
is regarded. 1t seems as though the builders hav-
ing set out to honor the memory of the departed
heroes, had been carried away by the food of
their patriotic indignation when they came to the
mention of Arno.d's name, that they hurled the
whole weight Of the monument upon him and left
the memories of tho herocs--as indeed they might
TO take care of themselves. Perhaps they thought
il wise to make mis- nfamv monumental as a warn
ing instead OF glorifyng the services of better
as examples for posterity. However that may be-
the monument is obviously more commemorative of
Arnold's treason than of the patriotism of the
who fell. Not that the latter omitted entirely
Within the monument broad marble slab con-
tains the of all who fell, and tho proverbal
Connecticut thrift Is suggested by the charge of
10 cents admission to see them You get
the Connecticut opinion of Benedict Arnold in large
letters for nothing. BY paying 10 cents you can
read the names of the martyrs
Inside the old fort few steps from the entrance
a slab incosed by an iron fence has recently been
placed bearing this inscription, "On this spot
Colonel William Ledyard fell by his own
sword in the hands of British officer to
whom he had surrendered in the massacre
Of Fort Grswold, September g, 1881"
Compared with tho inscription tho monu-
ment it will be observed that this is somewhat lack
ing in vigor. Fifty years difference in date show
their mellowing effect in the historical directness