The Battle of Ridgefield

BOOK REVIEW: The Battle of Ridgefield by Keith Marshall Jones (Ridgefield, CT: Ridgefield Historical Society. $35.95 Paperback)

The most recent text by Keith Marshall Jones titled, The Battle of Ridgefield, provides a great deal of detail in a well-researched narrative. The sources and documentation reflect wide reading and research by the author in assembling the details of the broader 1777 British raid on Danbury, Connecticut and the Patriot response resulting in the action at Ridgefield, Connecticut. The author organized the text into thirteen chapters. His first four chapters consume over a third of the book and contain a great deal of background information on the various participants as well as addressing the events leading up to the actions during the Danbury raid.

Chapters five and six addressed the actions associated with the Danbury Raid and begin to set the stage for the Battle of Ridgefield. Beginning with chapter seven, about halfway through the text the author provides focus on the Ridgefield fight. The author introduces issues of particular interest to students of the operational level of war. Specifically, he addresses elements of deliberated decisions on operational-level planning and field leadership exhibited by both British and Patriot forces. The background information and personal details included in previous chapters help the reader appreciate and better understand the rather thoughtful and deliberate process used by Britian’s Commander-in-Chief in North America, Gen. Wiliam Howe, in appointing the commander of the raiding force, William Tryon.

The author explains Howe’s reasoning for assigning appropriate well-trained subordinates and forces to the operation to ensure successful execution. The author points out the critical importance of the British naval feint up the Hudson River Valley to fix the Continental forces at Peekskill, New York, allowing the raiding force to successfully extract itself. Likewise, the author’s background discussions provide the reader with a great deal of insight on the Patriot reaction to the raid. Some of the elements or challenges faced during their response include command and control, force generation and intelligence. Of critical importance to the action at Ridgefield was the time it took to assemble the Connecticut militia in sufficient strength to respond and engage the British raiders.

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Chapters eight through thirteen address the actual battle of Ridgefield, its aftermath and its consequences. The raid, conducted in April 1777, lasted just four days from British landing to extraction with the raiding force marching over fifty miles. The only decisive engagement took place at Ridgefield although the actions continued until the British raiders reembarked. The author explains that casualties were minimal on both sides but ultimately the raid drew a long-term political response that helped drive many into the Patriot camp.

This is a text that starts a bit slow for the reader but about half way through, the background information provide in the first half of the book prepares the reader to understand and appreciate the specific tactical actions associated with the fight at Ridgefield.

The tactical maps of the actions at Ridgefield are helpful. However, the text could benefit from some maps that outline the area of southwestern Connecticut and New York’s Westchester County to help readers visualize the area of operations referenced throughout the discussion. Those who are unfamiliar with the area will need to refer to supplemental maps to visualize the events addressed in the text. The text could benefit significantly from more careful editing.

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