Beacon Hill

In 1775 a large pile of brush and firewood was placed on top of Beacon Hill to be set on fire as a beacon light warning of an enemy approach. On July 4, 1779, British troops were sighted in Long Island Sound heading toward New Haven, signal guns were fired from Black Rock Fort, and fires were lit atop Beacon Hill, East Rock, and West Rock to warn residents and prepare for battle. On July 5, 1779, British troops landed on the east shore, and American patriots bravely resisted a large invading force on and about Beacon Hill. The British invasion of New Haven resulted in 56 English soldiers killed, wounded, and missing, while the Americans lost 23 killed, 15 wounded, and 12 taken prisoner, with many homes and properties also burned and destroyed. On August 26, 1814, Beacon Hill was renamed Fort Wooster in honor of Major-General David Wooster, who served bravely during the war and lost his life in 1777 in a battle at Ridgefield, Connecticut.

New Haven, Connecticut · United States