2026 Spring Speaker Series | Battle of Ridgefield: Benedict Arnold, the Patriot Militia and the Surprising 1777 Battle that Galvanized Revolutionary Connecticut

Renowned historian Keith Marshall Jones III offers the most comprehensive and compelling account of the Battle of Ridgefield to date. Though a clear British victory, the Battle of Ridgefield’s consequences include the ascendance of Benedict Arnold, freeing up local militia units to participate at the Battle of Saratoga and tightening the screw on Connecticut Loyalists.

Co-sponsored by the Ridgefield Historical Society.

About the Speaker

With a Harvard MBA and a career in advertising and promotion over three decades, Keith Marshall Jones III became the founding president of the Ridgefield Historical Society in CT and a hands-on local historian. His passion for the American Revolution led to five years behind musket and sword as a living historian in the re-enacted Fifth Connecticut Regiment of the Continental Line. Keith has been honored by the Connecticut General Assembly for his work on reenactments and marking southwestern Connecticut’s segment of the 680-mile Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route. His publications include Congress as My Government: Chief Justice John Marshall in the American Revolution (1775 – 1781), The Farms of Farmingville: A Two-century History of Twenty-three Ridgefield, Connecticut Farmhouses and the People Who Gave Them Life, John Laurance: The Immigrant Founding Father America Never Knew, and The Battle of Ridgefield: Benedict Arnold, the Patriot Militia, and the Surprising Battle that Galvanized Revolutionary Connecticut. More than twenty years in the works, his latest publication defines in unsurpassed detail the April 1777 Battle of Ridgefield.

About the 2026 Spring Speaker Series – Perspectives on Revolution

As the United States marks 250 years, join the Fairfield Museum for a special series that rediscovers the American Revolution through bold new perspectives. The series explores the era not as a single, unified story—but as a complex, contested, and transformative moment seen through many eyes. Renowned historians and authors will share new discoveries and spark conversation about how the Revolution continues to shape American identity, ideals, and contradictions today.

Additional Lectures in the Series:

February 8 | Remember Liss: A New American Founding Figure

March 1 | The Loyalist Legacy

Registration is required. $15 for Members; $20 for Non-Members; $45 for the series for Members; $55 for Non-Members.

Ticketing Policy

• No refunds will be given unless the program is cancelled by the Fairfield Museum.
• We do not pro-rate fees for missed days of the series.