Source: SFGate
“A month before the British surrender at Yorktown ended major fighting during the American Revolution, the traitor Benedict Arnold led a force of Redcoats on a last raid in his home state of Connecticut, burning most of the small coastal city of New London to the ground. It has been 242 years, but New London still hasn’t forgotten. A crowd of several hundred revelers, some in period costume, marched through the city’s streets Saturday evening chanting, ‘Burn the traitor!’ before watching as officials set Arnold’s effigy ablaze for the Burning of Benedict Arnold Festival, recreating a tradition that was once practiced in many American cities. ‘I like to jokingly refer to it as the original Burning Man festival,’ said organizer Derron Wood, referencing the annual gathering in the Nevada desert.” (09/14/23)
https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/benedict-arnold-burned-a-connecticut-city-18356425.php