Cannon Square commemorates "...the Battle of Stonington, the encounter during the War of 1812 when a substantial British naval squadron attacked a small coastal village, employing more than 160 cannon and firing more than fifty tons of shells, rockets, missiles, and cannonballs against only three cannons in a makeshift fort. On August 12, 1814, having failed to do whatever it was they intended to do, the British withdrew." (The Society of the War of 1812 in The State of Connecticut). I read elsewhere that the British were probably trying to secure the entrance to Long Island Sound.

Stonington Borough is located where Long Island Sound meets the Atlantic Ocean. Stonington sits on a peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. There is a large harbor and Stonington has the only commercial fishing fleet in Connecticut. Stonington is famous for its sea scallops. It is very quaint, with a number of art galleries, shops and restaurants.