At 7:30 pm last night, as the sky grew dark, a bonfire lit  the water-side green at the Connecticut River Museum in Essex. Jerry Roberts, author of The British Raid on Essex: The Forgotten Battle of the War of 1812, recounted the story of the infamous raid on the town, in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the battle.  ‘Light Up the Night’ was the first in a series of celebrations as Essex takes its place in history and is formally recognized as a battle site in the War of 1812. Roberts is the official historian and special project coordinator of the Bicentennial Committee for Battle Site Essex. You can catch Jerry Roberts presenting from his book on April 24th, 7:00 p.m., at Acton Public Library, 60 Old Boston Post Road, in Acton, CT. Read about more events here.