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Battle of Cedar Bridge

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American Revolutionary War battle in New Jersey
Battle of Cedar Bridge
Part of American Revolutionary War

The Cedar Bridge Tavern near where Captain John Bacon and his Loyalist "Refugees" (military associators) skirmished with local Patriot militia in the last documented conflict of the American Revolutionary War.
DateDecember 27, 1782
LocationBarnegat Township, New Jersey
Result Patriot victory
Belligerents

Kingdom of Great Britain Loyalist militia

United States Patriot militia
Commanders and leaders
John Bacon  (WIA) Richard Shreve
Edward Thomas
Strength
Unknown 28 militia
Casualties and losses
1 killed
4 wounded
Several captured		 1 killed
4 wounded

The Battle of Cedar Bridge, fought in Barnegat Township, New Jersey, was the one of the last skirmishes of the American Revolutionary War, between Patriot militia under Captains Richard Shreve and Edward Thomas and Loyalist militia under John Bacon on December 27, 1782.

Bacon had killed 30 sleeping Patriots on the American ship, the Alligator, selling the ship and other acts of terror on suspected Patriot supporters. A reward of 50 pounds for Bacon's capture was offered by the governor of New Jersey, William Livingston.

A Patriot Militia under the command of Richard Shreve and Edward Thomas set out to hunt down Bacon in December 1782 and after several days of an unsuccessful search decided to head back to Burlington, New Jersey. On route back to Burlington, the Patriots decided to stop at the tavern near the bridge, unaware that Bacon and his men were on the other side.

Hearing that the Patriot militia was nearby, John Bacon had little time to escape and so decided to barricade the bridge and opened fire on the Patriots. The Loyalists manage to hold off the Patriots for some time before the Patriots almost overcome them. A group of locals heard the shots and came to the aid of the Loyalists, giving Bacon and his men time to escape. The Patriots would overpower the local Loyalist supporters and capture several of them.

Bacon was discovered at a tavern in Tuckerton, New Jersey, a few months after the engagement and was captured and killed. Bacon was so hated among the populace that his body was paraded through town and the countryside and his body was later buried in an unmarked grave.

References

  1. Heyboer, Kelly. 'NJ's oldest rest stop?: Monmouth U. students digging up history at Cedar Bridge Tavern", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, June 23, 2014. Accessed December 29, 2024. "The area surrounding the tavern was also the site of the of the Affair at Cedar Bridge in 1782, one of the last battles of the Revolutionary War."
  2. Cedar Bridge Tavern, Ocean County, New Jersey Department of Parks and Recreation. Accessed December 29, 2024.
  3. ^ "The Battle of Cedar Bridge is fought", California Society, Sons of the American Revolution, December 27, 2023. Accessed December 29, 2024. "On this day in history, December 27, 1782, the Battle of Cedar Bridge is fought near Manahawkin, New Jersey. One of the last skirmishes of the Revolutionary War, the Battle of Cedar Bridge was a fight between Loyalist holdouts and New Jersey militia, illustrating the civil war nature of the American Revolution."
  4. https://www.co.ocean.nj.us/WebContentFiles/85181e98-b87b-42a8-912a-eb2dc8e48760.pdf
  5. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=70935
  6. http://www.pineypower.com/cedarbridge.htm
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