Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 22:21, 28 December 2024

Battle of Cedar Bridge
Part of American Revolutionary War
Cedar Bridge Tavern, Barnegat Township, New Jersey
Date December 27, 1782 Location Barnegat Township, New Jersey Result Patriot victory
Belligerents
Loyalist militia	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

Located in Barnegat Township, New Jersey is the site of the last skirmish 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.

John Bacon was infamous for killing 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.

1. https://www.nj.com/education/2014/06/njs_oldest_rest_stop_monmouth_u_students_digging_up_history_at_cedar_bridge_tavern.html
2. https://www.oceancountyparks.org/frmRegContentPrks?ID=102469de-e7b4-4389-995d-8386e8369d56
3. https://www.californiasar.org/2023/12/the-battle-of-cedar-bridge-is-fought-2/
4. https://www.revolutionarywarnewjersey.com/new_jersey_revolutionary_war_sites/towns/barnegat_nj_revolutionary_war_sites.htm#s4
5. https://www.co.ocean.nj.us/WebContentFiles/85181e98-b87b-42a8-912a-eb2dc8e48760.pdf
6. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=70935
7. http://www.pineypower.com/cedarbridge.htm

• Battles of the American Revolutionary War
• Battles of the American Revolutionary War in New Jersey