Baylor Massacre
 | This article may be unbalanced toward certain viewpoints. |
| Baylor Massacre | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the American Revolutionary War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States |
.svg){kind=small} Kingdom of Great Britain | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Maj. Alexander Clough {DOW} |
Maj. Turner Straubenzee | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
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12 officers 104 enlisted | 650 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
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15 Killed/DOW 54 Injured/POW | 11 killed or wounded | ||||||
The Baylor Massacre, also known as the Tappan Massacre, was the September 27, 1778, attack on the 3rd Regiment of Continental Light Dragoons under the command of Colonel George Baylor during the American Revolutionary War. It occurred in the present-day town of River Vale, New Jersey.
Setting
On September 22, 1778, Gen. Sir Henry Clinton ordered Maj. Gen. Sir Charles Grey, Maj. Gen. The Marquess Charles Cornwallis,and Brigadier General Edward Mathews to mobilize troops in an effort to provoke Gen. George Washington into a battle. [1] After learning that Col. George Baylor had secured quarters for his troops, twelve officers and 104 enlisted men,[2] in the barns of several farms on Overkill Road (now Rivervale Road), Cornwallis ordered Grey to pursue Baylor's troops.[3]
Battle
Around 3 o'clock in the morning on September 28, 1778, British Major-General Charles Grey mobilized six companies of light infantry under Major Turner Staubenzie and six companies of light infantry under Colonel John Maitland. The troops used their bayonets to maintain the element of surprise as they went from house to house, a tactic Grey used previously in the Battle of Paoli. At least 69 of the dragoons were killed, injured or taken prisoner. Eleven were killed outright; four were left and died of their wounds.
After the attack, some of the injured were taken to the Reformed Church of Tappan in nearby Tappan, New York, which served as a prison and hospital. [4]
The 52nd Regiment of Foot, which was nearing the end of its service in the American War, was involved in this incident. The events were described as follows by General Hunter: “While at New Bridge we heard of their being within twenty-five miles of our camp, and a plan was laid to surprise them. We set out after dark, mounted behind dragoons, and so perfectly secure did the enemy think themselves that not even a sentry was posted. Not a shot was fired, and the whole regiment of dragoons, except a few who were bayoneted, were taken prisoner”. Shortly afterwards, the 52nd was ordered back to England.[5]
Discovery of remains
In 1967, it was discovered that the bodies of six of the dead were buried in three abandoned tanning vats. The vats were from Haring's Tannery, which used to be on the site. The remains were identified by artifacts such as buttons and clothing remnants. This became widely known because of a February 1968 report to the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders, "1778 - The Massacre of Baylor's Dragoons". Facing suburban development, the burial site was made into a county park in 1972 with a dedication on October 15. The remains were reinterred within the park at that time.
The plaque at the site reads:
- In memory of American soldiers killed during the Revolutionary War in the 'Baylor Massacre' on September 28, 1778. Lt. Col. George Baylor's 3rd Regiment of Continental Dragoons took quarters for the night on several nearby farms. Tories betrayed their presence to a British force who surrounded the Dragoons during the night. A number of Americans were killed or wounded after they surrendered.
References
- ^ Nelson, Paul David (1996). Sir Charles Grey, First Earl Grey. London: Associated University Press. p. 66. ISBN 083863673X.
- ^ Clayton, W. Woodford (1882). History of Bergen and Passaic Counties, New Jersey. Philadelphia, PA: J. B. Lippincott & Co. p. 57.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Lee, Francis Bazley (1902). New Jersey as a Colony and as a State. The Publishing Society of New Jersey. p. 316.
- ^ "Tappantown Historical Society". Retrieved 2006-10-06.
- ^ Insert footnote text here
Moorsom, William Scarth (1860). Historical Record of the 52nd Regiment