Battle of Chestnut Neck

On October 6, 1778, forces clashed at Chestnut Neck, a small outpost in southern New Jersey along the Little Egg Harbor River, the waterway known today as the Mullica River, close to what is now Port Republic, New Jersey. Privateers had made use of the settlement as a base of operations, which drew British attention. During the raid, British troops seized a portion of the supplies stored there while burning the rest, and they also set fire to several homes and other structures in the area.

Word reached the British that Count Casimir Pulaski and his men were closing in, prompting a hasty withdrawal by sea the very next day. Roughly a week afterward, Pulaski's forces met the British in a separate clash, one that resulted in significant losses for the Americans.

Background

At the outset of the Revolutionary War, Chestnut Neck stood as a lively hub of commerce along the Little Egg Harbor River near New Jersey's coastline, roughly 10 miles (16 km) north of where Atlantic City sits today. Ships from the area sailed to New York and other ports, ferrying mail alongside goods for trade. Once fighting broke out, privateers sailing for the American cause claimed the harbor as their operational base, from which they raided British shipping and hauled their prizes back to Chestnut Neck. There, both the vessels and their cargo went up for sale, and the seized ships frequently found new life as privateering craft themselves. Some historians believe French assistance destined for the Patriot cause, including supplies, munitions, and uniforms, may have flowed through this same port.

By the winter of 1777-78, British forces controlled both Philadelphia and New York City, leaving Washington's army at Valley Forge severed from its supply chains. To remedy this, goods moved into Little Egg Harbor and were offloaded at Chestnut Neck, then ferried upriver on flat-bottomed boats to the Forks. From there, wagons hauled the materials across the peninsula toward Burlington, over the Delaware River, and finally by land to Valley Forge. A great deal of British cargo meant for Clinton's forces in New York never arrived, instead falling into the hands of American privateers and making its way to Washington through this Chestnut Neck supply line.

The mounting losses drove Clinton to such frustration that he resolved to eliminate what he called that "nest of Rebel Pirates." On September 30, 1778, he set this plan into motion, dispatching nine ships and transport vessels from New York toward Chestnut Neck. Captain Henry Collins commanded the fleet, while the landing force consisted of 300 British regulars alongside 100 Loyalists from New Jersey under Captain Patrick Ferguson.

Word of the expedition reached Governor William Livingston, who quickly sent messengers galloping out to alert local residents of the coming danger. Washington, for his part, ordered Count Kazimierz Pułaski's Legion to ride to the defenders' aid, though the unit would not reach the scene until a day after the fighting had already concluded.

Battle

Foul weather held up the British fleet, keeping it from reaching Little Egg Harbor until the afternoon of October 5, 1778, had already given way to evening, and the sandbar there kept the ships from crossing. Aware that residents had already been alerted to their presence and that Count Pułaski was closing in, the British forces pressed upstream toward Chestnut Neck with all possible haste. At first light on October 6, 1778, the men boarded galleys and armed boats to make the journey, though their progress stalled when a pair of vessels ran aground. Thick fog blanketed the area by the time they finally arrived at Chestnut Neck around four in the afternoon. There they clashed with American defenders and managed to seize a portion of the supplies stored there.

Whatever goods they could not carry off, they put to the torch, and word that Pułaski's men were approaching sent them hurrying away by noon on October 7, 1778. Along their retreat, they paused at the mouth of the Bass River long enough to wreck the salt works and mills belonging to Eli Mathis. The destruction continued at his plantation, where his residence and barns were set ablaze before the raiders finally returned to their waiting ships.

Aftermath

Once Pulaski reached Chestnut Neck, he took his men across the river toward Tuckerton, getting there on October 8, 1778. For the next week, until October 15, his fifty soldiers held an uneasy standoff with two hundred Loyalist troops. On that final day, Ferguson led 250 Loyalist fighters in a surprise strike against one of Pulaski's outposts, catching most of the sleeping men and killing them with bayonets, including the sentry on duty. Having struck their blow, the Loyalist force pulled back and returned by ship to New York. Among Patriots, the episode became known as the "Little Egg Harbor massacre," and today a monument placed by the Sons of the Cincinnati marks where it happened.

At Chestnut Neck itself, Ferguson's troops managed to seize a portion of the supplies and burn the rest, yet they failed in their larger aim: not a single American privateer or captured prize ship fell into their hands. The settlement never recovered its former importance as a hub of commerce following this raid. While three of the wealthier landowners chose to rebuild on their original properties, the rest relocated permanently, establishing new homes in what is now known as Port Republic.