Baylor Massacre

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Baylor Massacre
partof=the American Revolutionary War


caption=
date=September 27, 1778
place=River Vale, New Jersey
result=British victory
combatant2=
combatant1=
commander2=

commander1= {w/C}
{DOW}
strength2=12 companies, light infantry
strength1=about 135
casualties2=?
casualties1=15 killed 13 wounded 25 prisoners 8 wounded prisoners Total 61 {Note: Baylor died of 1778 wound in 1784}

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.

Causes

On September 22, 1778, Gen. Sir Henry Clinton ordered Maj. Gen. Sir Charles Grey, Maj. Gen. The Marquess Charles Cornwallis, and Brig. General Edward Mathews to mobilize troops in an effort to provoke Gen. George Washington into a battle. [cite book|last=Nelson|first=Paul David|title=Sir Charles Grey, First Earl Grey|publisher=Associated University Press|location=London|date=1996|pages=66|isbn=083863673X] After learning that Col. George Baylor had secured quarters for his men (numbering about 100) in the barns of several farms on Overkill Road (now Rivervale Road), Cornwallis ordered Grey to pursue Baylor's troops.

Battle

Around 3 o'clock in the morning on September 28, 1778, while they slept, a detachment of six companies of light infantry of British troops under Major-General Charles Grey 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. [cite web|url=http://www.masonsamett.com/communitymain.htm|title=Tappantown Historical Society|accessed=2006-10-06]

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

External links

* [http://www.bergencountyhistory.org/Pages/baylormassacre.html Bergen County Historical Society on the Baylor Massacre]
* [http://www.rivervalenj.org/History.htm River Vale web site on Baylor Massacre History]
* [http://www.revwar75.com/battles/primarydocs/Baylor.htm Primary documents relaying the story of the massacre]
* [http://www.co.bergen.nj.us/Parks/Cultural%20and%20Historic/Baylor.htm Bergen County Parks Department site info and photos]
* [http://www.rohersprague.com/picture.asp?picture=Baylor_Panle-2&org=cat RoherSprague.com-Baylor Massacre Burial Site panels]