The Revolutionary War Skirmish That Happened Right Here In Barnegat

BARNEGAT, NJ — Travel nearly a mile down a dusty old road right off Route 72 and you'll find yourself at one of Ocean County's best hidden gems for history nerds.

Cedar Bridge Tavern, dating back to 1816, sits on five acres surrounded by the Pine Barrens. The tavern is on the National Register of Historic Places and marks an important 18th century crossroads for a historic stagecoach route stretching from the west to the shore.

But the site contains even more history than that - it's rumored to be the site of the final skirmish of the Revolutionary War.

The Affair At Cedar Bridge

If you have an interest in Revolutionary War-era history, you likely already know the storied past of the Jersey Shore's involvement during this time. You are likely familiar with the famous Battle of Monmouth, the war's longest battle, and local players such as Joshua Huddy. But are you familiar with Cedar Bridge?

Peace negotiations began in April 1782. By the same time next year, rumors of peace reached the colonies, according to an excerpt from "The Forgotten Years: From Yorktown To Paris 1781-1783" by Thomas P. Farmer, a local history book.

As the larger war played out, a smaller civil war of sorts was occurring in the now-Ocean County, according to Farmer. This involved Loyalist leader Capt. John Bacon and his band of Pine Robbers, and Patriot Capt. William Shreve and his men.

It is important to note that it is not confirmed that the skirmish took place at the Barnegat site, but Farmer noted that Bacon spent a lot of time in the lower part of old Monmouth County, which today is the Barnegat area.

On Dec. 27, 1782, Shreve, Capt. Edward Thomas and their men stopped at a tavern, possibly an earlier incarnation of the current building, to rest while searching for Bacon. The militia was looking for Bacon as a few months earlier, he had murdered about 20 American soldiers in what is now called the Long Beach Island Massacre.

Bacon and his men arrived and barricaded the bridge, shooting at the militia, killing one and injuring four, according to the Ocean County Cultural & Heritage Commission.

Though Bacon had surprised the militia, they had the upper hand until local Loyalists showed up and joined in, shooting at the patriots.

Shreve's men had to focus on beating back the locals, which gave Bacon the chance to slip away in the pines.

But the locals surrendered to the militia, and some were captured and imprisoned in Burlington jail, according to a 1783 news article from the New Jersey Gazette.

Bacon was later caught and killed in a tavern around Little Egg Harbor in spring 1783. While Patriots had hoped to bury him under a busy road in Jacobstown so that Bacon would never be able to rest, per Farmer, Bacon's brother convinced them to let him take him and give the notorious Bacon a proper burial.

Today, the building still stands tucked away in the Pine Barrens as one of Ocean County's parks, with signs to educate visitors about its storied past.

And every year, the parks and recreation department hosts a reenactment of the skirmish at Cedar Bridge, so no one can forget this historic moment and the wealth of Revolutionary War history we have here at the Jersey Shore.