A British surprise attack that killed or captured most of a Continental dragoon regiment, demonstrating British night-raid tactics in the Revolutionary War.
Key Facts
- Date
- September 27, 1778
- Continental soldiers killed
- 15 soldiers
- Continental soldiers wounded/captured
- 54 soldiers
- British soldiers killed
- 1 soldier
- British commander
- Major-General Charles Grey
- Continental unit attacked
- 3rd Regiment of Continental Light Dragoons
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the American Revolutionary War, British forces under Major-General Charles Grey sought to exploit the exposed position of Continental Army dragoons encamped near Old Tappan, New Jersey, planning a night surprise attack to neutralize the regiment.
On September 27, 1778, Grey's British force launched a successful surprise assault against Colonel George Baylor's 3rd Regiment of Continental Light Dragoons near present-day River Vale, New Jersey, killing 15 soldiers and wounding or capturing 54 others while suffering only one fatality.
The attack effectively destroyed the operational capacity of the 3rd Continental Light Dragoons and became known as the Baylor Massacre, reinforcing the vulnerability of dispersed Continental units to British night-raid tactics.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Major-General Charles Grey.
Side B
1 belligerent
Colonel George Baylor.