Key Facts
- Date
- 20–21 July 1780
- American commander
- Brigadier-General Anthony Wayne
- Loyalist commander
- Thomas Ward
- Artillery used by attackers
- 4 pieces
- Cultural aftermath
- Satirical ballad 'The Cow Chace' by Major John André
Strategic Narrative Overview
On 20–21 July 1780, Brigadier-General Anthony Wayne led two American brigades against a Loyalist position at Bulls Ferry, New Jersey. Four American artillery pieces bombarded a Loyalist blockhouse commanded by Thomas Ward, but the fire proved ineffective. A subsequent infantry assault on the blockhouse was repulsed. Concurrently, Major Henry Lee III led light dragoons in driving off a large herd of cattle intended for British forces in New York City.
01 / The Origins
By mid-1780, the northern theater of the American Revolutionary War had settled into a pattern of raids and minor skirmishes following the decisive American victory at Saratoga. British forces remained concentrated in New York City, relying on Loyalist auxiliaries and local supply networks, including cattle herds maintained near the Hudson River crossings, to sustain their garrison.
03 / The Outcome
The blockhouse held firm and the American attack was unsuccessful militarily, though the cattle raid denied the British a portion of their local food supply. British Major John André commemorated the episode by composing a satirical ballad, 'The Cow Chace,' mocking Wayne's failed assault. The engagement produced no territorial change and remained one of many inconclusive small actions characterizing the northern theater at this stage of the war.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Anthony Wayne, Henry Lee III.
Side B
1 belligerent
Thomas Ward.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.