Battle of Pine's Bridge

About

The Battle of Pine's Bridge (also known as the Massacre at Pines Bridge) was a minor yet exceptionally violent engagement during the American Revolutionary War, near the town of Yorktown, New York, on May 14, 1781. It was one of the largest raids conducted by Loyalist forces into the infamous Neutral Ground of Westchester County and is considered one of the bloodiest small-unit actions of the war.

In the early morning hours, a Loyalist military unit, De Lancey's Cowboys, surprised an American Patriot defensive position at the Davenport House (or Davenport Inn), guarding the Pine's Bridge crossing of the Croton River. As the sole crossing over the river, the bridge served as a critical, strategic artery for communication and supply lines of the Patriot forces. It was guarded by the 1st Rhode Island Regiment (which had many African American and some indigenous soldiers) along with detached soldiers of the Massachusetts Continental Line and the New Hampshire Continental Line on the north bank of the Croton River.