The Battle of Kedges Strait (also known as the Battle of the Barges) took place on November 30, 1782 near
Tangier Sound in
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...
near the town of
Onancock, Virginia
Onancock ( ) is a town in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,263 at the 2010 census.
History
According to a nearby Virginia state highway marker, Onancock was founded in 1680. A courthouse was established some year ...
, between naval militia forces of the rebellious British colony of Maryland and the
Royal Navy of Great Britain.
The action
Some thirteen months had passed since General
Charles Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United S ...
' October 1781
surrender at Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German battle (from the presence of Germans in all three armies), beginning on September 28, 1781, and ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virgi ...
ending the land war between Great Britain and the Colonies. Intermittent conflict at sea, however, continued.
For two days in late November of 1782 Commodore Zedechiah Whaley of the Maryland militia had been waging an indecisive battle during a campaign against British barges of war that had been harassing the shores and farms of
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...
. Desperate for a victory, he sought aid from the Virginia peninsular town of
Onancock, sailing Onancock Creek on November 28, 1782, and appealing to Lt. Colonel John Cropper. Cropper rounded up 25 local men in support, who boarded Whaley's flagship, ''Protector'', and continued his siege upon the British flotilla.
Three of four of Whaley's barges turned back under heavy British fire, leaving the ''Protector'' alone to press the fight against six British craft. Vastly outnumbered, its crew suffered heavy losses during a climactic action on November 30 in Kedges Strait among
Smith
Smith may refer to:
People
* Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals
* Smith (given name)
* Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland
** List of people wi ...
and South Marsh islands in Maryland and Tangier Island in
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
off of
Tangier Sound. Twenty-five of its 65 men were killed or wounded, 29 captured, and only 11 escaped. Whaley's surrender ended the last naval action of the Revolution.
Legacy
The battle of Kedges Strait is recognized by a Virginia highways historical marker near the village of Onancoke, and remains the subject of both academic research and limited guided tours. In 2016 the Captain John Smoot Chapter of the Maryland Society Sons of the American Revolution conducted a boat tour of the battle area, and the Maryland Maritime Archeology Program presented a lecture in 2017.
2017 Annual Report of the Maryland Historical Trust
/ref>
See also
* Battle of Valcour Island
The Battle of Valcour Island, also known as the Battle of Valcour Bay, was a naval engagement that took place on October 11, 1776, on Lake Champlain. The main action took place in Valcour Bay, a narrow strait between the New York mainland and Va ...
- a conflict of barges of war on Lake Champlain that yielded cannons vital to the Colonial cause at the Battle of Bunker Hill
References
{{reflist
External links
Battle of Kedges Strait Virginia Historical Marker, Marker History.com
Maryland Society Sons of the American Revolution Semiannual Meeting Minutes 10-2016
Jane's Island is Worth Looking For, K.D. Hays
2017 Annual Report of the Maryland Historical Trust
Barges
Kedges Strait
Kedges Strait
Kedges Strait