Richard Lippincott Leads Raid against Monmouth Shore

Richard Lippincott was not always a Loyalist. He was elected a lieutenant of his local militia company in March 1776, sold goods to the Pennsylvania Salt Works that summer, and received a low interest loan from the state of New Jersey to establish his own saltworks on the Shrewsbury Township shore in October 1776. But residing among disaffected neighbors and news of British victories likely convinced Lippincott that siding with the British was the right decision. He supported Samuel Wright’s Loyalist association in October 1776. Lippincott harbored Loyalists; he was arrested and confined in Burlington.

In December 1776, as the British Army pushed to the Delaware River, Lippincott freed himself. He recruited twelve men and joined the Loyalist New Jersey Volunteers as an ensign. When his enlistment expired, Lippincott left the New Jersey Volunteers but any hope of returning home ended in 1779 when his 180-acre estate was sold off. Now an embittered refugee, Lippincott became an active Loyalist raider. He was in the party that murdered John Russell, Sr., in April 1780, and also in the party that captured Lt. Colonel John Smock that summer. In January 1781, Lippincott recruited 52 men and was commissioned a captain in the  Associated Loyalists.

On  February 17, the Board of Directors of the Associated Loyalists wrote Lippincott: “You are therefore to take said Company into your Care and Charge, and to use your best endeavors to keep them in good Order and Discipline.” Lippincott was further ordered:

And you are to observe and follow the Articles of Your Association, and such Orders and directions from time to time as you shall receive from the Board of Directors of Associated Loyalists, your Commandant, or any others Your Superior Officer in pursuance of the Trust hereby reposed in You.

It was further noted that Lippincott was subject to any orders issued by the British Commander in Chief.

Richard Lippincott Raids the Monmouth Shore

On February 24, 1781, Lippincott proposed a plan to raid the Monmouth County shore. The minutes of the Board of Associated Loyalists record that the plan was not supported because of a lack of supplies and vessels:

Captain Lippincott laid before the Board proposals for an expedition to Toms River to cut out vessels, take prisoners and bring away lumber; for this service an armed vessel or two would be wanted. The Board informed him that at present no vessels could be procured and desired him to think of some scheme of employing his men that would not require armed vessels.

Lippincott returned two days later. This time, instead of proposing the carry off supplies from Toms River, he proposed to attack and take “aggressor” Whig leaders and the State Troop guard there. The Board was persuaded this time, and decided to seek supplies from the British for Lippincott’s descent:

Having now proposed a plan for surprising and bringing off, with a party of about 30 men of his company, some of the principal aggressors in Monmouth County - the Board wrote to Headquarters for the approbation of his Excellency, the Comm. in Chief, and requesting that he be pleased to furnish them with 30 muskets and 7 days provisions for the 30 men to be employed in this business.

On March 2, the Board recorded that Lippincott was given arms and supplies for his excursion as well as a "certificate to pass the guard ship" at Sandy Hook. Lippincott departed in two whaleboats with 21 men. He returned on March 27 and reported to the Board of Associated Loyalists about “the party of Associated Loyalists under him at Toms River & Egg Harbor, where they defeated a party of the rebels, and brought off a sloop [Hannah] loaded with lumber, tar and iron." The attack generated a short report in the Loyalist New York Gazette:

Captain Lippincott with his company of Associated Loyalists returned from an excursion to New Jersey, and brought in a sloop loaded with tar, iron and lumber; which he cut out of Egg Harbor at Chestnut Neck; near Toms River, he fell in with a party of rebel militia, mounted under the command of Captain Bishop [Sergeant Joseph Bishop]; the Loyalists gave him a volley, which wounded Bishop and two of his horses, on which the rebels fled with precipitation, three of them dropping their arms.

Back in New York, Lippincott composed a detailed report of his raid. It is summarized below.

Lippincott’s party departed New York for Sandy Hook on March 4, but was detained at Sandy Hook until March 11 due to "contrary winds." They “got into Manasquan” on March 12 and "concealed our boats." They sent a man to gather intelligence, but before they could leave Manasquan for Toms River, Lippincott’s party ran into some trouble because “the rebels had got some intelligence... and were in search of us." A skirmish ensued with the local militia, "we gave them a volley which wounded a Capt. Bishop [Sergeant Bishop] and two of their horses, whereupon they fled."

Lippincott decided not to attack Toms River. The he had hoped to capture had sailed away on March 12. So, on March 14:

We left Manasquan, and proceeded down the bay to Toms River that night, but finding the country alarmed there, and hearing the rebels were reinforced to thirty five men, and we only twenty one, it was thought prudent not to attack there.

While Lippincott was attacked by local Whigs, he likely traded goods and information with disaffected locals. Some of these locals informed Lippincott that "the rebels were reinforced to thirty five men [at Toms River],” so “it was thought prudent not to attack there." Instead, Lippincott’s party went into Little Egg Harbor [called Egg Harbour at the time] on March 16, "where we had information that a sloop lay." The Loyalists arrived in the harbor and stayed until March 20, likely camping amongst disaffected residents. They waited "for the sloop to be fitted" before proceeding upriver to Chestnut Neck, boarding the vessel, taking and paroling the seven-man crew, and sailing the vessel down river and out to sea.

Lippincott’s party sailed back toward Sandy Hook on March 24, but grounded and nearly sunk in "a violent gale… the sloop being very deep loaded and her deck leaky." To avoid sinking, "we kept the pumps going steadily, though she had three feet of water in her hold." To free the ship from the sand bar, “we were obliged to throw overboard twelve thousand feet of boards and about seven thousand shingles, with two pieces of cannon.”

The battered ship made it to New York on March 26. Lippincott’s party did not lose any men and returned the boats loaned by the British. A version of Lippincott’s report was sent to General Henry Clinton on March 27. It is included in the appendix of this article.

After the Raid

Lippincott’s campaign against Manasquan and Little Egg Harbor demonstrates the improvisational nature of raid warfare. He was authorized to attack Monmouth County leaders and the guard at Toms River. However, learning that Toms River was well-defended, he changed his plan. He decided to take a vessel at Manasquan and, then, when that did not work, he decided to take a different vessel in Little Egg Harbor. While Lippincott’s party prevailed in its skirmish with the militia at Manasquan, his party was clearly unsafe as long as it stayed there; the opposite was true at Little Egg Harbor, where Lippincott’s party camped without molestation for four days until the vessel they targeted was fully loaded.

As the local war in Monmouth County trended toward increased brutality, there is no evidence that Lippincott or his party were particularly nasty during this raid. Monmouth Countians did not report any arson, kidnapping, or plundering. Perhaps this was because Lippincott landed at places where at least some of the locals cooperated with him. Lippincott’s men did not always perceive themselves in hostile territory. After this attack, Lippincott engaged in a string of other activities for the Associated Loyalists that veered toward disrepute.

A year after Lippincott passed Toms River in March 1781, a larger Associated Loyalist party attacked Toms River (in March 1782), defeated the guard, and brutally razed the village. The captain of the Toms River guard, Joshua Huddy, was taken to New York and jailed. Two weeks later, Lippincott took Huddy from jail and hanged him on the Navesink Highlands. This act would make Lippincott the most notorious Monmouth County Loyalist.

Related Historic Site: Sandy Hook Lighthouse

Sources: Clements Library, Proceedings of the Board of Directors of the Associated Loyalists, February 1781, p. 17-8 and March 1781, p. 15; Lippincott’s Commission is in Transcript of the Court Martial of Richard Lippincott, http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/halew/Lippincott.html; Clements Library, Proceedings of the Board of Directors of the Associated Loyalists, March 1781 p. 8-13, August p. 5, and September 1781, p. 5; Richard Lippincott’s Report, William Clements Library, Henry Clinton Papers, Richard Lippincott's Report, March 27, 1781; Library of Congress, Rivington's New York Gazette, reel 2906; Michael Adelberg, Biographical File, unpublished, Monmouth County Historical Association.

Appendix: Lippincott’s Report of March 1781 Campaign Against the Monmouth County Shore

Report title: “Copy of Captain Lippincott’s Report of the Proceedings of a Party of Associated Loyalists under his Command to Monmouth County”

“On the 4th of March 1781, I left New York and proceeded to Sandy Hook and was detained there until the 11th by contrary winds, when we put to sea in two whaleboats and on the 12th got into the head of the bay and having concealed our boats, landed and lay in the woods until we had sent a man to Toms River to get intelligence respecting the brig we went to surprise. On the 14th, we learned that she had sailed on the 12th – being thus disappointed of our first and principal object, we determined to proceed to Toms River to surprise the guard at that place, but on the 15th were informed that the rebels had got some intelligence of the party and were in search of us; whereupon we marched about a mile to a cross road and ambuscaded the one we supposed they would take in coming to us, but they coming on the other, we were taken at a disadvantage, notwithstanding which we gave them a volley which wounded a Capt. Bishop and two of their horses, whereupon they fled and we pursued them two miles, drove four of them through Manasquan River, three of whom left their arms – the remainder made their escape by taking to a very thick wood. After this alarm, we left Manasquan, and proceed down the bay to Toms River that night, but finding the country alarmed there, and hearing the rebels were reinforced to thirty five men, and we only twenty one, it was thought prudent not to attack there; and the surf running so high that we could not put to sea, we made the best of our way to Egg Harbor, where we had information that a sloop lay, loaded with lumber, tar and iron. We arrived that night a Long Beach and lay concealed until the evening of the 16th when we crossed over the main[land], and lay in the woods until the evening of the 20th waiting for the sloop to be fitted, & then proceeded up little Egg Harbor River about 20 miles to Chestnut Neck where the sloop lay, and took possession of her seven prisoners, but being very scant of provision and apprehensive we might be some time at sea, we were under the necessity of taking their parole and leaving them. – On the 24th, about ten o’clock, we got over the bar and stood for this port [New York] until ten o’clock at night, when a violent gale of wind at northwest obliged us to be put before it [grounded on sand bar], until 12 o’clock the next day, and the sloop being very deep loaded and her deck leaky we found, notwithstanding we kept the pumps going steadily, though she had three feet of water in her hold, and to free we were obliged to throw overboard twelve thousand feet of boards and about seven thousand shingles, with two pieces of cannon, and the wind shifting to the west, we arrived here yesterday afternoon.”