Revolutionary Counter‑Raid Stuns Loyalist Raiders
In the summer of 1779, a daring Continental Army officer crushed a band of Loyalist pirates menacing Long Island civilians, ending a summer of terror.
Major Benjamin Tallmadge, appointed director of military intelligence by George Washington in 1778, led a surprise strike on September 5 that caught a Loyalist encampment off guard.
Historian Tara Ross notes that Loyalist whale‑boating crews repeatedly raided coastal settlements, stealing livestock and burning homes, while British forces also launched official raids into Connecticut.
Washington ordered Tallmadge to eliminate the raiders before attempting to seize Fort Franklin, a Loyalist stronghold named for Benjamin Franklin’s loyalist son.
Tallmadge’s plan called for an attack on the Loyalist camp first, then a coordinated assault on the fort, but only the initial raid succeeded.
Late on September 5, Tallmadge took about 130 men, crossed Long Island Sound from Connecticut, and landed at Lloyd’s Neck under cover of darkness.
According to Ross, the Loyalist “large band of marauders” never realized the Patriots were upon them until the attackers were already on top of the camp.
Tallmadge reported that the sudden assault captured almost the entire party, with only a few escapees fleeing into the bushes and firing as the alarm sounded.
Although the fort assault never materialized, Tallmadge burned the encampment, destroyed the raiding boats, and returned safely to Connecticut with Loyalist prisoners, temporarily ending the local threat.
