Old Tappan

The site along Overkill Road marks the location where Col. George Baylor and the 3rd Regiment of Dragoons were quartered in barns and residences. On the night of September 27, 1778, British forces under Maj. Gen. Charles Grey, guided by local Loyalists, launched a surprise attack. Without firing a shot, the British bayoneted the sleeping American soldiers, resulting in a massacre. This brutal tactic highlighted the British desperation for provisions and their strategy to demoralize the American army through repeated night attacks and no quarter.

The massacre of Baylor's men was part of a series of night attacks, including the Paoli Massacre of September 1777, aimed at breaking the stalemate around New York City. Unable to secure a decisive victory in open battle, the British resorted to these small, targeted operations to weaken Continental forces. The site serves as a reminder of the harsh realities of the Revolutionary War and the lengths to which both sides went to gain an advantage.