March 24, 1782: The British Raid on Toms River

For our regular Today in Toms River History series, it's the anniversary of the capture of Joshua Huddy and burning of the block house.

The British are coming! 

During the American Revolution, Toms River was not much more than a small village, and due to its location inland and size of the town, patriots assumed the town would not be very high on the list of targets for the British. Captain Joshua Huddy and a few of his men were ordered to guard the salt works; at this time salt was a prized commodity, as it was used to preserve meat.

On March 24, 1782, the assumption that Toms River was not an eligible target was proven wrong. British troops attacked the town and made quick work of the lightly guarded salt works and blockhouse. 

Nearly every building in the town was burned to the ground. Captain Huddy was taken prisoner. He was found guilty of a murder he obviously did not commit and was hanged in Atlantic Highlands. 

British and Loyalists’ actions regarding the raid on Toms River and the setup of Huddy led more people to question and turn on the British, and the incident may have delayed peace negotiations underway in Paris.