Nathaniel Scudder Killed during Loyalist Raid

As noted in prior articles, Nathaniel Scudder was Monmouth County’s most important political figure. He was an early Committeeman and militia officer. In January 1777, Scudder attached himself to Lt. Colonel Francis Gurney’s Pennsylvania regiment and guided them as they toppled Loyalist associations at Freehold, Middletown, and Shrewsbury. Scudder helped reassemble the dispersed Monmouth County militia on February 1 and marched the Freehold-Middletown regiment to the Navesink Highlands where it was promptly routed by British regulars. Nearly 100 men were killed or captured at the Battle of the Navesink—the worst defeat of the war for the Monmouth militia.

Scudder served in the Legislative Council (Upper House of the legislature) in 1777, and then was selected to the New Jersey Council of Safety. In fall 1777, Scudder was selected to the Continental Congress where he served for two years. He declined to serve a third year, citing strains on his family and finances. Scudder returned to public life in summer 1780, helping to found the Association for Retaliation, a vigilante society. He was elected to the New Jersey Assembly that fall in an election tainted by Retaliator voter intimidation. He was re-elected on October 10, 1781, in another election tainted by Retaliator intimidation.

Just five days later, a Loyalist raiding party landed at Shrewsbury and raided Colts Neck. Scudder responded to an alarm.

The Death of Nathaniel Scudder

The Pennsylvania Journal reported Scudder’s death on October 27, based on a letter that appeared in a Loyalist newspaper:

The refugees who lately had their shallops burnt at Sandy Hook went into the county of Monmouth as far as Colts Neck, where they made prisoners of six notorious rebels, vizt. Hendrick Vanderveer, Joseph Maxson, Lt. John Fleming and three others. A party of the rebels, headed by Nathaniel Scudder and David Forman, pursued them as far as Black Point, when Mr. Scudder was killed; he had been for several years a member of the Continental Congress, and was at present a member of the New Jersey Assembly. The refugees got off safe with their prisoners to Sandy Hook.

The Pennsylvania Evening Post published a longer narrative on October 30:

A party of Refugees from Sandy Hook landed at Shrewsbury in Monmouth County, and under cover of night marched undiscovered to Colts Neck, near 15 miles from their place of landing, and took six of the inhabitants from their houses.

The alarm reached Freehold before dawn and the local militia assembled to pursue the raiders, including Nathaniel Scudder. Scudder responded as a volunteer; as a legislator, he was not required to turn out. The Freehold militia pursued the raiders to Black Point (Rumson) where they attacked the rear of the raiding party. The report continued: “Dr. Scudder, whilst bravely advancing on the enemy, received a wound by a musket ball passing through his head." He died soon after. His minister at the Tennent Church, Reverend John Woodhull offered a "most excellent and affecting sermon" on October 17. The funeral was attended by "the most numerous and respectable concourse of people."

Scudder’s friend, Colonel David Forman, was standing next to him when the musket ball passed through his head. The New Jersey Journal printed a long eulogy for Scudder, dated October 17, presumably written by Forman. Excerpts are below (the full eulogy is in the appendix of this article):

To the great grief of the party, Doctor Nathaniel Scudder, whilst he was bravely advancing on the enemy, received a wound from a musket ball passing through his head, of which he instantly expired. His remains were removed from this place of action to his own house, with all the decency and solemnity suitable for such a mournful and melancholy event.

The eulogy then discussed Scudder and his family:

Few men have fallen in this Country who were so useful in life, so generally mourned in death. He was a tender husband, an affectionate parent, a sympathetic generous and real friend, a disinterested and determined Patriot, and has since the commencement of this war devoted his time, talents and a large part of his whole comfortable estate to this service of his country, and what will add luster to the whole, he is a finished Christian. Thus, a great and good man fallen in the prime of his life, and in the midst of his usefulness, having left behind him an unconsolable widow, five amiable children, and very numerous acquaintances to lament his fall.

Forman also wrote George Washington about Scudder’s death on October 18: "I, this day, had my good friend, Doct. Scudder killed by my side on the banks of Black Point in Shrewsbury and that my particular attention is demanded to his widow and children." He wrote from Scudder's house of "the uncommon deep distress of the Doctor's widow and large family of children, when added to my own feelings for the loss of a sincere friend and worthy patriot, really rendered me incapable to discharge my duty." Despite this, Forman continued sending intelligence reports on British fleet movements at Sandy Hook.

Elias Boudinot, a New Jersey delegate at Congress, wrote about Scudder’s death on October 21:

He went out as usual to see his patients, on the way met Gen. Forman, who was getting a few men together to drive off some refugees who landed on the shore. Them coming down, at about 500 yards distant, one of them fired his piece, a random shot, but from above. The ball entered just one side of his nose & went thro' the Doctor's head -- He died in about two hours, thus a helpless family is left in a very destitute circumstances, as I believe the Doctor's attention to politicks has been very prejudicial to his little estate.

Two of Scudder’s sons, Kenneth and Joseph, wrote of their father’s death in Kenneth’s postwar veteran pension application. Kenneth Scudder wrote that the family “lived only seven miles from the said village [Freehold].” His father was killed “at a place called Black Point… by the British & Tories.” Joseph Scudder recalled of his father’s death:

When he was a member of the state legislature, and when the enemy was driven off by the militia, under the command of General Forman, on which occasion… the said Nathaniel Scudder volunteered his services and was killed in the service of his country - information he received from General Forman, who was standing by his side when he fell dead.

The postwar pension application of Lewis Compton of Middletown provides additional information on the skirmish that resulted in Scudder’s death. He recalled that "the British were driven back by Capt. Barnes Smock's artillery, at which time Coll. Scudder was killed near Genl. Forman by a musket ball fired on board the enemy's boat, directly in his chin." Compton noted that it was a Middletown militia company, with artillery, that drove the raiders to their boats. The Freehold volunteers with Scudder and Forman arrived after the raiders had started to withdraw.

Scudder was the only member of the Continental Congress to die in combat. The outpouring of sympathy after his death likely led the New Jersey Legislature to ignore three petitions that protested Retaliator interference in the county’s election (tainting Scudder’s re-election the New Jersey Assembly). The legislature, instead, ordered a new election for Scudder’s seat, to be held on November 28. At that election, Thomas Seabrook, also a Retaliator, was elected to replace Scudder.

Caption: Nathaniel Scudder, who had served in the Continental Congress, joined a militia party in repelling Loyalist raiders who took six prisoners at Colts Neck. Scudder was killed in the ensuing clash.

Related Historic Site: Tennent Church

Appendix: Eulogy to Nathaniel Scudder, printed in the New Jersey Journal, October 17, 1781

“The day before yesterday a party of Refugees from Sandy Hook landed at Shrewsbury River in Monmouth County, New Jersey, and under cover of night marched undisturbed to Colt’s Neck, near fifteen miles from their place of landing, where they took six of the inhabitants from their houses. The alarm reached the Court House between four and five o’clock in the morning, when a small number of the inhabitants of the village of Freehold and its vicinity went immediately in pursuit of them, hoping either to relieve their friends who had been stolen into captivity, or to chastise the enemy for their temerity. They rode to Black Point, the place where the Refugees had landed, and with all possible speed, fell in with and attacked the rear of the Refugee party, and drove them on board their boats; in which skirmishing, to the great grief of the party, Doctor Nathaniel Scudder, whilst he was bravely advancing on the enemy, received a wound from a musket ball passing through his head, of which he instantly expired. His remains were removed from this place of action to his own house, with all the decency and solemnity suitable for such a mournful and melancholy event. Today, a most excellent and affecting sermon was preached on the occasion of his funeral by Rev. Mr. Woodhull, after which his remains, attended by the most numerous and respectable concourse of people ever known on similar occasions in this country, were interred at Presbyterian Church in Freehold, with the full honours of war; …Few men have fallen in this Country who were so useful in life, so generally mourned in death. He was a tender husband, an affectionate parent, a sympathetic generous and real friend, a disinterested and determined Patriot, and has since the commencement of this war devoted his time, talents and a large part of his whole comfortable estate to this service of his country, and what will add luster to the whole, he is a finished Christian. Thus, a great and good man fallen in the prime of his life, and in the midst of his usefulness, having left behind him an unconsolable widow, five amiable children, and very numerous acquaintance to lament his fall.”

Sources: National Archives, Revolutionary War Veterans Pension Applications, New Jersey - Lewis Compton; Library of Congress, Early American Newspapers, Pennsylvania Evening Post; New Jersey Gazette, reel 1930, October 24, 1781; Revolutionary War Veterans' Pension Application of Oakey Vanosdol, National Archives, p4-9; Pennsylvania Journal, October 27, 1781; Elias Boudinot to Hannah Boudinot, Paul Smith, et al, Letters of Delegates to Congress, 1774–1789 (Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1970) vol. 18, p 150; Edwin Salter, History of Monmouth and Ocean Counties (Bayonne, NJ: E. Gardner and Sons, 1890) p 88, 210-1; Hamilton Cochran's Scudders of the American Revolution (Peterborough, N.H.: Scudder Association, 1976) pp. 99-100; Contained in: National Archives, Revolutionary War Veterans' Pension Application, Kenneth Scudder of NY, www.fold3.com/image/# 20161011; David Forman to George Washington, Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, series 4, reel 81, October 17-19, 1781; Library of Congress, Early American Newspaper, New Jersey Gazette, reel 1930.