Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet

Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet
	Part of the American Revolutionary War
	; Location of Turtle Gut Inlet on 1777 map
Date	June 29, 1776
Location	Turtle Gut Inlet, off Wildwood Crest; near Cape May, New Jersey38°57′30″N 74°50′30″W / 38.95833°N 74.84167°W
Result	American victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	United Colonies
Commanders and leaders
Charles Hudson ; Alexander Graeme	John Barry ; Lambert Wickes ; William Hallock ; Hugh Montgomery
Strength
HMS Orpheus ; HMS Kingfisher	USS Lexington ; USS Reprisal ; USS Wasp ; Nancy
Casualties and losses
Estimated 12–36	Nancy destroyed ; Richard Wickes †

The Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet (June 29, 1776) was an important, early naval victory for the Continental Navy and the future "Father of the American Navy", Captain John Barry.^[3] It was the first privateer battle of the American Revolutionary War.^[1] The battle resulted in the first American casualty of the war in New Jersey, Lieutenant Richard Wickes, brother of Captain Lambert Wickes.^[4]^[5] It was the only Revolutionary War battle fought in Cape May County.^[6]

^ ^a ^b Donnelly 2010, p. 109
^ *"Lt. Richard Wickes". Historical Marker Database.
^ "The Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet". Wildwood Crest Historical Society. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
^ Johnson 2006, pp. 95–6
^ Lundin, Leonard (1940). Cockpit of the Revolution – The War for Independence in New Jersey. Princeton University Press. p. 113.
^ "Southern New Jersey and the Delaware Bay: Historic Themes and Resources within the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route". National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2012-04-30.