Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet The Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet ( June 29 , 1776 ) was an important , early naval battle for the Continental Navy and the future " Father of the American Navy " , Captain John Barry . It was the first privateer battle of the American Revolutionary War . The battle resulted in the first American casualty of the war in New Jersey , Lieutenant Richard Wickes , brother of Captain Lambert Wickes . It was the only Revolutionary War battle fought in Cape May County . Background . To prevent the Americans from receiving war supplies through the port of Philadelphia , the British Navy established a blockade of the Delaware Bay . This fleet included over 240 cannons . The Americans then fortified the river with cheveaux - de - frise in the shipping channel . To transport gunpowder and arms , Robert Morris of the Pennsylvania chartered the newly built brig , also called brigantine , " Nancy " and her captain , Hugh Montgomery on March 1 , 1776 . On March 14 , 1776 , John Barry was commissioned Captain of the fourteen - gun in the Continental Navy . In early June , the privateer " Nancy " loaded supplies in the Caribbean islands of St . Thomas and St . Croix . She then sailed for Philadelphia with " three hundred and eighty - six barrels of gunpowder , fifty fire - locks , one hundred and one hogshead s of rum , and sixty - two hogsheads of sugar , & c , on board " . In mid - June , Barry was alerted by Morris that " Nancy " was headed his way , and would need protection since she had only an eleven - man crew and six cannons . Barry was soon joined by the eighteen - gun , captained by Lambert Wickes , and the eight - gun , captained by William Hallock , and headed for Cape May . The British blockade forces were led by the 28 - gun , captained by Henry Bellew , and included the 32 - gun , captained by Charles Hudson , and the sixteen - gun , captained by Alexander Graeme . Also at this time , the vanguard of the British fleet of over one hundred ships was set to enter New York Harbor on the morning of June 29 . Battle . Late on the afternoon of June 28 , a lookout on " Kingfisher " spotted " Nancy " sailing toward Cape May and began chase , followed by " Orpheus " . " Nancy " , and the pursuing British , were spotted by the American lookout at Cape May . Captain Barry , on " Lexington " , received a message by flag code from " Nancy " that she needed help . Barry in turn signaled " Reprisal " and " Wasp " and then met with their captains to plan a response . Longboats from " Lexington " , " Wasp " , and " Reprisal " , led by Lieutenant Richard Wickes , set out to assist " Nancy " . In the early hours of June 29 , pursued by the British " Orpheus " and " Kingfisher " and blocked from entering the Delaware Bay , " Nancy " headed for the nearby Turtle Gut Inlet in a heavy fog . She soon ran aground , while the larger British ships were kept to deeper waters . Although still out of range but sailing closer , the British shelled " Nancy " , while the Americans attempted to salvage the cargo , especially the gunpowder kegs . Barry organized the crews into two operations . One group returned cannon fire to keep the British from boarding . The other transferred the cargo onto longboats and rowed to shore where local residents helped unload and secure it behind the dunes . By late in the morning of June 29 , 265 to 286 kegs of gunpowder had been removed , and the British bombardment had heavily damaged " Nancy " . Barry ordered the main sail wrapped around fifty pounds of gunpowder to create a long fuse running from the nearly 100 gunpowder kegs remaining in the hold to the deck and over the side . The fuse was lit as the crew abandoned ship , while one last sailor climbed the mast to remove the American flag . The British thought the lowering of the flag was a sign of surrender and quickly boarded " Nancy " . By then the fuse had reached the hold . The gunpowder exploded with a huge blast felt for miles which killed many British . Captain Graeme reported the loss of his master ' s mate and six men on longboats from " Kingfisher " . Lieutenant Richard Wickes , brother of Captain Lambert Wickes of " Reprisal " , was killed by British cannon fire near the end of the battle . Aftermath . The battle demonstrated the resourcefulness of the American forces to the British . As a result , the British Navy moved their blockade of Philadelphia further away from the Cape May area . The heroics of Captain John Barry in salvaging most of the gunpowder cargo and driving off two Royal Navy ships was quickly noted , an important step in his career . Following the battle , Captain Wickes on " Reprisal " , continued with his mission to the West Indies . Lieutenant Richard Wickes is buried at the Cold Spring Presbyterian Church cemetery . A section of the cemetery , Veterans Field of Honor , is dedicated to his memory . The Seal of Wildwood Crest and the Seal of the Wildwood Crest Historical Society each contain a drawing of the brigantine " Nancy " in honor of the battle . In 1922 , Cape May County filled in Turtle Gut Inlet . The site is now remembered by a small park .