Ambush of Geary The Ambush of Geary was a skirmish of the American Revolutionary War fought on 14 December 1776 near Ringoes in Amwell Township , Hunterdon County , New Jersey . Cornet Francis Geary , the leader of a company of dragoons , was shot in an ambush set up by local militiamen . After British forces captured New York City in the first part of the New York and New Jersey campaign , they established outposts throughout central New Jersey . Geary , the son of Admiral Sir Francis Geary , was operating from a station at Pennington when he was killed in the ambush . His body was concealed and later buried in a shallow grave , preventing its recovery by British troops . In the 19th century local historical interest led to the confirmation of his grave ' s location , and the establishment of markers at the site and in England . Making a casualty of Geary was one of a number of militia actions that resulted in a reduced scope of British reconnaissance , contributing to the eventual success of George Washington ' s crossing of the Delaware and success at Trenton . Background . After General William Howe successfully drove George Washington ' s Continental Army out of New York City in the fall of 1776 , Washington retreated across New Jersey , pursued by General Charles Cornwallis . Washington retreated all the way across the Delaware River in early December , and the British began arranging winter quarters in New Jersey , establishing a chain of outposts from Perth Amboy to Bordentown . The British and their Hessian allies regularly sent out reconnaissance and foraging parties . These were vulnerable to attack by local Patriot militia companies . The area around the Trenton outpost , commanded by Johann Rall and populated primarily by Hessians , was particularly vulnerable to these militia raids , as was a detachment of the 16th ( Queen ' s ) Light Dragoons posted not far away from Trenton at Pennington . Hunterdon County , north of Trenton , was an area where atrocities were reported in early December , including claims of rape of girls and pregnant women , perpetrated by groups of British and German soldiers ; these reports contributed to an increase in Patriot militia activity in the area north of Trenton . Cornet Francis Geary was the eldest son and heir of Admiral Sir Francis Geary and Mary Bartholomew . Born in 1752 , he was raised in Surrey and educated at Balliol College , Oxford . Purchasing a cornetcy in the 16th Light Dragoons in 1773 , Geary was sent to North America in 1776 , arriving in New York at the end of September . In October and November , Geary ' s unit was mainly occupied with forays in northern New Jersey where they met little organized resistance , but on 1 December , his company was ordered to camp at Pennington . On 14 December , Cornet Geary and seven other members of the 16th were sent north on a reconnaissance mission . Ambush . The most detailed source for this action is a deposition attached to the application for a military pension of John Schanck , cousin of Captain John Schenck , the leader of the Patriot militia ; detailed British accounts do not appear to exist . According to this account , Geary ' s party rode through Amwell Township toward Flemington to verify that a supply of salt beef and pork was ready for the army to pick up . The deponent had received intelligence of this movement the previous day , and when John Schenck learned of it , he set out the next morning , gathering up a few men ( eight in number , according to the deponent ) , and set up an ambush in a wooded area about south of Flemington . When Geary ' s company rode by , the militia fired a volley of musket fire , killing Geary . A more brief description by a non - participating British officer reporting the event indicated that Geary was alerted to the impending fire , but was unable to escape the volley . The dragoons returned fire , but were driven off by continuing militia fire . Aftermath . The militiamen appropriated portions of Geary ' s uniform , including his sword and the silver plate on his cap that had his name inscribed on it . British troops that had been sent out to meet them and take the supplies questioned the local inhabitants and searched the area , but could not find his body . The militiamen had concealed it ; it was buried in a shallow grave the next day . General John Burgoyne , in his capacity as colonel of the 16th , wrote to Admiral Geary : This ambush and similar militia attacks resulted in British troops reducing the range of their scouting forays , as the danger of going further than about from Trenton was significant . This was crucial when the Americans began massing boats along the Delaware River prior to Washington ' s crossing of the Delaware that culminated with the Battle of Trenton on 26 December 1776 . Geary ' s troops were stationed only from the river and Malta Island , the staging area for the crossing . Legacy . Hunterdon County traditions claim that Geary ' s belongings were hidden to prevent their discovery by British troops . His coat is said to have been hidden under a pile of wheat on the floor of a garret , while his boots were hidden in an oven . It is also said that Geary ' s red sash was unravelled and the thread was used for various ornamental purposes , his sword was melted to make teaspoons and his stiff leather hat was used by a farmer to dip oats from his feed bin for his horses . Many local residents of Hunterdon County were unaware that Geary had been buried there , and accounts persisted that the British had recovered his body . In 1891 the Hunterdon County Historical Society exhumed a body from a site suspected to contain his body . Found in the grave were a skeleton and silver buttons labeled " Q . L . D . " , signifying the Queen ' s Light Dragoons . His family placed a grave marker on the site in 1907 . The St . Nicholas Church in Great Bookham , Surrey , contains a bas - relief depicting Cornet Francis Geary and the incident .