Battle of Pine's Bridge

The ambush at Pine's Bridge in Westchester County on May 2, 1781 was a Loyalist cavalry strike that claimed one of the Continental Army's most capable Black officers. James DeLancey's Westchester Refugees — a Loyalist mounted unit — ambushed an American patrol near the bridge over the Croton River.

Colonel Christopher Greene, commander of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment — the predominantly Black unit that had distinguished itself at the Battle of Rhode Island in 1778 — was killed in the ambush along with several of his men. The attack was described by witnesses as particularly brutal, with the wounded being killed after the initial fighting.

The death of Colonel Greene was a significant loss to the Continental Army. He had commanded the 1st Rhode Island since its formation and had built it into one of the most disciplined regiments in the army. His death, and the death of several Black soldiers in the attack, was mourned throughout the Continental forces in the New York theater.