Cape May County and the American Revolution

Discover and celebrate the heritage of Cape May County's revolutionary patriots.

Descendants of whalers and those accustomed to hard living, the people of Cape May County served their emerging country on land and sea. They fought in the Continental army and the local militia at places like Brandywine and Germantown, and they fought at sea and on Delaware Bay, mostly as privateers. Their activities devilled the vaunted British navy and damaged the British war effort. Men like the Stillwell brothers, Nicholas and Enoch, prowled the waters around Egg Harbor and Peck’s Beach. Others, like successful Philadelphia lawyer and merchant Thomas Leaming, financed privateer ventures at the risk of losing everything.

Cape May County author Ray Rebmann tells the story of the roles played by local men and women in securing America’s liberty. 

Retiree Ray Rebmann keeps busy as curator for a local museum when he’s not writing books about periods of county history. His previous History Press works are Cape May County and the Civil War and Prohibition in Cape May County. He also coauthored (with Tom Champion) TheHistory of Dennis Township (Arcadia Publishing). Rebmann lives in the wilds of Dennis Township, New Jersey, with his wife, Alicia. He has two grown children.