The nearby blockhouse, manned by Patriot Capt. Joshua Huddy’s New Jersey State Artillery of twenty-five men, was besieged by a force five times its size. Area Commander Maj. John Cook, six militiamen, and two Loyalist officers were killed. Huddy and thirteen men were taken prisoner. The village was torched and completely destroyed except for two houses saved for civilian refuge. The unlawful execution of Capt. Huddy led to stalled peace treaty negotiations in Paris following this overwhelming Loyalist attack on the privateer base and salt warehouses at Toms River.
