HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
Delaware's only Revolutionary War battle, and its headless soldier
961 Old Baltimore Pike, Newark, DE 19702
Research updated August 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free. The battlefield marker and monument grounds are outdoor public access; homestead building tours and open-house events are periodic and run by the Friends of Cooch's Bridge Historic Site.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Roadside grounds and a grass yard around the historic marker and Cooch house; the site abuts Old Baltimore Pike traffic
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1760 · Only Revolutionary War Land Battle on Delaware Soil · Cornwallis Headquarters · National Register-Eligible Cooch Homestead
On September 3, 1777, roughly 500 American light infantry and militia under General William Maxwell ambushed the advance guard of a British and Hessian force under Generals William Howe, Charles Cornwallis, and Wilhelm von Knyphausen as it marched north from Head of Elk toward Philadelphia. Fighting among trees and marshland near present-day Newark and Glasgow, the Americans inflicted losses before Hessian Jägers and British infantry outflanked them; ammunition ran low and Maxwell's men fell back after several hours of fighting, with several dozen casualties on each side. It remains the only Revolutionary War land battle fought on Delaware soil, and some historians credit it as the first engagement where the newly adopted Stars and Stripes flew over American troops, though the claim is debated.
Following the battle, Cornwallis occupied the Cooch family's circa-1760 home as his headquarters for five days before British forces burned the Cooch family's mill and continued toward the Battle of Brandywine on September 11. A historical marker was erected at the site in 1901 and its inscription revised by the Historic Markers Commission in 1932.
In December 2018, the State of Delaware acquired the ten-acre property, including the Cooch house and several outbuildings, transferring it from private into public hands. The Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs now manages the site, and the volunteer Friends of Cooch's Bridge Historic Site runs periodic open houses and guided tours while working to expand regular public access.
Sources
According to local tradition documented by the University of Delaware and Delaware Live, a soldier who lost his head during the Battle of Cooch's Bridge still appears on foggy, moonless nights as a headless figure near the battlefield and along nearby Welsh Tract Road. Two versions of the story circulate. One centers on a British scout who rode a light-colored horse and wore steel plating over his chest and back; after eluding American fire in earlier encounters, he was finally struck in the head by a corporal who had learned to aim higher. The other names a young Delaware volunteer, Charlie Miller, said to have been decapitated when a British cannonball struck the brick facade of nearby Welsh Tract Church during the fighting.
Both versions describe the same core image: a rider or soldier searching for his missing head along the roads and rail corridor that now cross the old battlefield. Archaeologists from Indiana University of Pennsylvania have worked to locate unmarked soldier graves at the site, a reminder that the battle left real dead in ground that today borders housing, schools, and Interstate 95.
Notable Entities
Walk the roadside grounds at the site of the only Revolutionary War land battle fought on Delaware soil, marked by a 1901 historical marker (revised 1932) near the circa-1760 Cooch house. Delaware acquired the ten-acre property in December 2018 and continues preserving it.
Periodic guided tours of the Cooch homestead and battlefield, run by the volunteer Friends of Cooch's Bridge Historic Site in partnership with Delaware's Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs. Schedule varies by season; check the tours page or call ahead.
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