Major William "Bloody Bill" Cunningham and a large group of Loyalist militia attacked a gathering of Patriot militia led by Col. Joseph Hayes. The Patriots surrendered when their leader's home was set on fire. After the surrender, Bloody Bill brutally killed every prisoner.

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Col. Hayes, who owned a tavern near Edgehill Station, was having a meal with his men when they were alerted by Captain John Owens about smoke coming from the nearby plantation house of General James Williams's widow. Rushing to investigate, they were ambushed by Bloody Bill and his 300 Loyalists.

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Seeking refuge in a block house, the Patriots were eventually forced to surrender after their shelter was set on fire. The Loyalists tied the men together with a rope, promising to move them, but instead, Bloody Bill started hanging and dismembering them, leaving a gruesome scene before riding off.