The Battle of Kedges Strait (also known as the Battle of the Barges) took place on November 30, 1782 near Tangier Sound in Chesapeake Bay near the town of Onancock, Virginia, between naval militia forces of the rebellious British colony of Maryland and the Royal Navy of Great Britain.

Some thirteen months had passed since General Charles Cornwallis' October 1781 surrender at Yorktown ending the land war between Great Britain and the Colonies.

For two days in late November of 1782 Commodore Zedechiah Whaley of the Maryland militia had been waging an indecisive battle during a campaign against British barges of war that had been harassing the shores and farms of Chesapeake Bay.

Cropper rounded up 25 local men in support, who boarded Whaley's flagship, Protector, and continued his siege upon the British flotilla.

The battle of Kedges Strait is recognized by a Virginia highways historical marker near the village of Onancoke, and remains the subject of both academic research and limited guided tours.