The Black Brigade During the American Revolution

 

One small elite black raiding unit of twenty four men, called the Black Brigade, became particularly terrifying for the American rebels. The Black Brigade was led by an ex-slave known as Colonel Tye (an honorary title).  In 1775 Tye ran away from his master in New Jersey and drifted south.  Reaching Virginia, he joined Lord Dunmore’s Ethiopian Regiment in which he fought bravely.  

After that regiment disbanded, Tye returned to New Jersey to fight for the King.  In June, 1778 he fought at the Battle of Monmouth and captured a rebel militia captain.  In July, 1779, Tye's band launched a raid on Shrewsbury.  Using his intimate knowledge of Monmouth County's swamps, rivers and inlets Tye continued to carry out a series of lightning raids, carrying away clothing, furniture, horses and cattle from the homes of prominent rebels. 

By 1780, Tye’s band had become a force to be reckoned with.  On June 9, Tye and his men executed the rebel Joseph Murray, hated by the Loyalists for his murder of Tory prisoners.  On June 12 the Black Brigade attacked the home of Barnes Smock, captured the rebel militia leader and twelve of his men, and destroyed rebel cannon.  As a result of Tye’s raids, a large number of New Jersey’s slaves fled to the British in New York seeking freedom.  As the summer of 1780 wore on, Tye continued to confront and confuse the rebels, until in September, Tye led a surprise attack on the home of Captain Josiah Huddy.  During this skirmish Tye was shot in the wrist.  The minor wound festered and became gangrenous, leading to Tye’s death.

Who Were the Slaves of the Founding Fathers?

Secrets of Early America 1607-1816