Colonel Tye

Tye
Born Titus
c.1753
Died 1780 (aged c.27)
Cause of death Infected gunshot wound

Military career

Allegiance  Kingdom of Great Britain
Service/branch  British Army
Years of service 1775-1780
Rank Colonel (honoury rank)
Commands held Black Brigade
Battles/wars

American Revolutionary War

Colonel Tye, also known as Titus Cornelius (c.1753–1780), was a slave of African descent in New Jersey who achieved notability fighting as a Loyalist during the American Revolutionary War; he was known for his leadership and fighting skills. He fought with the Ethiopian Regiment and the Black Brigade. He was one of the most effective guerrilla leaders opposing the American rebel forces in central New Jersey.[1][2]

Early life and education

Tye was born into slavery in New Jersey and originally owned by John Corlies, a Quaker in Monmouth County. At the onset of the Revolution, there were roughly 8,200 slaves in New Jersey, second only to New York among northern colonies in both the number and percentage of African Americans.[3] Corlies, Titus's owner, held slaves despite his denomination's increasing opposition to slavery. By the 1760s, it was Quaker practice to teach slaves how to read and write, and to free them at age 21. Yet, Corlies afforded his slaves "no learning [and was] not inclined to give them any."[4] Corlies kept his slaves past the age of 21, and he was one of the last slaveholders in the region.[2] Known to be hard on his slaves, Corlies severely whipped them for minor causes.[5]

Prelude to revolution

Lord Dunmore
John Corlies' runaway advertisement for Titus.

In November 1775, John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, the royal governor of Virginia, issued a proclamation offering freedom to all slaves and indentured servants who would leave rebel masters and join the British. The proclamation and the disruption of the war contributed to an estimated nearly 100,000 slaves to escaping during the Revolution, some to join the British. Planters considered Dunmore's offer a "diabolical scheme"; it contributed to their support for the Patriot cause (Henretta et al. 2006).

Titus happened to escape in New Jersey the day after Dunmore's proclamation (too early to have learned the news) and joined British forces. Carrying only a small amount of clothing "drawn up at one end with string," Titus left Corlies's property and walked towards Williamsburg, Virginia.[6] Corlies promptly placed advertisements in Pennsylvania newspapers, promising a reward of "three pounds of proclamation money" for capturing Titus.[7]

Military actions

Assuming the adopted name of "Tye," Titus enlisted in the Ethiopian Regiment. In his first experience seeing action at the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778, Titus captured Captain Elisha Shepard of the Monmouth militia and brought him to his imprisonment in British-occupied New York City.[8]

Tye's knowledge of Monmouth County and his bold leadership soon made him a well-known and feared Loyalist guerrilla commander. The British paid him and his group, consisting of blacks and whites, to destabilize the region. Tye and his fellow guerrilla fighters operated out of forested base called Refugeetown on Sandy Hook.[9] They often targeted wealthy, slaveholding Patriots during their assaults, which often took place at night.[10] Tye led several successful raids during the summer of 1779, seizing food and fuel, taking prisoners, and freeing many slaves. On July 15, 1779, he executed a daring raid on Shrewsbury, New Jersey, during which they captured eighty cattle, twenty horses, and William Brindley and Elisha Cook, two well-known inhabitants.[2][11][12] British officers paid Tye and his men five gold guineas for their successful raids.[13] Panicked white Patriots pleaded with Governor William Livingston to send assistance.[14] Livingston responded by invoking martial law, a maneuver that only served to convince more African Americans to flee to British-held New York.[15]

German Pastor Henry Muhlenberg

By the winter of 1779, Tye served with the Black Brigade, 24 Loyalists who served with the white unit known as the Queen's Rangers, to defend British-occupied New York City. The Black Brigade also helped to usher escaping slaves to their freedom inside British lines, and even assisted their transportation to Nova Scotia.[16] They also raided rebel sympathizers in New Jersey.[2] Because the members of the Black Brigade knew the homes of Patriots from their time as slaves, the Patriots feared the Black Brigade more than the regular British army.[17] Henry Muhlenberg, a German Lutheran pastor sent to the colonies as a missionary, commented on the formidability of the Black Brigade: "The worst is to be feared from the irregular troops whom the so-called Tories have assembled from various nationalities– for example, a regiment of Catholics, a regiment of Negroes, who are fitted for and inclined towards barbarities, are lack in human feeling and are familiar with every corner of the country."[18]

Beginning in June 1780, Tye led three actions in Monmouth County. His forces attacked and killed Joseph Murray in his home in retaliation for Murray's executions of loyalists as a vigilante.[19] He also raided Barnes Smock, a leader of rebel militia in Monmouth County. Tye captured twelve of Smock's supporters and destroyed his artillery.[20] On September 1, 1780, Tye led a small group of African Americans and Queen's Rangers to Toms River, New Jersey, with the aim of raiding the home of Capt. Joshua Huddy. Known for his swift execution of captured Loyalists, Huddy was an important target for Tye and his band. Tye briefly captured Huddy, but in surprise attack, a party of Patriots helped Huddy to escape.[21] Huddy and a female servant had managed to resist Tye's band for two hours before the Loyalists set fire to the house.[2] The Patriots injured Tye in the fight, firing a musketball through his wrist.

Death and legacy

Colonel Tye developed tetanus and gangrene from the wound suffered in the raid against Huddy. Tye died two days later from the infection.[22][2] Black Pioneer Colonel Stephen Blucke assumed command of Tye's troops following his death. Blucke successfully led the group for the balance of the war, even operating after the British surrender at Yorktown.[23]

Often considered one of the most effective and respected African American soldiers of the Revolution, Tye made significant contributions to the British cause.[24] Although never commissioned an officer by the British Army, which did not appoint anyone of African descent to such positions, Colonel Tye earned his honorary title as a sign of respect for his tactical and leadership skills. His knowledge of the terrain in Monmouth County, New Jersey was integral to his success. As the commander of the elite Black Brigade, he led raids against the American rebels, seized supplies, and assassinated American leaders during the war. He provided substantial aid to the British. His aid to the British in New York City helped them withstand a 1779 winter siege by American forces under General George Washington.

Representation in popular culture

See also

Further reading

References

  1. ↑ "Colonel Tye", Africans in America, PBS
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jonathan D. Sutherland, African Americans at War, ABC-CLIO, 2003, pp. 420-421, accessed 4 May 2010
  3. ↑ Egerton, Douglas R. (2009-01-13). Death or Liberty: African Americans and Revolutionary America. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199743674.
  4. ↑ Egerton, Douglas R. (2009-01-13). Death or Liberty: African Americans and Revolutionary America. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199743674.
  5. ↑ "Colonel Tye", Africans in America, PBS
  6. ↑ Egerton, Douglas R. (2009-01-13). Death or Liberty: African Americans and Revolutionary America. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199743674.
  7. ↑ Egerton, Douglas R. (2009-01-13). Death or Liberty: African Americans and Revolutionary America. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199743674.
  8. ↑ Egerton, Douglas R. (2009-01-13). Death or Liberty: African Americans and Revolutionary America. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199743674.
  9. ↑ Egerton, Douglas R. (2009-01-13). Death or Liberty: African Americans and Revolutionary America. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199743674.
  10. ↑ Egerton, Douglas R. (2009-01-13). Death or Liberty: African Americans and Revolutionary America. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199743674.
  11. ↑ Egerton, Douglas R. (2009-01-13). Death or Liberty: African Americans and Revolutionary America. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199743674.
  12. ↑ Hodges, Graham Russell (1997-01-01). Slavery and Freedom in the Rural North: African Americans in Monmouth County, New Jersey, 1665-1865. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780945612513.
  13. ↑ Hodges, Graham Russell (1997-01-01). Slavery and Freedom in the Rural North: African Americans in Monmouth County, New Jersey, 1665-1865. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780945612513.
  14. ↑ Egerton, Douglas R. (2009-01-13). Death or Liberty: African Americans and Revolutionary America. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199743674.
  15. ↑ Sutherland, Jonathan (2003-12-01). African Americans at War: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781576077467.
  16. ↑ Hodges, Graham Russell (1998-01-01). Slavery, Freedom and Culture Among Early American Workers. M.E. Sharpe. ISBN 9780765601131.
  17. ↑ Hodges, Graham Russell (1998-01-01). Slavery, Freedom and Culture Among Early American Workers. M.E. Sharpe. ISBN 9780765601131.
  18. ↑ Hodges, Graham Russell (1998-01-01). Slavery, Freedom and Culture Among Early American Workers. M.E. Sharpe. ISBN 9780765601131.
  19. ↑ Egerton, Douglas R. (2009-01-13). Death or Liberty: African Americans and Revolutionary America. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199743674.
  20. ↑ Sutherland, Jonathan (2003-12-01). African Americans at War: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781576077467.
  21. ↑ Egerton, Douglas R. (2009-01-13). Death or Liberty: African Americans and Revolutionary America. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199743674.
  22. ↑ "Colonel Tye", Africans in America, PBS
  23. ↑ Sutherland, Jonathan (2003-12-01). African Americans at War: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781576077467.
  24. ↑ "CDC: Black Loyalists". blackloyalist.com. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  25. ↑ "American Revolution | Slavery and Remembrance". slaveryandremembrance.org. Retrieved 2016-04-29.

External links

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