Colonel Tye
He fought with a volunteer corps of escaped Virginia Colony slaves in the Ethiopian Regiment, and he led the Black Brigade associators.
[1][2] Titus Cornelius was born into slavery in Colt's Neck, Monmouth County, New Jersey and originally owned by John Corlies, a Quaker.
A reward for his capture was put out by his master reading:[5]Run away from the subscriber, living in Shrewsbury, in the county of Monmouth, New Jersey, a Negroe man, named Titus, but may probably change his name; he is about 21 years of age, not very black, near 6 feet high; had on a grey homespun coat, brown breeches, blue and white stockings, and took with him a wallet, drawn up at one end with a string, in which was a quantity of clothes.
[6] In November 1775, John Murray, the royal governor of Virginia, issued a proclamation offering freedom to all slaves and indentured servants who would leave American masters and join the British.
[7] Lord Dunmore's act successfully prompted conspiracy among slaves in the Atlantic region, as many African Americans left their rebel masters to join the British.
[6] Carrying only a small amount of clothing "drawn up at one end with string", Titus left Corlies' property and walked toward Williamsburg, Virginia.
[4][6] Fought near Freehold, New Jersey, the Battle of Monmouth proved to be indecisive militarily, but it introduced British and American forces to Tye's great ability as a soldier.
[6] Colonel Tye's knowledge of the topography of Monmouth County and his bold leadership soon made him a well-known and feared Loyalist guerrilla commander.
[6] On 15 July 1779, accompanied by a Tory named John Moody and 50 African Americans, Tye executed a daring raid on Shrewsbury, New Jersey, during which they captured 80 cattle, 20 horses, and William Brindley and Elisha Cook, two well-known inhabitants.
[4] Tye led several successful raids during the summer of 1779, seizing food and fuel, taking prisoners, and freeing many slaves.
Tye's group worked in tandem with a white Loyalist unit, known as the "Queen's Rangers", to defend British-occupied New York City.
Traveling undetected into the towns of Monmouth County, Tye and his men seized cattle, forage, and silverplate, and returned the resources to the weakened British forces.
[8] The Black Brigade also helped to usher escaping slaves to their freedom inside British lines, and later assisted their transportation to Nova Scotia for resettlement.
"[9] Reports that African Americans planned massacres of whites in Elizabeth and in Somerset County inflamed the local population's fear of Tye and his men.
[6] Led by David Forman, the brigadier general of the New Jersey militia, the Monmouth County Whigs organized the Association for Retaliation to protect themselves against Tye and other Loyalist raids.
[6] On 1 September 1780, Tye led a small group of African Americans and Queen's Rangers to Colt's Neck, New Jersey, with the aim of raiding the home of Captain Joshua Huddy.
[10] Although never commissioned an officer by the British Army, Colonel Tye earned his honorary title as a sign of respect for his tactical and leadership skills.
Tye had served a crucial role for the British forces in the area as he led numerous successful raids and battles against the local patriots.
Tye and his men captured important Patriot militiamen, launched numerous raids, and seized scarce resources from the local population.
Their actions gained the attention of Governor William Livingston, who invoked martial law in New Jersey as a result in an attempt to restore order.
