The Black Brigade
Colonel Tye proved a successful guerrilla leader in the summer of 1779. He led his men in a hit and run campaign that terrorized and enraged the local Patriots, seized food and provisions, destroyed property, and freed numerous slaves. It was during this period that Tye became known as Colonel Tye – an honorific bestowed upon him by the British, albeit not an actual rank. In the winter of 1779 Colonel Tye, having distinguished himself in combat, joined the Black Brigade – a unit of about two dozen black Loyalists. They fought alongside the Queen’s Rangers – a white Loyalist unit that was eventually integrated by incorporating into its ranks the Black Brigade, and black Loyalists from some other units.
By 1779, the war in the northern colonies had entered a stalemate. Units such as the Queen’s Rangers and the Black Brigade fought to defend the Loyalist stronghold in New York, while the British shifted their military focus to the southern colonies. The Black Brigade continued to raid Patriot held territory in Monmouth County and the surrounding region. In addition to arming Tye and his men, the British paid them bonuses in gold for successful operations. The Black Brigade rustled cattle and other livestock, then drove it across British lines to feed Loyalist forces. Additionally, they seized valuables, and captured prominent Patriots, whom they took to New York as prisoners. One type of raiding for which Tye and his men needed little encouragement or financial reward was that against slave owners.