A War Within a War – Patriots vs Black Loyalists in Monmouth County, NJ
The Black Brigade fell upon slaveholders with a will. Especially the farms and holdings of brigade members’ former masters. They freed numerous slaves, or otherwise facilitated their escape into freedom behind British lines. Tye and his men were particularly dreaded by their foes. As rumors flew that the Black Brigade planned to lead blacks in massacring whites in various parts of New Jersey, many Patriots were gripped by panic. As one commented: “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“.
Fearful Patriots in Monmouth County set up an Association of Retaliation, and persuaded the Patriot governor to declare martial law. In early 1780, the Black Brigade’s raids increased in both frequency and intensity, as the fighting between Patriots and Loyalists descended into a cycle of tit-for-tat killings. In September, 1780, Tye led a raid against a particularly vicious Patriot militia leader named Joshua Huddy, infamous for habitually executing Loyalist prisoners. The raiders captured Huddy, but he was then freed in a surprise Patriot counterattack. In the melee, Tye was shot in the wrist – a minor injury in of itself, but one which soon became infected. He died of gangrene and tetanus a few days later.