Colonel Tye
Titus had escaped from his master in Monmouth County, New Jersey before Lord Dunmore's proclamation of emancipation to slaves of American rebels who would join his ranks. He was on the run when he heard of Lord Dunmore's proclamation. The fugitive made his way to Virginia and enlisted in Lord Dunmore's Ethiopian Regiment.
Lord Dunmore created the Ethiopian Regiment under white officers and NCOs. Although it is possible (if not probable) that some of the black recruits rose to the rank of sergeant (possibly even Tye); the British commissioned no blacks as officers in the 18th or 19th centuries. Nothing is known of Private Tye's (or Sergeant Tye's) activities between 1776 and 1778.
Tye returned to New Jersey from Virginia, as his first recorded fighting debut was at the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778. He was known for the duration of the war as the Black Loyalist guerrilla leader Colonel Tye. It was an honorific title of respect. He led the elite Black Brigade, which served with the guerrilla Queen's Rangers in helping defend the British in New York in the winter of 1779. In addition, he led numerous raids in Monmouth County, New Jersey, interrupting supply lines, capturing rebel officers, and killing suspected leaders. He died of complications from wounds in 1780.
Read more about this topic: Ethiopian Regiment
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