Colonel Tye

Titus Cornelius, also known as Titus, Tye, and famously as Colonel Tye ( – September 1780), was a enslaved man of African descent in the Province of New Jersey who escaped from his master and fought as a Black Loyalist during the American Revolutionary War; he was known for his leadership and fighting skills. He fought with a volunteer corps of escaped Virginia Colony slaves in the Ethiopian Regiment, and he led the Black Brigade associators. Tye died from tetanus from a musket wound in the wrist following a short siege in September 1780 against Captain Joshua Huddy. He was one of the most feared and effective guerrilla leaders opposing the American patriot forces in central New Jersey. At the onset of the American Revolution, there were about 8,200 slaves in the New Jersey, second only to New York among the northern American colonies, in both the number and percentage of African Americans. 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 gave his slaves "no learning [and was] not inclined to give them any".

The group of Quakers disapproved of Corlies' refusal to provide his slaves an education and his lack of adherence to the 1758 Quaker edict to end slavery. Corlies responded by saying that "he has not seen it his duty to give [the slaves] their freedom". Titus learned on his own about property, wealth, commodities, and the political leanings of the families in the area. 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. 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. They also raided patriot sympathizers in New Jersey, captured them, and brought them to the British in return for rewards. For example, 29 male and female African Americans left slave owners in Bergen County during this time. 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. The British often gave such titles to noteworthy black fighters in Jamaica and other parts of the British West Indies. Further, Tye's exploits intensified white anxieties about slave revolt and served to reinforce anti-abolition sentiment.