Monmouth's Slaves Seek Freedom Behind British Lines

The landing of the British Army at Sandy Hook (June 30) and Staten Island (July 7) created a powerful magnet for Loyalists and others in unhappy situations in New Jersey and New York. As discussed in a prior article, Monmouth County’s African American population knew of British proclamations promising freedom to the slaves of rebels who would join the British Army. Many African Americans became restive or militant. With the British strong and near, joining them was, no doubt, alluring to many of Monmouth County’s slaves.

On July 23, Daniel Hendrickson of Tinton Falls, who replaced Samuel Breese as the colonel of Shrewsbury Township’s militia, reported to the New Jersey Convention that "Negro slaves have run off and were on board the enemy's fleet.” He requested and received permission to go the British fleet and negotiate for their return. As discussed in a prior article, two of the slaves in question were regarded as the property of William Kipping and John Corlies. The British returned the runaways to their bondsmen. But it is likely that Hendrickson was referring to more than just these two slaves in his request to the Convention. The result of Hendrickson’s visit to the British is unknown. So, if Hendrickson brought back only two slaves, many others may have earned their freedom.

In prior work, the author compiled a table of Monmouth County slaves who sought refuge behind British lines during the American Revolution. A condensed version of this information is as follows by year and # of escaped slaves:

1776 - Five

1777 - Six

1778 - Eight

1779 - Five

1780 - Three

1781- Four

1782 - Six

Year Unknown - Three

Importantly, this information demonstrates that Monmouth County slaves took refuge behind British lines every year of the war. While adult men were the majority of runaways, women and entire families escaped behind British lines as well. 28 of the 40 documented escaped slaves were from Shrewsbury and Middletown townships, the townships proximate to Sandy Hook. Because of incomplete documentation, the table above surely undercounts the full number of escaped slaves.

Slaves demonstrated an understanding of the tumultuous politics of this period. As the British and Loyalists swept into New Jersey during the toward the end of 1776, slaves came to the Loyalist Commissioners appointed by the British; these men were empowered to free slaves if the slave took a Loyalty oath and demonstrated the disloyalty of his or her bondsman. John Pope testified that on December 13, 1776, he spoke with one of those commissioners, John Lawrence, about this:

I mentioned to Mr. Lawrence that the Negroes were getting information against their masters in order to have them taken into custody and to have themselves freed thereby - Mr. Lawrence replied that it was an infamous practice and most discountenanced.

Regardless of Lawrence’s sentiment, slaves were indeed freed during this time period. One of these recently freed slaves, a man named Sip, participated in the December Loyalist uprising known as the “Tory Ascendancy”. In May 1777, Abraham Lane testified:

The fore part of January last, this deponent was at the house of Thomas Lockerson [Thomas Okerson] and saw Sip, a negro man, the property of Peter Parker, when the said negro said he supposed that the damned rebels would soon be after him, but if they did, he would take shot amongst them... Sip at this time had a gun with him, that he got from Peter Wardell, a Tory refugee.

At least two other runaway slaves (and probably more) participated in the Loyalist uprising. In May 1777, Captain John Dennis of Shrewsbury petitioned the New Jersey Council of Safety for the release of two African Americans, Joe and Scipio, who were formerly slaves of Peter Parker and John Slocum. According to a letter from Governor William Livingston they were “among a number of other prisoners hurried to jail in Philadelphia” immediately after the collapse of the Loyalist uprising.  Dennis claimed:

[Joe and Scipio] were sometime last February taken prisoner by the Memorialist on suspicion of having been in arms & aiding the Enemy, & afterwards sent to Philadelphia where they have been confined since... The masters of sd Negroes are desirous of having the matter heard and have prevailed upon your memorialist to lay a state of the charge before your Board, which he is ready to do, whenever the Board shall be pleased to hear him.

Dennis, Slocum and Parker appeared before the New Jersey Council of Safety on May 22. Parker and Slocum agreed to compensate the State of New Jersey for the expenses of holding the slaves and posting bonds for their future good behavior.

While the future “good behavior” of Joe and Scipio is unknown, it is known that dozens of Monmouth County ultimately achieved freedom by going behind British lines. By 1780, many were participating in an unofficial partisan organization known as “the Black Brigade.” The raids of the Black Brigade against the militia and leaders of eastern Monmouth County were among the more effective and punishing of the war.

Caption: In 1775, Virginia’s Royal Governor, Lord Dunmore, issued a proclamation promising freedom to the slaves of rebels who joined the British Army. British generals would issue similar promises.

Related Historic Site: Sandy Hook Lighthouse

Sources: Peter Force, American Archives: Consisting of a Collection of Authentick Records, State Papers, Debates, and Letters and Other Notices of Publick Affairs (Washington, DC: U.S. Congress Clerk's Office, 1853), 5th Series, vol. 6, p 1651; Peter Force, American Archives: Consisting of a Collection of Authentick Records, State Papers, Debates, and Letters and Other Notices of Publick Affairs (Washington, DC: U.S. Congress Clerk's Office, 1853), 5th Series, vol. 1, p 602-3; Michael Adelberg, The American Revolution in Monmouth County (History Press: Charleston, SC, 2010) p83; New Jersey State Archives, Bureau of Archives of History, Council of Safety, box 1, document #41; NJ Council of Safety, New Jersey State Archives, box 2; Minutes of the Provincial Congress and the Council of Safety of the State of New Jersey 1775-1776 (Ithaca: Cornell University Library, 2009) pp. 43, 52. New Jersey State Archives, William Livingston Papers, reel 4, May 12, 1777; William Livingston to Richard Bache, Carl Prince, Papers of William Livingston (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1987) vol. 1, p 338; Willam Livingston to PA Board of War, in Samuel Hazard, Pennsylvania Archives (Harrisburg: State of Pennsylvania, 1902) First Series, vol. 5, p 348.