In September 1780, Captain Joshua Huddy, a prominent militia officer, was captured at his Colts Neck home by a group of Loyalists led by Colonel Tye, a former enslaved man turned guerrilla leader. The raiders intended to deliver Huddy to British authorities in New York City via their fort at Sandy Hook. As they transported him along the Shrewsbury River near present-day Rumson, Patriot militiamen fired upon their boat from the riverbank. In the ensuing chaos, the boat capsized, and despite a gunshot wound to his thigh, Huddy managed to swim to shore, evading recapture.
Today, visitors can commemorate Huddy's daring escape at the Huddy's Leap Monument, located in West Park at the intersection of Rumson Road and Ward Avenue in Rumson, New Jersey. This site offers a poignant reminder of the area's Revolutionary War history. Additionally, the nearby Battle of Black Point marker at East River and Black Point Roads commemorates another significant skirmish, providing further historical context for visitors interested in the region's past.
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Stories from Huddy's Leap
In September 1780, Loyalist Colonel Tye captured Patriot captain Joshua Huddy after a fierce struggle. A Patriot ambush capsized their boat, allowing Huddy to escape while Tye suffered a wound that would prove fatal.
Colonel Tye, an escaped slave from New Jersey, became a feared Black Loyalist leader during the Revolutionary War. Leading the Black Brigade, he raided Patriot forces until a fatal wound in 1780. His legacy reflects the fight for freedom beyond American independence.
A strategic location for the defense of New York's harbor, the Continentals failed to reinforce this peninsula, leading to the city's capture in August of 1776. A lighthouse dating to 1764 still operates there today, once serving as a Loyalist fortification.