Joshua "Jack" Huddy (November 8, 1735April 12, 1782) was a captain in the Monmouth militia and of the

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

ship ''The Black Snake'' during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. Following his capture, Huddy was controversially executed by irregular

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

forces in 1782. His execution was noted for precipitating one of the first

international incidents {{Refimprove, date=December 2011 An international incident (or diplomatic incident) is a seemingly relatively small or limited action, incident or clash that results in a wider dispute between two or more nation-states. International incidents can ...

of the newly independent

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. In retaliation for Huddy's execution, patriots petitioned for the execution of captive British officer, Charles Asgill, which would have violated the terms of the Articles of Capitulation. This came to be known as the "

Asgill Affair The Asgill Affair was an event that occurred towards the end of the American Revolution. As a result of ongoing murders taking place between the Patriot and Loyalist factions, retaliatory measures were then taken by General George Washington again ...

". The

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period. ...

, allies of the US, pressured the young nation to show the officer mercy. The

Congress of the Confederation The Congress of the Confederation, or the Confederation Congress, formally referred to as the United States in Congress Assembled, was the governing body of the United States of America during the Confederation period, March 1, 1781 – Mar ...

voted to order his release.

Early life

Huddy was born November 8, 1735, to a prosperous family in

Salem County Salem County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its western boundary is formed by the Delaware River and its eastern terminus is the Delaware Memorial Bridge, which connects the county with New Castle, Delaware. Its cou ...

Province of New Jersey The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1783. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherland but came under English rule after the ...

, the oldest of seven brothers. His grandfather, Hugh Huddy, was a well-known judge in

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

. Huddy spent most of his early life in Salem, where he was labeled a rebellious troublemaker. He was disowned by

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

in Salem in 1757 for his "disorderly" conduct. His troubles continued into adulthood; he was tried and convicted several times for crimes including assault and theft and repeatedly had financial difficulties. He was forced to sell a 300-acre (1.2 km²) plantation in Salem to pay his debts and was forced into debtors' prison for a time. In 1764, he married his first wife, the widowed Mary Borden, by whom he had two daughters, Elizabeth and Martha, before her death. In the 1770s, Huddy moved to Colts Neck in Monmouth County. There, on October 27, 1778, he married his second wife, Catherine (Applegate) Hart, also a widow and owner of the Colts Neck Tavern, which she had inherited from her first husband, Levy Hart. The Monmouth County sheriff later accused Huddy of trying to steal the tavern from his wife, and to force her children out onto the street. He often appeared in civil and criminal court, either as plaintiff or defendant.

Military career

The outbreak of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

saw Huddy align himself with the Patriot cause. On September 4, 1777, he was appointed as a captain in the Monmouth Militia by the

New Jersey State Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the S ...

. Huddy was a popular and aggressive captain, engaging in the raids and executions that characterized the intense violence within Monmouth County. In October 1777, Huddy allegedly took part in the execution of Loyalist Stephen Edwards, who was dragged from his home in

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

before being hanged from an oak tree. Huddy's involvement in the

Philadelphia campaign The Philadelphia campaign (1777–1778) was a British effort in the American Revolutionary War to gain control of Philadelphia, which was then the seat of the Second Continental Congress. British General William Howe, after failing to draw ...

is unclear, though it's widely believed he and his men took part in the Battles of both

Germantown Germantown or German Town may refer to: Places Australia * Germantown, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region United States * Germantown, California, the former name of Artois, a census-designated place in Glenn County * Ger ...

(1777) and

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. I ...

(1778). Huddy and the Monmouth militia also harassed the British as they marched from

Freehold Freehold may refer to: In real estate *Freehold (law), the tenure of property in fee simple *Customary freehold, a form of feudal tenure of land in England *Parson's freehold, where a Church of England rector or vicar of holds title to benefice p ...

Sandy Hook Sandy Hook is a barrier spit in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The barrier spit, approximately in length and varying from wide, is located at the north end of the Jersey Shore. It encloses the southern en ...

, where the British Army was planning to travel from New Jersey back to British-occupied

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. In August 1780, the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

issued Huddy a commission to operate a gunboat, ''The Black Snake'', and given a letter of marque to operate as a privateer.

Colonel Tye Titus Cornelius, also known as Titus, Tye, and famously as Colonel Tye ( – 1780), was a slave 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; h ...

, a former slave, led a Loyalist night raid of Colts Neck one month later, capturing Huddy in his house. Huddy and his mistress Lucretia Edmonds held off the attackers in a two-hour-long gun battle, but after the Loyalists set fire to his house, Huddy surrendered on the condition they would extinguish the blaze. Colonel Tye took the captive Huddy to

Rumson, New Jersey Rumson is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the borough’s population was 7,343, reflecting a 3.1% increase from the 7,122 enumera ...

, and put him on a boat bound for New York City. Patriots on the other side of the

Shrewsbury River The Shrewsbury River is a short stream and navigable estuary. The stream is approximately 8 mi (13 km) long and is located in Central New Jersey. It extends east-northeast from its head of navigation at Oceanport to its confluence with ...

opened fire on the boat, causing it to capsize. Despite being hit in the thigh by a bullet, Huddy escaped and swam to shore.

Capture and execution

On February 1, 1782, Huddy was given command of the blockhouse, a small fort, at the village of Toms River that was built to protect the local

salt works A salt evaporation pond is a shallow artificial salt pan designed to extract salts from sea water or other brines. The Salt pans are shallow and large of size because it will be easier for sunlight to travel and reach the sea water. Natural s ...

. The salt was needed to cure meat destined for American troops, and the Toms River was an important launch point for Patriot privateers. On March 24, a large, irregular force of approximately 80 Associated

Loyalists Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

, an organization headed by

William Franklin William Franklin (22 February 1730 – 17 November 1813) was an American-born attorney, soldier, politician, and colonial administrator. He was the acknowledged illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin. William Franklin was the last colonial Gov ...

, overwhelmed Huddy's small band of defenders and took the fort. They destroyed the blockhouse, salt works, local mills, and razed all but two houses in the village. As an officer, Huddy was transferred to a military prison ship

New York harbor New York Harbor is at the mouth of the Hudson River where it empties into New York Bay near the East River tidal estuary, and then into the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of the United States. It is one of the largest natural harbors in t ...

.Benjamin Johnson
"General Washington's Terrible Dilemma,"
Massachusetts Historical Society, October 2007, http://www.masshist.org/ Soon, however, Huddy was taken from British custody by a band of Associated Loyalists, headed by Captain Richard Lippincott, ostensibly to make a

prisoner exchange A prisoner exchange or prisoner swap is a deal between opposing sides in a conflict to release prisoners: prisoners of war, spies, hostages, etc. Sometimes, dead bodies are involved in an exchange. Geneva Conventions Under the Geneva Convent ...

. No such exchange was planned; instead, Lippincott's forces took Huddy by boat to Middletown Point, a location on the south coast of

Sandy Hook Bay The Raritan Bayshore region of New Jersey is a subregion of the larger Jersey Shore. It is the area around Raritan Bay from The Amboys to Sandy Hook, in Monmouth and Middlesex counties, including the towns of Woodbridge, Perth Amboy, South Amboy, ...

. They landed on the beach at the foot of the Navesink Hills. There, on April 12, 1782, they hanged Huddy after allowing him to dictate and sign his will. In the rounds of retaliation, Huddy's

summary execution A summary execution is an execution in which a person is accused of a crime and immediately killed without the benefit of a full and fair trial. Executions as the result of summary justice (such as a drumhead court-martial) are sometimes include ...

by the Loyalists was retaliation for the death, in Patriot custody, of Loyalist farmer Philip White. The executioners left a note pinned to Huddy's body: Huddy Grave Marker

''We the Refugees having with Grief Long beheld the cruel murders of our Brethren & findg nowiki/>sic.html"_;"title="sic.html"_;"title="nowiki/>sic">nowiki/>sic">sic.html"_;"title="nowiki/>sic">nowiki/>sicnothing_but_Such_measures_Daily_carrying_into_Execution.'' ''We_therefore_Determine_not_to_suffer_without_take_Vengeance_for_numerous_Cruelties_and_thus_begin_and_have_made_use_of—Capt._Huddy_as_the_first_Object_to_present_to_your_Views,_and_further_Determine_to_Hang_Man_for_Man_as_Long_as_a_Refugee_is_Left_Existing.'' ''Up_Goes_Huddy_for_Phillip_White.''

It_was_reported_in_a_letter_to_Washington_that_Huddy_maintained_his_innocence_in_the_death_of_Phillip_White,_and_that_he_"should_Dye__Innocent,_and_in_a_good_Cause,_and_with_uncommon_Composure_of_Mind_and_fortitude_prepared_Himself_for_his_End"_and_that_"Capt._Huddy_dyed__with_the_firmness_of_a_Lyon_." The_next_morning,_Patriots_found_Huddy's_body_hanging_from_the_gallows,_cut_it_down,_and_brought_it_to_Freehold_Township,_New_Jersey.html" "title="sic">nowiki/>sic.html" ;"title="sic.html" ;"title="nowiki/>sic">nowiki/>sic">sic.html" ;"title="nowiki/>sic">nowiki/>sicnothing but Such measures Daily carrying into Execution.'' ''We therefore Determine not to suffer without take Vengeance for numerous Cruelties and thus begin and have made use of—Capt. Huddy as the first Object to present to your Views, and further Determine to Hang Man for Man as Long as a Refugee is Left Existing.'' ''Up Goes Huddy for Phillip White.''It was reported in a letter to Washington that Huddy maintained his innocence in the death of Phillip White, and that he "should Dye Innocent, and in a good Cause, and with uncommon Composure of Mind and fortitude prepared Himself for his End" and that "Capt. Huddy dyed with the firmness of a Lyon ." The next morning, Patriots found Huddy's body hanging from the gallows, cut it down, and brought it to Freehold Township, New Jersey">Freehold Freehold may refer to: In real estate *Freehold (law), the tenure of property in fee simple *Customary freehold, a form of feudal tenure of land in England *Parson's freehold, where a Church of England rector or vicar of holds title to benefice p ...

Early life

Military career

Capture and execution

Asgill Affair

Legacy

References

External links