Anthony Wayne
1745–1796
 |
In 1775, at the onset of the Revolutionary War, Wayne raised a militia troop and soon became colonel of the Fourth Pennsylvania Regiment. He was sent northward, where his men failed to invade Canada but helped Benedict Arnold in an impressive victory at the Battle of Trois-Rivières. Wayne was promoted to brigadier general, and he later led the American attack during the Battle of Monmouth. The highlight of Wayne’s military career, however, came in 1779, when he and four regiments of light infantrymen led a midnight attack on the British fortress at Stony Point. The success of this mission significantly boosted American morale, and Wayne was given a medal for his brave leadership. Unfortunately, Anthony’s good fortune did not last; only two years later, the Army’s Pennsylvania Line, of which he was now commanding officer, mutinied, forcing Wayne to dismiss nearly half the line and recruit new men. The extra work delayed his journey in Virginia, where he had been sent to assist the Marquis de Lafayette, but he arrived in time to lead the troops into Green Spring and defeat the superior British force. After the British surrender at Yorktown, Wayne travelled southward, organizing treaties with the various Indian tribes and severing their alliances to the British. In 1783, He was promoted to major general.
After the war, Wayne returned home, serving in the Pennsylvania state legislature for a year in 1784. He next travelled to Georgia, where he had been given land in return for his military service, and a few years later he participated in the state convention to ratify the Constitution. He served in the Second U.S. Congress as a Representative of Georgia, but after debates began concerning his residency qualifications, he was removed from the post and did not run for re-election. He returned for a time to civilian life, until he was called upon by George Washington to lead an expedition in the Northwest Indian War. Wayne took command of the "Legion of the United States," and he established the first facility created solely for the training of recruited soldiers. His men were then sent out to Ohio, where he ended the war with a victory at the Battle of the Fallen Timbers. The resulting Treaty of Greenville gave almost all of present-day Ohio to the United States. Wayne died of gout in 1796, and although he was buried in Erie, Pennsylvania, his bones were later moved to the family burial plot in Radnor. Legend tells that many of the bones were lost along the route, and every January 1, the ghost of Wayne Anthony is said to prowl the region, searching for the lost pieces.
Key events during the life of Anthony Wayne:
| Born. | |
| Attended the College of Philadelphia. | |
| Was sent to Canada to survey lands in Nova Scotia. | |
| Married Mary Penrose. | |
| Rasied a militia unit at the start of the American Revolution. | |
| Battle of Trois-Rivières. | |
| Promoted to brigadier general. | |
| Victory at Stony Point. | |
| Pennsylvania Line mutinied. | |
| Assisted the Marquis de Lafayette at Green Spring. | |
| Promoted to major general. | |
| Served in the Pennsylvania state legislature. | |
| Helped ratify the U.S. Constitution. | |
| Served in the Second U.S. Congress as a Georgia Representative. | |
| Led the Legion of the United States during the Northwest Indian War. | |
| Defeated the Native Americans at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, ending the war. | |
| Died of complications from gout. |
Other Resources
| War with the Western Indians in | Indian History for Young Folks by Francis S. Drake |
| Indians Join Britain against the Colonies in | Indian History for Young Folks by Francis S. Drake |
| Mad Anthony in | America First—100 Stories from Our History by Lawton B. Evans |
| Washington's Troubles in | Story of the Great Republic by H. A. Guerber |
| Indian Cruelty in | Story of the Thirteen Colonies by H. A. Guerber |
| Book Links |
|---|
Image Links | ||
|---|---|---|
Wayne aimed and fired one of the field pieces himself in The Hero of Stony Point |
 The Great Snow Fight in The Hero of Stony Point |
 Forward, my brave fellows, forward!' in The Hero of Stony Point |
 The treaty with the Indians in The Hero of Stony Point |
 General Wayne's Escape in Indian History for Young Folks |
 General Wayne in Indian History for Young Folks |
 The capture of Stony Point in Story of the Thirteen Colonies |
Anthony Wayne in Back Matter |
 The defeat of the Indians by General Wayne in True Stories of Our Presidents |
| Hero of the Revolutionary War, but tragically turned traitor. He escaped to the British before discovery. | |
| George Washington | Leader of the Continental Army of the U.S. during the Revolutionary War, and first President. |
| When her husband was killed, she took over his position and helped man a cannon at the Battle of Monmouth. | |
| French soldier who fought in American Revolution, and early leader of French Revolution. | |
| Statesman, publisher, inventor, and non-conformist. Founding father, and benefactor of Philadelphia. |