Qass. 
 
 Book.L___im 
 
General Anthony Wayne. 
 
LIFE AND SEEVICES 
 
 rvEN. iNTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 FOUNDED 
 
 ' t "IJElfTART AND OTHER ETIDEXCE, FCUXISHED BT HIS 
 SON, COL. ISAAC WATNE. 
 
 V 
 
 BY H. N. MOORE, 
 
 ILLUSTRATED WITH ENGRAVINGS. 
 
 ^ 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 PUBLISHED BY JOHN B. PERRY, 
 
 NO. 198 MARKET STREE'l. 
 1845. 
 
E, 207 
 
 NOTE • U)35N^X^ 
 
 The compiler is mainly indebted to the pages of The Casket, (a 
 monthly periodical, now discontinued, but published during; several 
 years in Philadelphia,) for the matter of the little book here placed 
 before the public, treating of the Life and Services of Gen. Anthony 
 Wayne. In the volumes of the Casket for 1829 and 1830, will be found 
 a biographical notice, (running through several numbers,) of this 
 illustrious patriot, soldier and statesman of the American Revolution ; — 
 the matter for which was obtained as mentioned upon the title-page of 
 this work. Much of the documentary material in the Casket has been 
 appropriated — a sketch of Wayiie, vide vol. iv. of Sparks' Jivierican Bio- 
 
 fraphy, is occasionally quoted — and various histories and annals have 
 een consulted— all of which are duly acknowledged. 
 , Philadelphia, July, 1845. 
 
 Entered, according to act of Congress, in the year 1S45, by 
 
 JOHN B. PERRY, 
 
 in ♦he Office of the Clerk of the District Court of the United States in 
 
 and for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 
 
 MtmRAY AND CHARLES, STEBEOTYPERS, 
 No. 9 George street, FhiUdelpbia. 
 
LIFE OF 
 
 ANTHONY WAYNE 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The ancestors ofWayne. — His grandfather at the battle of the 
 Boyne. — Emigration of the family to Pennsylvania in 1722. 
 — Birth of Anthony Wayne. — Some account of him at 
 school. — He opens an office as aland surveyor. — Dr, 
 Franklin becomes his friend. — The Nova Scotia agency. 
 Wayne's industry. — His marriage in 1767. — He settles 
 upon his farm in Chester county. — Takes an active inter- 
 est in the controversy between 'the Colonies and Great 
 Britain. — A member of the Pennsylvania Convention, of 
 the Legislature, and of the Committee of Safety. — His pa- 
 triotism. — He raises a regiment, of which Congress gives 
 him the command, and he proceeds to join the northern 
 army. — Battle of the Three Rivers. — Wayne's gallantry. — 
 — He is wounded, but ably conducts the retreat to Ticon- 
 deroga — has the command at this place from November, 
 1776 to May, 1777, when he joins the main army under 
 Washington. 
 
 The name of Wayne at once brings to the mind of 
 every American, acquainted with the history of his 
 country, the image of a brave, enterprising, and active 
 officer, ready of will, and prompt to execute ; impatient 
 of restraint, and eager to attack his enemy sword in 
 hand. 
 
 The ancestors of Wayne were English people, re- 
 1* 5 
 
6 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 siding for many generations in Yorkshire, but Anthony 
 Wayne, the grandfather of the subject of our present 
 notice, removed his family into Wicklow county, in 
 Ireland, during the reign of Charles II., and establish- 
 ed himself as an agriculturalist in that country. He 
 occasionally executed some civil as well as military 
 offices. 
 
 Upon the death of Charles II., in 1685, his brother, 
 the Duke of York, ascended the throne as James II. 
 James professed the Catholic faith, whilst the great 
 body of the nation, nobility, merchants, and the people 
 at large, were Protestants. Rigorous laws were in 
 force against Catholics, and the efforts of James to 
 ameliorate the condition of this portion of his subjects, 
 roused the jealousy and alarm of those professing the 
 reformed religion. The leading statesmen of the day 
 concerted together, drew up a paper, to which they 
 appended their signatures, inviting William, Prince of 
 Orange, (husband of James' eldest daughter, Mary,) 
 to invade England with an armed force, and whose 
 standard they solemnly pledged their honors to join. 
 William, accordingly, collected a force of his Dutch 
 subjects, embarked in a small fleet, landed upon the 
 coast of England, marched towards London, and was 
 every where met by the most influential men of the 
 kingdom. James' second daughter, Anne, escaped 
 from the palace, (Whitehall,) and repaired to the camp 
 of her brother-in-law. Deserted by his children, and 
 finding himself odious to the citizens of London, James 
 fled from Whitehall, got on board a vessel, and es- 
 caped to France. William entered London in triumph, 
 and was invested with the crown, jointly with his wife 
 — until whose death, this epoch of English history is 
 known as the reign of William and Mary. This me- 
 morable revolution took place in the year 1688. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 7 
 
 Two years subsequently, James, assisted by the 
 King of France, and depending gready upon the favor- 
 able disposition of the Catholic population of Ireland 
 towards him, landed upon that island, with the pur- 
 pose of regaining the sceptre of Great Britain. Wil- 
 liam promptly encountered him, and the celebrated 
 battle of the Boyne took place on the 1st of July, 1690, 
 in which eighteen hundred of the Irish Catholics were 
 slaughtered. James was among the first to flee from 
 the ground. He lost his hat in his hurry in climbing 
 on board one of the ships of the French fleet — sailed — 
 reached France again, and remained there until his 
 death. 
 
 In this battle, Anthony Wayne, the elder, command- 
 ed a company of dragoons in the service of King Wil- 
 liam, and fought with signal bravery throughout the 
 hottest of the contest. He was a Protestant, and was 
 deeply imbued with the republican principles advocat- 
 ed by the early Puritans. He was at this time about 
 thirty years of age. He continued to reside in Ireland 
 for many years after the battle of the Boyne; but, 
 eventually, became dissatisfied with the social habits 
 of the Irish people, and, when over sixty years of age, 
 formed the resolution of migrating to the New World. 
 Of an energetic and enterprising nature, he at once 
 made his arrangements, crossed the Atlantic, arriving 
 safely at the port of Philadelphia, in the year 1722, 
 with his family, consisting of four sons, each of whom 
 had been well educated in Ireland, their native country. 
 Old Anthony, in the year 1724, with the view of set- 
 tling his sons comfortably around him, purchased an 
 extensive real estate in the county of Chester, and pro- 
 vince of Pennsylvania, assigning to each a part. His 
 youngest son, Isaac Wayne, father of the American 
 general, was a man of strong mind, great industry and 
 
8 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 enterprise. He frequently represented the county of 
 Chester in the provincial legislature, and, in the capa- 
 city of a commissioned officer, repeatedly distinguished 
 himself in expeditions against the Indians. He was at 
 all times celebrated for his patriotism, and admired for 
 the uprightness of his conduct. After a long life of 
 usefulness to his country, to his family, and to his 
 friends, he died in 1774, leaving one son and two 
 daughters. 
 
 His only son, Anthony Wayne, whose public career 
 sheds so much lustre on American arms and character, 
 was born in the township of Eastown, Chester county, 
 Pennsylvania, on the 1st day of January, 1745. His 
 father was desirous of bringing the boy up to the busi- 
 ness of a farmer, but he soon discovered that the la- 
 bors of the field did not suit his son's propensities, 
 and, inasmuch as he had the means of indulging the 
 bent of the lad's genius, he resolved to affi^rd him an 
 opportunity of pursuing such studies as inclination 
 might suggest. And for this purpose he was placed 
 under the tuition of his uncle, Gilbert Wayne, a man 
 of considerable erudition and mental acquirements, and 
 who was a country schoolmaster. 
 
 After some considerable time had been spent with 
 his uncle, it appears that young Anthony's progress in 
 learning was far from being encouraging. Indeed, his 
 uncle had formed a very unfavorable opinion of the 
 boy's capacity for acquiring scholastic knowledge, as is 
 evident by the following letter that he wrote to the 
 boy's father. " I really suspect that parental affection 
 blinds you, and that you have mistaken your son's 
 capacity. What he may be best qualified for, I know 
 not. One thing I am certain of, he will never make a 
 scholar. He may perhaps make a soldier. He has 
 already distracted the brains of two-thirds of the boys 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 11 
 
 under my charge, by rehearsals of battles, sieges, etc. 
 They exhibit more the appearance of Indians and Har- 
 lequins than students. — This one decorated with a cap 
 of many colors ; others habited in coats as variegated, 
 like Josepli's of old — some laid up with broken heads 
 and black eyes. During noon, in place of the usual 
 games of amusements, he has the boys employed in 
 throwing up redoubts, skirmishing, etc. I must be 
 candid with you, brother Isaac — unless Anthony pays 
 more attention to his books, I shall be under the pain- 
 ful necessity of dismissing him from the school."* 
 
 It will readily be inferred that young Wayne's father 
 was not a little mortified by this account of his son, 
 and at the next interview he not only reprimanded him 
 severely, but threatened to withdraw him from school, 
 and consign him to the lowest and most irksome la- 
 bors of the farm. Knowing the decisive character of 
 his father, and dreading lest the threat should be put 
 in force, Anthony resolved to give up, for the present 
 at least, all his military schemes, and vigorously to 
 prosecute his studies. Returning to the school of his 
 uncle, he assiduously applied himself to mathematics, 
 and persevered so effectually, that, at the end of eigh- 
 teen months, his uncle acknowledged he could instruct 
 him no farther, and advised his brother to send the lad 
 to Philadelphia for the purpose of acquiring an aca- 
 demical education. 
 
 Anthony, having reconciled his uncle, and gratified 
 the hopes of his father, was, at the age of sixteen, en- 
 
 * Here we have a striking similarity between the school 
 pastimes of Anthony Wayne and Napoleon Bonaparte — the 
 latter, as we are historically informed, engaged his fellow 
 scholars in building forts of snow, ranging them into besieg- 
 ers and besieged, and attacking and defending with snow- 
 balls. 
 
12 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 tered as a pupil in the Philadelphia Agademy, where 
 he remained until his eighteenth year. So great was 
 his attachment to mathematical science, and so eager 
 his zeal to reach its summit, that the united solicitations 
 of his friends and tutors could not prevail on him to 
 devote more time to the dead languages than was merely 
 sufficient for the acquirement of their rudiments. — After 
 leaving the academy, Wayne took up his residence in 
 his native county, the settlement and improvement of 
 which, though as yet in their infancy, were daily ad- 
 vancing. At this time a surveyor of competent abili- 
 ties was much needed in the adjustment of controver- 
 sies, on account of disputed and ill-defined lines, and 
 the location of roads for public and private accommo- 
 dation; he therefore commenced the pursuit of sur- 
 veying, and also devoted a portion of his time to prac- 
 tical astronomy and engineering. The manuscripts 
 which he has left behind him on those subjects have 
 attracted the notice and elicited the applause of distin- 
 guished professors. 
 
 Having opened an office as a land surveyor, he soon 
 found himself surrounded by a lucrative business. At 
 this period, the peace of 1763 between France and 
 Great Britain, gave to the latter the undisputed autho- 
 rity over the island of Nova Scotia, and it was conse- 
 quently the policy of her government to colonize this 
 new portion of her dominions. Inducements were held 
 out, and capitalists residing in the older provinces, as- 
 sociated themselves together for the purpose of specu- 
 lation. A company of this kind was formed in Penn- 
 sylvania in 1764, consisting of merchants and money- 
 ed men, of whom Dr. Franklin, that patron of science 
 and learned men, was one. Admiring the gentlemanly 
 manners of young Mr. Wayne, and highly appreciat- 
 mg his talents, Franklin brought him forward as a fit 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 13 
 
 person for the agent of the company, in which capa- 
 city the services of a capable person were necessary ; 
 a person " who should visit the territory offered for 
 settlement ; inspect the soil, as regarded the purpose 
 of agriculture ; ascertain the means of commercial fa- 
 cihty connected with it ; and, under these several views, 
 locate the tract to be granted. It will be thought highly 
 creditable to Mr. Wayne, then in his twenty -first year, 
 that, of the many applicants for this agency, he should 
 have been chosen on the special recommendation of so 
 discriminating a judge as Dr. Franklin."* 
 
 In the month of March, 1765, Mr. "Wayne embark- 
 ed for Nova Scotia. The agency for this new popu- 
 lation company was both responsible and arduous. 
 Warrants were to be taken out, correct surveys were 
 to be made and returned, patents to be procured for the 
 lands, etc. ; in addition to which actual settlements 
 were to be effected. So ardent was Wayne's zeal for 
 the accomplishment of his mission, i, e., the objects of 
 it, that he permitted nothing within his control to im- 
 pede its progress. About the middle of December, 
 having executed to the letter the views of the company 
 thus far, he returned to Pennsylvania, and laid before 
 his friends and employers charts of the lands taken up, 
 with a detailed account of his proceedings — all of which 
 afforded the most perfect satisfaction to the company. 
 
 Early in the spring of 1766, he again repaired to 
 Nova Scotiay in order to complete the task so advan- 
 tageously commenced in the preceding year, taking 
 with him many settlers, implements of husbandry, pro- 
 visions, etc. Late in the autumn of that year he re- 
 turned to Philadelphia, having, in a manner highly 
 honorable to himself, and gratifying to the company, 
 
 * Sparks' American Biography, vol. iv. page 6. 
 
14 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 accomplished the various objects of his agency. And 
 the company, having, through his indefatigability, suc- 
 ceeded in planting their new colony, continued him as 
 an agent to extend and improve it.* Although he did 
 not revisit the setdement, he directed the concern, so 
 long as it retained the character of an association. The 
 correspondence which remains on this subject proves 
 him to have been an able negotiator, and his numerous 
 field notes, charts, and astronomical observations, ex- 
 hibit accuracy as well as great taste in execution. The 
 labor bestowed on this infant establishment promised a 
 rich reward to the association, but the active and glori- 
 ous part which Wayne and his companions espoused 
 in behalf of their country, previous to, and during the 
 revolutionary war, deprived them of enjoying the fruits 
 of their enterprise in Nova Scotia. 
 
 In the year 1767, Wayne married a daughter of 
 Benjamin Penrose, an eminent Philadelphia merchant; 
 and the already hostile position assumed between the 
 colonies and the mother country, having put an end to 
 his duties as agent for the company, he repaired to 
 Chester county, and established himself on a farm. 
 From this period until the year 1774, his time was oc- 
 cupied in agriculture and practical surveying. Such 
 was his celebrity as a surveyor, that he was called for 
 on all important and intricate cases, both in his own 
 county and those adjoining. And many of the provin- 
 cial and other principal roads in Pennsylvania have felt 
 the impress of his chain and compass. During the above 
 
 * "And, what maybe considered as redoundiDg still more 
 to his credit, that, after a full trial of his qualifications, the ad- 
 ditional trial of superintending the settlements actually made, 
 should have been continued, in him, until, in 1767, the men- 
 acing controversy between Great Britain and her colonies 
 put an end to the enterprise." — Sparks^ Biography. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 15 
 
 period — from 1767 to '74 — he was elected to various 
 county offices, and at the same time he took a leading 
 part among patriots in preparing for the struggle that, 
 (as day after day made more evident,) was about to 
 take place between the provinces and Great Britain. 
 
 For the purpose of raising revenue, the British par- 
 liament passed resolutions imposing oppressive duties 
 on the trade of the colonies. These acts were received 
 in America with a general feeling of indignation. 
 " Treated hitherto with comparative kindness and in- 
 dulgence, the people could not fail to perceive that such 
 measures were harsh and coercive. They were, in 
 fact, not less impolitic than unkind ; for it could not 
 reasonably be expected that those communities, who 
 had been left to grow in the free air of independence 
 in childhood, and had acted as the allies of the parent 
 state in youth, would submit to a system of unbending 
 restraint, when they had attained to the strength and 
 maturity of manhood. Parliament should have under- 
 stood, that while the colonies were becoming more and 
 more jealous of their rights, they were also becoming 
 sensible of their power. If they had learned the les- 
 son of civil freedom from the Pilgrims, they had also 
 learned the art of war from the French and Indians."* 
 
 Anthony Wayne was one of the provincial deputies 
 who, early in the year 1774, were chosen, by the dif- 
 ferent counties, to take into consideration the alarming 
 state of affairs at this crisis, and report thereon. He 
 was also a member of the Pennsylvania convention, 
 which, shortly after this, assembled in the city of Phi- 
 ladelphia, and the patriotic zeal and spirited proceed- 
 ings of which body excited an honorable and power- 
 ful emulation in the other colonies. 
 
 Frost's History of the United States. 
 
16 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 The state of public affairs strongly indicated that the 
 Pennsylvania Legislature of 1774-5, should be com- 
 posed of men possessing the soundest heads and stout- 
 est hearts ; thue greatest care was consequently taken 
 throughout the province to secure the election of men 
 of this description. Among the members returned from 
 Chester county was Anthony Wayne, who, with 
 Charles Thompson, Thomas Mifflin, and other zealous 
 patriots of the same body, led the way in preparing for 
 the decisive part which Pennsylvania afterwards took 
 in the general contest. In the summer of 1775, Wayne 
 was appointed a member of the committee of safety, 
 with Dr. Franklin, John Dickinson, and others, alike 
 distinguished for zeal in their country's cause. To 
 this committee belonged the duty of calling into actual 
 service the citizens, and providing for the defence of 
 the province against invasion from abroad and insurrec- 
 tion at home. 
 
 Wayne, having resolved to enter the service of his 
 country the moment an opportunity should present, 
 and being himself fully convinced that the controversy 
 between the two countries would only be settled by the 
 sword, assiduously applied his mind to acquiring a 
 knowledge of military tactics, and gave a great portion 
 of his time and labor to the institution and instruction 
 of military associations throughout his native county. 
 On the subject of military discipline and tactics, every 
 writer of eminence, and within his reach, was procur- 
 ed ; and every day, which he could spare from other 
 public duties, he devoted to performing the service of a 
 drill officer, and infusing into the minds of his fellow- 
 citizens a knowledge of military science. His grow- 
 ing popularity brought to his standard large assem- 
 blages of the youths of Chester county wherever he 
 appointed a drill, and the confidence which they repos- 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 17 
 
 ed in his skill and intrepidity, was an earnest of the 
 most prompt and strict attention to his orders should 
 the occasion come when he should be called upon to 
 lead them into battle. 
 
 Wayne, in size, was above what is termed the " mid- 
 dle stature," and was well proportioned. He had dark 
 hair. His forehead was high and handsomely formed. 
 The color of his eyes was a dark hazel, intelligent, 
 quick, and penetrating. His nose approached the 
 aquiline. The remainder of his face was well propor- 
 tioned, and his whole countenance fine and animated. 
 His natural disposition was exceedingly amiable. He 
 was ardent and sincere in his attachments. His morals 
 were chaste, his manners refined. 
 
 So desirous was this zealous republican of disciplin- 
 ing the different military associations in his native 
 county, that, in September, 1775, he abstracted him- 
 self wholly from the political councils of the province, 
 and devoted his energies to the object of raising a vol- 
 unteer regiment. This object he pursued with such 
 combined decision and discretion, that he was but six 
 weeks in completing a regiment, of which he was 
 unanimously chosen colonel, and by his address and 
 assiduity soon exhibited, to the surprise of his country- 
 men, a corps more resembling veterans than militia. 
 They were young and gallant men who thronged to the 
 standard of Anthony Wayne ! Every thing conspired 
 to make the young men of that day patriots, agitated as 
 the citizens were throughout the colonies with the great 
 questions of taxation and the rights of a free people. 
 The clouds of war threatened, and the young and en- 
 thusiastic at once turned their attention to military 
 science. They ransacked history for the description 
 of battles, and even though they did not obtain much 
 of information in regard to tactics from historians, they 
 2* 
 
18 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 nevertheless imtibed no inconsiderable share of mili- 
 tary ardor from perusing and dwelling upon the heroic 
 deeds of the past. The spirit of liberty was abroad. 
 Thousands of young men throughout the colonies were 
 thronging to enrol themselves. Already had the great 
 drama of the Revolution opened at Lexington and 
 Bunker's Hill. Already had Washington accepted the 
 command of the army, and repaired to the seat of war. 
 Indications of patriotism and military superiority like 
 that which displayed itself thus early in the career of 
 Anthony Wayne, was particularly welcome at this 
 crisis. Congress, sitting at Philadelphia, had called 
 upon each of the colonies for a certain number of regi- 
 ments to reinforce the northern army ; and of the four 
 required from Pennsylvania, the one raised by the ex- 
 ertions of Wayne was called upon, and upon him was 
 conferred the command of it. His commission dates 
 the 3d of January, 1776. So soon as the appointment 
 was announced, those that he had drilled and disciplin- 
 ed, flocked around him, enthusiastically ready to fol- 
 low his fortunes in the service of their common country. 
 This was a circumstance highly flattering to him, as 
 well as honorable to themselves, and by which means 
 he was speedily enabled to take the field. He receiv- 
 ed orders to join the army under General Lee at New 
 York ;* from whence he proceeded with his officers 
 and men to Canada, where he arrived about the last of 
 June, and his regiment formed a part of the brigade, 
 under the command of General Thompson, stationed 
 at the mouth of Sorel river. 
 
 * Washington, in person, was besieging the British in the 
 town of Boston, which they evacuated on the 17th of March, 
 1776 ; but previous to that, he had sent a force under Gene- 
 ral Lee to put New York city and Long Island into a state of 
 defence. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 19 
 
 By the death of Gen. Thomas, who had command- 
 ed the northern army, the command devolved upon 
 Maj. Gen. SuUivan, who arrived at Sorel river at 
 about the same time Wayne did.* Sullivan, being in- 
 formed that a detachment of six hundred of the British 
 light infantry had advanced as far westward as the 
 Trois Rivieres, (Three Rivers,) and were posted there 
 under the command of Gen. Frazer, was desirous of 
 not only checking their advance, but striking them be- 
 fore they could concentrate their forces ; he was de- 
 sirous of recapturing the post, and establishing a heavy 
 battery upon it, which, if not sufficient entirely to pre- 
 vent the ascent of the British armed vessels and trans- 
 ports up the St. Lawrence to Montreal, might at least 
 so embarrass the navigation as gready to retard their 
 progress thither.t 
 
 With these views, Sullivan intrusted the expedition 
 to Gen. Thompson, who set out upon the night of 
 the 3d of July, at the head of three regiments ; Wayne's, 
 St. Clair's and Irvine's. Although the plan of this ex- 
 pedition was well laid, and much resolution discovered 
 in the execution of it, yet a combination of untoward 
 circumstances compelled the Americans to retreat in 
 the greatest confusion. Gen. Thompson, and the 
 
 * " John Sullivan, an officer in the army of the American 
 Revolution, born in Maine, established himself as a lawyer in 
 New Hampshire. Turning his attention to military affairs, 
 he received, in 1772, the commission of major, and in 1775, 
 that of brigadier-general. The next year he was sent to Ca- 
 nada, and on the death of General Thomas, the command of 
 the army devolved on him." — Biographical Dictionary. 
 
 The northern army had been in command of General 
 Montgomery, who fell at the assault on Quebec. After him 
 General Wooster had the command. General Thomas, who 
 was sent to succeed the latter, died, during the retreat from 
 Quebec, on the 2d of June. 
 
 ■j- St. Clair's Narrative. 
 
20 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 gallant Col. Irvine, with some other officers, were 
 taken prisoners, together with about two hundred pri- 
 vates ; and several rank and file were killed. Col. 
 St. Clair received a wound in one of his feet, and 
 the movements of the brigade devolved upon Col. 
 Wayne, who, though severely wounded himself, con- 
 ducted the retreat in a masterly manner, and succeeded 
 in uniting and bringing off the dispersed and broken 
 bodies of troops, and with which he returned to the 
 camp at the mouth of the Sorel. This post it was no 
 longer possible to hold ; the Americans consequently 
 evacuated it, and a retreat towards Lake Champlain 
 was commenced. The duty of covering this movement 
 fell to the part of Col. Wayne and the Pennsylvania 
 regiments. Already a heavy British column was ad- 
 vancing, and the Americans had but just time to leave 
 the fort before the head of the enemy's column enter- 
 ed it. The retreat was ably conducted by Wayne, 
 and, ultimately, after many feats of bravery, and en- 
 during much toil and innumerable privations, the Ame- 
 ricans, with their baggage and stores, were safely con- 
 centrated at Ticonderoga, on the 17th of July. 
 
 At this post, and its dependencies, generals Gates 
 and Schuyler, then commanding, determined to take 
 their stand. In October, the British commander-in- 
 chief. Sir Guy Carleton, resumed offensive measures, 
 and, with a part of his fleet, appeared in view of these 
 posts. He reconnoitred the fortifications, but found 
 them so well prepared to resist an assault, and the late- 
 ness of the season precluding the trial of a siege, that 
 he concluded to suspend operations until the following 
 spring. He had landed his forces as if determined to 
 attack the American posts ; but, with his new impres- 
 sions on his mind, he re-embarked his army, and re- 
 tired into winter quarters in Canada. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 21 
 
 Immediately after the main body of the British had 
 withdrawn from the neighborhood of Ticonderoga, 
 Gen. Gates repaired to Washington's army with a 
 strong detachment of the northern troops, and the com- 
 mand of the remainder devolved on Gen. Schuyler, by 
 whom the following orders were issued. 
 
 " November 23d, 1776. 
 " Colonel Anthony Wayne, 
 
 " Sir, — The care of the fortress of Ticonderoga, and 
 Mount Independence, being committed to you, as com- 
 manding officer, with a garrison composed of your 
 regiment, and those of Wood, Dayton, Irvine, Burrell, 
 and Whitcomb, to compose the garrison, together with 
 the artillery, under Major Stevens, the light infantry 
 companies, under Colonel Whitcomb, Colonel Bald- 
 win, the chief engineer, with sundry artificers, and Ma- 
 jor Hay, A. D. Q. M. General, including in all upwards 
 of 2500 .rank and file. — I have the fullest confidence in 
 your vigilance, attention, and foresight to guard against 
 surprise, and to do every thing that may have a ten- 
 dency to secure your post, and promote the weal of the 
 service, etc. PHILIP SCHUYLER." 
 
 The compliment paid Col. Wayne in selecting 
 him for the command of such an important trust, was 
 certainly a high and flattering one. The arrangement 
 was particularly agreeable to the troops ; Congress ap- 
 proved of it, and the gallant soldier was, on the 21st of 
 the following February (1777) promoted by that body 
 to the rank of brigadier-general. The details of this 
 command are honorable to Wayne, and not devoid of 
 interest to the reader, but the limits of this memoir pre- 
 clude their insertion. He continued at this post from 
 November, 1776, to May, 1777, at which period, in 
 consequence of his earnest solicitations, he was order- 
 
22 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 ed to join the main army, then under Washington, in 
 New Jersey. A day or two previous to his departure 
 for head-quarters, the field officers of the continental 
 army at Ticonderoga unanimously addressed him in the 
 most affectionate and flattering terms. 
 
 The campaign of 1776 had proved rather disastrous 
 to the Americans ; a large number were taken prison- 
 ers, " and conveyed to New York, where they were 
 confined in the most horrible of all dungeons, the Bri- 
 tish prison ships. There they endured sufferings, which 
 have seldom known a parallel in the annals of cruelty. 
 But they bore all with the patience of martyrs, and the 
 courage of patriots. When offered liberty and promo- 
 tion if they would join the royal party, they spurned 
 the offer with contempt ; and hundreds of them expir- 
 ed in captivity, rather than desert the cause to which 
 they had devoted themselves."* 
 
 The campaign of 1777, had opened on both sides 
 with a rapid succession of assaults and surprises. At 
 Peekskill, on the North River, the Americans were at- 
 tacked by a large body of the British, under convoy of 
 a frigate ; they set the stores and buildings on fire, and 
 retreated. The British, after finishing the work of 
 destruction, returned to the city of New York. This 
 took place on the 23d of March. 
 
 On the 13th of April, an attempt was made by Lord 
 Cornwallis and Gen. Grant, to surprise and cut off 
 Gen. Lincoln, who, with 500 men, was posted at 
 Bound Brook, a few miles from Brunswick, in New 
 Jersey. The force of the British on this occasion was 
 near 2000, but Lincoln, by a daring and energetic move- 
 ment, notwithstanding he was partly surrounded, forced 
 his passage through the enemy's columns, and escaped 
 
 Frost's United States. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 23 
 
 with a loss of less than a hundred men, leaving some 
 baggage and three pieces behind. 
 
 These, and similar, desultory enterprises were being 
 carried on, whilst the northern army lay inactive at 
 Ticonderoga. The valor, and enterprising nature, of 
 Wayne, could not be contented except in the theatre 
 of the war, — which was at the crisis on the soil of New 
 Jersey, — and hence his solicitations to be transferred 
 to the head-quarters of the commander-in-chief, where 
 he arrived about the middle of May, and was received 
 by the officers and soldiers of the army, but especially 
 by those of the Pennsylvania line, with great pleasure. 
 
24 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Campaign of 1777. — Washington's praises of Wayne's gal- 
 lantry in the field. — Confidence of the Pennsylvanians in 
 Wayne's superior talents. — Letter to him from Dr. Rush — 
 his reply. — Battle of Brandywine. — Wajnne at Chad's Ford 
 — his bravery and coolness in this action. — Engagement 
 of 16th September — Wayne at the post of danger. — A full 
 account of the " Massacre at the Paoli," as it is called. — 
 Court Martial of Wayne in consequence — his defence, his 
 acquittal, etc. 
 
 General Howe, having received reinforcements 
 from England, crossed over from New York city into 
 the state of New Jersey, with 30,000 men. This was 
 about the 1st of June, 1777. Washington had but 7000 
 men to resist this overpowering number of well disci- 
 plined troops. Howe manoeuvred for several days, with 
 the object of drawing Washington from the strong posi- 
 tion he occupied at Middlebrook. One day he would 
 pretend an attack on the American camp, and the next 
 a flank movement on Philadelphia — in which city Con- 
 gress was sitting, and the expulsion of which body, to- 
 gether with the capture of that city, were now the pro- 
 minent objects that Howe was desirous of effecting. 
 These manoeuvres not succeeding, he counterfeited an 
 alarm, and made a precipitate retreat to Staten Island, 
 
 Wayne, immediately on his arrival at head-quarters, 
 had been placed in command of a brigade. He had 
 made every possible exertion to bring it into the field 
 in a high state of discipline ; and, for this purpose, as 
 well as on account of the deeply interesting crisis of the 
 war, he denied himself the pleasure of even visiting his 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 25 
 
 family, from whom he had been separated more than 
 sixteen months. His corps, and those respectively of 
 Sullivan, Morgan, and Maxwell, were ordered to pur- 
 sue the retreating enemy ; v/hilst Washington himself, 
 with the main army, should follow to sustain an attack 
 or cover a retreat. Howe, now learning that Wash- 
 ington was in pursuit of him, recalled his forces from 
 Staten Island, and advanced with his whole army, 
 hoping to bring the latter to a pitched battle ; pushing 
 rapidly forward himself, despatching Lord Cornwallis 
 with a force to seize the post at Middlebrook. But the 
 whole object was discovered by an American recon- 
 noitering party; Washington returned towards the 
 mountains and regained the strong hold of his former po- 
 sition, before Cornwallis had an opportunity to reach it. 
 
 Howe, finding he could not bring Washington to a 
 pitched battle, and baffled in every way by the Ameri- 
 can Fabius, gave up the design of reaching Philadel- 
 phia by a land march through New Jersey, and em- 
 barked 16,000 of his troops on the 5th of July, sailing 
 southward ; leaving the remainder of the army with 
 Sir Henry Clinton, to keep New York city in posses- 
 sion of the British. 
 
 During these skirmishes, Wayne and Morgan par- 
 ticularly distinguished themselves, evidence of which 
 we have in Washington's report to Congress, dated 
 June 22d. " They displayed great bravery and good 
 conduct;" says he, "they constantly advanced on an 
 enemy far superior to themselves in number, and well 
 secured behind strong redoubts." Washington held 
 Wayne in high estimation ; in fact, he soon became a 
 favorite with the commander-in-chief, and at all times 
 shared largely of his confidence. 
 
 The people of Pennsylvania were at this period, un- 
 happily, much divided on the subject of state policy. 
 3 
 
26 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 In order that Gen. Wayne might aid in restoring 
 harmony, many of his former political associates were 
 anxious that he should visit his native state, and 
 among them was one of her favorite sons, the dis- 
 tinguished Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Decla- 
 ration of Independence, and then a member of the 
 Pennsylvania delegation in 'Congress. He wrote to 
 Wayne. " Come, my dear sir," is his language, " and 
 let us weep together over this dear nurse of our child- 
 hood, the protectress of our youth, and the generous 
 re warder of our riper years. ' De republica nunquam 
 desperandum est.' Let us unite our efforts once more, 
 and perhaps we may recover Pennsylvania from her 
 delirium. At present she has lifted a knife to her own 
 throat. Your timely prescriptions may yet save her 
 life. I need not say, that in the field, we expect that 
 the Pennsylvanians will show us the ' metal of their 
 pasture' in the day of trial. Let no other state bear 
 away from us the palm of military glory."* 
 
 This letter was addressed to Wayne while he was 
 with the army in New Jersey. Wayne replied very 
 fully to the political part of Dr. Rush's epistle, and re- 
 gretted that his military duties would not admit of his 
 absence from the army. He adds, " The enemy do 
 not seem fond of meeting disciplined troops. My bri- 
 
 * " Benjamin Rush, an eminent American physician, was 
 bom, in 1745, in Bristol, Pennsylvania; educated at Prince- 
 ton, and took his degree at Edinburgh; chosen in 1776 a 
 member of Congress, and signed the Declaration of Inde- 
 pendence ; professor of medicine and clinical practice at the 
 Pennsylvania University; died in 1813. He was one of the 
 greatest and best men who have adorned his country. Among 
 his works are, Essays, Literary, Moral, and Philosophical ; 
 Medical Inquiries and Observations ; and a History of the 
 Yellow Fever." — Biographical Dictionary. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 27 
 
 g^de offered Gen. Grant battle six times the other 
 day ; he as often formed, but always on our approach 
 his people broke and run, after firing a few vollies, 
 which we did not return, being determined to let them 
 feel the effects of a close fire, and then give them the 
 bayonet under cover of the smoke. This hero, who 
 was to march through America at the head of 5000 
 men, by a flank fire of our artillery had his coat much 
 dirtied, his horse's head taken off, and himself badly 
 bruised, for having the presumption, at the head of 
 seven hundred British troops, to face five hundred Penn- 
 sylvanians. You may rest assured, sir, that the Penn- 
 sylvanians will not give up ' the palm of military glory' 
 to any troops on earth." 
 
 After the British retreated from New Jersey, some 
 time elapsed before Sir William Howe developed the 
 real object of his next movement. So soon as it was 
 ascertained. Gen. Wayne received the following order 
 from the commander-in-chief, which was promptly 
 obeyed and satisfactorily executed. 
 
 " Head Quarters. 
 " The fleet have gone out of the Hook,* and as Del- 
 aware appears to be the most probable destination, 1 
 desire that you will leave your brigade under the next 
 in command, and proceed to Chester county, in Penn- 
 sylvania, where your presence will be necessary to ar- 
 range the militia who are to rendezvous there." 
 
 To prevent the British from getting possession of 
 Philadelphia, was a matter of deep anxiety to Wash- 
 ington and Congress. That that city was the destina- 
 tion of the British fleet was the commonly received 
 opinion ; and the Americans obstructed the navigation 
 
 The British fleet left Sandy Hook on the 25th of July. 
 
28 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 of the river by a chevaux-de-frise and other works, 
 which they placed a few miles below the city. Howe 
 being apprized of these obstructions, sailed farther 
 south, and entered the Chesapeake. Washington, re- 
 ceiving intelligence that the British fleet was standing 
 up the bay, instantly decamped from the margin of the 
 Delaware, in Buck's county, and marched with his 
 whole army to oppose, if not defeat, the object of the 
 enemy — the reduction of Pennsylvania, particularly 
 that of Philadelphia. 
 
 On the 24th of August, Howe landed his forces at 
 the head of Elk river. He was not ready to march 
 upon Philadelphia until the 3d of September, when he set 
 his columns in motion, and advanced with but little op- 
 position until he arrived, on the 11th, at the southern 
 bank of a small river, called the Brandy wine, and within 
 twenty-five miles of the city. Here he was met by the 
 American army, Washington having resolved to try the 
 fortunes of a battle. On this memorable 11th of Sep- 
 tember, 1777, Gen. Wayne conducted a division. The 
 point most accessible to the enemy was Chad's Ford. 
 At this place, the post of danger, Wayne was stationed, 
 with orders to resist the passage of the column under 
 Knyphausen. So soon as Sir William Howe com- 
 menced the attack on the right, Knyphausen made his 
 arrangements to pass the Ford, when a tremendous 
 cannonade, accompanied by small arms, commenced 
 on both sides. The conflict was most gallantly kept 
 up by Wayne and his troops till near sunset, when 
 being apprized of the defeat sustained in his rear — 
 namely, that the right flank of the American line had 
 given way, and had been followed by the flight and dis- 
 order of its centre and left — he thought it prudent to 
 retreat, overpowered as he was by numbers, and per- 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 29 
 
 ceiving the enemy, who had vanquished our right co- 
 lumn, approaching near his flank and rear.* 
 
 Much credit was bestowed on Wayne and his divi- 
 sion for their coolness and bravery throughout the day, 
 and it was well merited. Their gallant resistance at 
 the Ford most certainly prevented Knyphausen from 
 materially annoying our retreating columns. " The 
 contest, which began on our right," says Col. Lee, 
 " spread to our left, was warm in some parts of the 
 American line, and many of the corps distinguished 
 themselves. The most conspicuous were the brigades 
 of Wayne and Weedon, and the 3d regiment of Virginia, 
 commanded by Col. Marshall, to which, with the ar- 
 tillery directed by Col. Proctor, of Pennsylvania, much 
 praise was given."t The loss sustained by the Ameri- 
 cans in this action has been stated at 300 killed, 600 
 wounded, and 400 prisoners. Sir William Howe stated 
 the loss of his army to be only 100 killed and 400 
 wounded. It was in this battle that young La Fayette 
 first drew his sword in the cause of our country's liber- 
 ties. Though wounded in the leg, he kept his posi- 
 tion, and continued to cheer and encourage the troops 
 to the end of the engagement. J 
 
 Washington, with his army, retired to Chester in 
 the night; decamping on the following morning, and 
 marching by the route of Philadelphia. Here he cross- 
 ed the Schuylkill, and resolved to give the enemy ano- 
 
 * " The firing on the left being the signal for Knyphausen 
 to act, this officer began his movements accordingly; but, 
 notwithstanding the weight and vigor of his attack, and the 
 aid it received from a covering battery, he was unable to 
 drive Wayne from his position till near sunset." — Sparks' 
 American Biography. 
 
 f Vide Lee's Memoirs of the Southern Campaigns. 
 
 t Frost's United States. 
 
 3* 
 
30 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 ther battle. For this purpose both armies were array- 
 ed on the 16th, in Goshen township, Chester county, 
 some distance south-west of the Warren tavern, on the 
 road leading from Philadelphia to Lancaster. Gen. 
 Wayne, as in the other instance, was given the post of 
 danger, and commenced the action with great spirit. A 
 violent storm of wind and rain come on, and rendered 
 it impossible for either army to keep the field.* Se- 
 parated by the tempest from his adversary, Washing- 
 ton resolved to replenish his ammunition, which, owing 
 to the defective construction of the tumbrels and car- 
 touch-boxes, had been rendered useless. He, there- 
 fore, retired with the main army up the Schuylkill, and 
 crossed at Parker's ferry, where he might be enabled 
 to obtain a fresh supply in time to dispute the passage 
 of the Schuylkill, and yet make another effort to save 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 On the 19th Wayne received the following order from 
 the commander-in-chief, which had been preceded on 
 the 17th and 18th by others, equally, if not more urgent. 
 
 " Beading Furnace, 6 o^ clock, F. M. 
 "Dear Sir: — I have this instant received yours of 
 half past 3 o'clock, a.m. Having written to you already 
 to vnove forward upon the enemy, I have but little to 
 add. Generals Maxwell and Porter are ordered to do 
 the same, being at Pott's forge. I could wish you and 
 those generals to act in conjunction, to make your ad- 
 vance more formidable, but I would not have too much 
 time delayed on this account. I shall follow as speedily 
 as possible with jaded men — some may probably go 
 
 * " The action took place near the Warren tavern ; was 
 close and sharp as long as it lasted, and would in aiew mi- 
 nutes have become general, but for a deluge of rain which 
 separated the combatants." — Sparks' Biography. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 31 
 
 off immediately, if I find they are in a condition for it. 
 The horse are almost all out upon the patrol. Car- 
 tridges have been ordered for you. Give me the ear- 
 liest information of every thing interesting and of your 
 moves, that I may know how to govern mine by them. 
 The cutting offihe enemy's baggage would be a great 
 matter. Yours, sincerely, 
 
 " Geo. Washington." 
 
 Wayne, in reply, assured Washington, that " every 
 possible exertion would be made to carry his orders 
 into effect." For this purpose, on the evening of the 
 20th, with a great diminution of his division since the 
 battle of the 11 th, in consequence of the killed, wound- 
 ed and sick, he took an excellent position, with 1500 
 troops, militia included, three miles in the rear of the 
 left wing of the British army, — whence, after being re- 
 inforced, it was his intention to march and attack the 
 enemy's rear when they decamped, and, if possible, 
 " cut off their baggage." But in this he was disap- 
 pointed. Traitors, on the evening above mentioned, 
 passed into the British camp, fully apprized the enemy 
 of Wayne's position, and in the night conducted them 
 to it, as we shall see. 
 
 Wayne had taken this position, two miles west of 
 the Paoli tavern, there to be joined by Gen. Small wood 
 and the Maryland malitia. His encampment was re- 
 markably well chosen; no public roads were then in 
 existence which led immediately to it, and, from the 
 direction in which the enemy lay, it was difficult of ac- 
 cess, and all his arrangements to prevent either a sur- 
 prise or a repulse were admirably formed. Night had 
 come on ; Smallwood had not yet arrived ; pickets and 
 sentinels had been planted, and patrols of horse thrown 
 forward on the by-roads leading into the camp. Some- 
 
32 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 time after nine o'clock in the evening, Wayne was 
 given to understand that a boy, who during the day had 
 been captured and Uberated by the enemy, had over- 
 heard one British soldier remark to another that " an 
 attack on the American party would be made during 
 the night." In consequence of which, though he did 
 not place much reliance upon the report, he multiplied 
 both his pickets and patrols, directed the troops to re- 
 pose on their arms, and, as it was then raining, to put 
 their cartouch-boxes under their coats.* 
 
 He was thus prepared either to meet an attack or to 
 withdraw from it, as circumstances might prompt. In 
 the meantime, detachments of the enemy had set out, 
 having been previously apprized of Wayne's position, 
 and were now faithfully piloted over hills and a long by- 
 paths. At eleven o'clock, Wayne was aware of the 
 near approach of the British column, and, conjecturing 
 from the direction of its march, that the attack was 
 aimed at the right of his position, he immediately or- 
 dered Col. Humpton, second in command, " to wheel 
 the line and lead off by a road leading to the White 
 Horse tavern ; while with the first Pennsylvania regi- 
 ment, the light infantry, and the horse, he should post 
 himself on the right and cover the retreat." With this 
 arrangement, the artillery moved off, sustaining neither 
 injury or loss; nor, under this judicious direction, 
 would any have befallen the infantry, if the order given 
 to Humpton had been promptly obeyed by him. But 
 from negligence or misapprehension, this officer failed 
 to put the troops in motion, till thrice ordered to do so. 
 This delay gave the British time to come up before the 
 infantry could make their retreat good. The enemy 
 fell upon them, with the cry of " No quarters," and 
 
 * Sparks' American Biography. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 33 
 
 one hundred and fifty were killed and wounded in this 
 action, as reported by Wayne, which statement was 
 subsequently proven to be correct.* The British re- 
 port made the number three hundred, and American 
 writers have generally copied this report, not making 
 allowances for exaggeration. Persons were still living 
 in 1829, who assisted in burying the dead; but fifty- 
 three bodies were found on the field, which were de- 
 cently interred by the neighboring farmers in one grave, 
 immediately adjoining the scene of action, being one 
 mile south of the Warren tavern, on the Philadelphia 
 and Lancaster turnpike road.t 
 
 If Wayne had occupied the ground on the night of 
 the 20th, which some, even American historians, assert 
 he did, and there the disaster had occurred, he would 
 have been justly accountable to his God and country 
 for all the blood shed on that night ; because the posi- 
 tion would have been extremely ineligible in itself, and 
 
 * See the Casket, for 1829, and Sparks' Biography. 
 
 f " On the 20th of September, 1817, being the 40th anniver- 
 sary of the Massacre, a Monument was erected over the re- 
 mains of those gallant men, by the Republican Artillerists of 
 Chester County, aided by the contributions of their fellow 
 citizens. It is composed of white marble, and is a pedestal 
 surmounted by a pyramid Upon the four sides of the body 
 of the pedestal, are appropriate inscriptions. The monu- 
 ment is enclosed by a stone wall, forming a rectangular ob- 
 long, from north to south, sixty feet in length and twenty in 
 width. The historical account of the location of this engage- 
 ment is erroneous. It is stated to have occurred in the woods, 
 near the entrance of the road leading from Darby into that 
 leading to Lancaster. The fact is not so. The position of 
 the troops, on that night, was nearly, if not quite, two miles 
 west from this place, and on ground incomparably more eli- 
 gible. The Paoli tavern is situated at the spot first above 
 mentioned. The affair, in consequence of this topographical 
 error, has been styled the " Massacre at the Paoli." — Casket, 
 
34 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 only one mile from the enemy's lines. The above re- 
 marks have been deemed proper, not only on account 
 of Wayne's memory, but also for the purpose of hand- 
 ing down to posterity correct information on a subject, 
 which has never failed to excite much interest and in- 
 quiry. 
 
 Shortly after this affair, Gen. Wayne was much dis- 
 tressed to hear that, either from misrepresentation, 
 envy, or malice, he was censured for his conduct on 
 account of the unfortunate rencontre on the night of the 
 20th. He therefore addressed the commander-in-chief, 
 as follows : — 
 
 " Sir — I feel myself very much injured until such 
 time as you will be kind enough to indulge me with an 
 inquiry into my conduct concerning the action of the 
 night of the 20th September. 
 
 " Conscious of having done my duty, I dare my ac- 
 cusers to a fair and candid hearing ; dark and insidious 
 friends I dread ; but from an open and avowed enemy 
 I have nothing to fear. 
 
 " I have no other mode of showing them forth to 
 open view, than through your means. I must there- 
 fore beg an immediate investigation by a Court Martial. 
 
 " Your compliance will much oblige your excel- 
 lency's most obedient humble servant. 
 
 "Anthony Wayne." 
 
 To which the commander-in-chief replied, that " so 
 soon as the army enjoyed a little respite, his request 
 should be granted." 
 
 In order that the present and succeeding generations 
 may have a view of Wayne's conduct on that night, as 
 well as the sentence which was passed on it by a tri- 
 bunal perfectly quahfied to judge, the following docu- 
 ments are presented, as extracted from a public print 
 of that day. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 35 
 
 Extract of a communication dated White Marsh, 2d Novem- 
 ber, 1777. 
 
 The action of the night of the 20th of September, 
 near the Warren, has been variously and very errone- 
 ously represented. 
 
 However sanguine some persons were in their at- 
 tempt to detract from the merits of Gen. Wayne, and 
 the worthy officers of his division, who, with unparal- 
 leled bravery, stood the bayonets of the enemy, saved 
 all the artillery, and effected an honorable retreat in the 
 face of every difficulty and danger, they now find them- 
 selves egregiously deceived in proffering a charge which 
 must have proceeded from the worst of motives and the 
 worst of hearts. 
 
 A General Court Martial, of which General Sullivan 
 was president, was held the 25th, 26th, 27th and 30th 
 of October, for the trial of Brigadier-General Wayne, 
 on the following charge, viz : 
 
 " That he had timely notice of the enemy's intention 
 to attack the troops under his command, on the night 
 of the 20th September last, and notwithstanding that 
 intelligence, neglected making a disposition until it was 
 too late either to annoy the enemy or make a retreat, 
 without the utmost danger and confusion." 
 
 This charge originated with Col. Humpton, who 
 sought to exonerate himself in regard to his cowardice, 
 or disobedience of orders, by throwing the odium on 
 Wayne, whose defence was as follows. 
 
 " After the expiration of five weeks, during which 
 period the tongue of slander has not been idle, I am 
 happy to bring my case before a court of whose honor 
 and impartial judgment I cannot have the least doubt. 
 I shall not intrude on the patience of this court by any 
 useless preface, but proceed to answer the charge. 
 
 " The charge exhibited against me, is, ' that I had 
 
36 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 timely notice of ttie enemy's intention to attack the 
 troops under my command on the night of the 20th 
 September, and notwithstanding that inieUigence, I ne- 
 glected making a disposition until it was too late, either 
 to annoy the enemy or make a retreat, without the ut- 
 most confusion.' 
 
 " The first part of the charge, that * I had timely 
 notice of the enemy's intention to attack the troops un- 
 der my command,' is very readily answered. 
 
 " I shall briefly relate what these gentlemen call a 
 timely notice : — A Mr. Jones, an old gentlemen, living 
 near where we were encamped, came to my quarters 
 between 9 and 10 o'clock at night, and informed me, 
 before Colonels Hartley, Broadhead and Temple, that 
 a servant boy belonging to Mr. Clayton had been taken 
 by the enemy and liberated again, who said that he had 
 heard some of their soldiers say, that they intended to 
 attack me that night. Although this could not be deem- 
 ed a sufficient notice on any military principle, yet I 
 immediately ordered out a number of videttes, in addi 
 tion to those already planted, with direction to patrol 
 all the roads leading to the enemy's camp. 1 also 
 planted two new piquets, the one in front on a blind 
 path leading from the Warren to my camp, the other to 
 the right, and in the rear, which made on that night 
 not less than six different piquets. 
 
 " I had, exclusive of these, a horse piquet under 
 Captain Stoddard well advanced on the Swedesford 
 road, being the very way the enemy marched that night. 
 But the very first intelligence which I received of their 
 advancing was from one of the very videttes which I sent 
 out in consequence of the timely notice from Mr. Jones, 
 who had only time to go about a mile before he met 
 the enemy. Immediately on his return, the troops were 
 all ordered to form, having been warned to lay on their 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 37 
 
 arms in the evening, for a purpose which I shall pre- 
 sently mention ; at this time it was raining, and in or- 
 der to save the cartridges from wet, I ordered the sol- 
 diers to put their cartouch-boxes under their coats. 
 This, gentlemen, does not look like a surprise ; it rather 
 proves that we were prepared either to move off or act 
 as the case might require, when once apprized which 
 way the enemy were actually advancing. To have 
 made any move, previously to ascertaining that fact, 
 might have been attended by fatal consequences, or to- 
 tally subversive of the views of the commander-in-chief. 
 So soon as it was discovered that the enemy were push- 
 ing for our right, where our artillery was planted, Ma- 
 jor Ryan carried my orders to Colonel Humpton, and 
 to the division, for the whole to wheel by sub-platoons 
 to the right, and to march off by the left, and gain the 
 road leading on the summit of the hill toward the White 
 Horse, it being the very road on which the division 
 moved two miles the previous evening. The division^ 
 wheeled accordingly ; the artillery moved off, but owing 
 to some neglect or misapprehension, which is not un- 
 common, in Colonel Humpton, the troops did not move 
 until a second and third order were sent, although they 
 were wheeled and faced for the purpose. At the very 
 time this order for the retreat was at first given, and 
 which I presumed was obeyed, I took the light infan- 
 try and the first regiment and formed them on the right, 
 and remained there with them and the horse in order 
 to cover the retreat. If this was not making a disposi- 
 tion, I acknowledge I know not what a disposition is. 
 " These troops met and received the enemy with a 
 spirit becoming free Americans, but were forced to give 
 way to numbers. The neglect or misapprehension of 
 Colonel Humpton had detained the division too long ; 
 otherwise the disposition would have been perfect. I 
 4 
 
38 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 was, in consequence, necessitated to form the 4th re- 
 giment to receive the enemy, and favor the retreat of 
 the others ; this. Colonel Butler and the officers of the 
 infantry of that regiment, were concerned in and wit- 
 ness of. About three hundred yards in rear of that, I 
 again rallied such of the division as took the proper 
 route ; those who went a contrary way, and out of 
 supporting distance, perhaps Colonel Humpton can give 
 the best account of. Here I have a fair and ample field 
 for recrimination, were I so disposed. I shall waive 
 the subject, and beg leave to read the orders which I 
 received from time to time from his excellency General 
 Washington. 
 
 " In the eyes of gentlemen and officers, I trust that I 
 stand justified for the part I took on that night. I had 
 the fullest and clearest advice t?iat the enemy would 
 march that morning for the river Schuylkill, and in 
 consequence of this intelligence, I had reconnoitred a 
 road leading immediately along the right flank of the 
 enemy, in company with Colonels Humpton and Hart- 
 ley, and I had the men laying on their arms, to move, 
 (as soon as General Smallwood should arrive,) not 
 from but to the enemy. For this purpose I had sent 
 Colonel Chambers, as a guide, to conduct that officer 
 into my rear, who with his division was expected to 
 arrive every moment from two in the afternoon until 
 we were attacked, at which time he was within a short 
 distance of our rear, and retreated to the White Horse. 
 
 "I shall just put a serious question or two, and then 
 submit the matter to the decision of this court. Sup- 
 pose that, after all these repeated orders from his excel- 
 lency, and the arrival of General Smallwood, I had re- 
 treated before I knew whether the enemy intended to 
 attack me or not, and that they should have marched to 
 the Schuylkill that morning, which they actually did, 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 39 
 
 would not these very gentlemen have been the first to 
 default me, for putting it out of my power to attack 
 their rear ? Would not his excellency, with the great- 
 est justice, haA^e ordered me in arrest for cowardice and' 
 disobedience of his repeated, peremptory, and most 
 pointed orders ? Would not I have stood culpable in 
 the eyes of the world ? Would not I jusdy have merit- 
 ed immediate death or cashiering ? I certainly would. 
 What line could I follow but the one I trod ? What 
 more could have been done on the occasion than was 
 done? The artillery, ammunition, etc., were covered 
 and saved by a body of troops who were rallied and re- 
 mained on the ground more than an hour after that 
 gentleman, Colonel Humpton, the prosecutor, had ef- 
 fected his escape from danger, although perhaps not 
 without confusion. 
 
 " I hold it needless to say any more, or take up the 
 time of this court on the occasion. I rest my honor 
 and character, which to me are more dear than life, in 
 the hands of gentlemen, who, when deciding on my 
 honor, will not forget their own." 
 
 After a full and patient hearing of all the testimony 
 brought forward, the court pronounced as follows : — 
 " The Court, having fully considered the charge against 
 Brigadier-General Wayne, and the evidence produced 
 to them, are unanimously of opinion tha-t General 
 Wayne is not guilty of the charge exhibited against 
 him, but that he, on the night of the 20th September 
 ultimo, did every thing that could be expected from an 
 active, brave, and vigilant officer, under the orders 
 which he then had. The court do acquit him with the 
 highest honor. ^^ 
 
 " The Commander-in-chief approves the sentence." 
 
40 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 iJattle of German town, October 4, 1777, and the heroic part 
 sustained by Wayne during the day. — His letter to Wash- 
 ington — letter to his family. — The British take possession 
 of Philadelphia. — The American army at Whitemarsh, and 
 at Valley Forge. — Some account of the British while in 
 Philadelphia — the Doans. — Wayne in camp — he repairs to 
 Lancaster. — Distressed condition of the army at Valley 
 Forge — the foraging excursion of Wayne in New Jersey 
 — ^his success — returns to camp, etc. 
 
 Deeming it proper to place before the reader a clear 
 
 account of the particulars in regard to the " Massacre 
 of Paoli," as it is usually called, we could not do so 
 without referring to the proceedings of the Court Mar- 
 tial, and diverging for the time from the regular progress 
 of history. We now return to the morning after the 
 massacre. 
 
 Sir William Howe, early on the morning of the 21st 
 of September, decamped from Great Valley, and by 
 easy marches continued his route to Philadelphia ; and 
 on the 26th took a position in the village and imme- 
 diate vicinity of Germantown, seven miles distant from 
 the city. General Washington, having called in all 
 his detached parties, broke up his camp at Pottsgrove, 
 and with the view of placing his army in a strong posi- 
 tion, and within a convenient distance from his enemy, 
 encamped on the Skippack road, about sixteen miles 
 from Germantown. Apprized that the British were 
 weakened by sending off detachments for a variety of 
 purposes, he suddenly decamped, at 7 o'clock on the 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 41 
 
 evening of the 3d of October, and, moving with secrecy 
 and circumspection, attacked the enemy in their camp 
 at dawn of day on the 4th. Every prospect of success 
 was at first brilliant, but the day closed on our retreat- 
 ing army. On this day the division commanded by 
 Wayne, pressed forward from the onset, and following 
 its leader, mingled in the " thickest of the fight," until, 
 by a train of unpropitious circumstances, the Ameri- 
 cans were necessitated to commence a retreat, in cover- 
 ing which Gen. Wayne used every exertion which 
 bravery and prudence could dictate. 
 
 The following letter was addressed by him on that 
 day to Gen. Washington. It is dated " Camp near 
 last Head Quarters, Oct. 4th, 1777, 8 o'clock, p.m. 
 
 " Dear Gen. — After we left the field of battle, the 
 troops, who took the upper route, were formed at 
 White Marsh church, under General Stephen. It was 
 thought advisable to remain there some time in order 
 to collect the stragglers from the army. The enemy 
 made their appearance with a party of hght horse, and 
 from 1500 to 2000 infantry, with two field pieces. 
 The troops were ordered off, when I covered the rear 
 with some infantry and Colonel Bland's dragoons ; but 
 finding the enemy determined to push us hard, I ob- 
 tained from General Stephen some field pieces, and 
 took the advantage of a hill overlooking the road the 
 enemy were marching on ; they met with such a re- 
 ception, that they were induced to retire back over the 
 bridge which they had just passed, and give up further 
 pursuit. The time gained by this stand favored the 
 retreat of a considerable number of our men, three or 
 four hundred of whom are now encamped here, and 
 which I hope will facilitate the retreat of almost all 
 who were scattered ; so that you are now, in my hum- 
 4* 
 
42 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 ble opinion, in as good, if not better, situation than you 
 were before the action of this day. Your men are con- 
 vinced that the enemy may be driven, and ahhough we 
 fell back, yet our people have gained confidence and 
 have raised some doubts in the minds of the enemy, 
 which will facilitate their total defeat in the next trial, 
 which I shall be happy to see brought to issue so soon 
 as expedient. I am your excellency's most obedient, 
 
 " Anthony Wayne." 
 
 The loss of the Americans in this action, was 152 
 killed, 521 wounded, 400 prisoners. The total loss 
 of the British was, in killed and wounded 800, besides 
 prisoners. • 
 
 On this day the divisions of Sullivan and Wayne 
 composed the right wing. Washington, in his official 
 report, said, "In justice to the right wing of the army, 
 whose conduct I had an opportunity of observing as 
 they acted immediately under my eye, I have the great- 
 est pleasure to inform you that both the officers and 
 men behaved with a degree of gallantry which did them 
 the highest honor." And in the following family let- 
 ter, Gen. Wayne gives a detail of" the action so far as 
 he was personally concerned. 
 
 " Camp, near Pawling^ s Milts, > 
 « October 6th, 1777. S 
 " On the 4th instant, at the dawn of day, we at- 
 tacked General Howe's army at the upper end of 
 Germantown ; the action soon became general, when 
 we advanced on the enemy with charged bayonets ; 
 they broke at first, without waiting to receive us, but 
 soon formed again, when a heavy and well directed fire 
 took place on each side. The enemy gave way, but 
 being supported by the grenadiers returned to the 
 charge. General Sullivan's division and Conway's 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 4& 
 
 brigade were at this time engaged to the south of Ger- 
 man town, whilst my division had the right wing of the 
 enemy's army to encounter, on the north of the town ; 
 two-thirds of our army being too far to the north to 
 afford us any assistance. However, the unparalleled 
 bravery of our troops surmounted every difficulty, and 
 obliged the enemy to break and run in the utmost con- 
 fusion. Our people, remembering the action of the 
 night of the 20th of September, pushed on with their 
 bayonets, and took ample vengeance for that night's 
 work. Our officers exerted themselves to save many 
 of the poor wretches who were crying for mercy, but 
 to little purpose ; the rage and fury of the soldiers were 
 not to be restrained for some time — at least, not until 
 great numbers of the enemy fell by their bayonets. 
 The fog, together with the smoke occasioned by our 
 cannon and musketry, made it almost as dark as night, 
 and our people, mistaking each other for the enemy, 
 frequently exchanged shots before they discovered 
 their error. We had now pushed the enemy near three 
 miles, and were in possession of their whole encamp- 
 ment, when a large body of troops were discovered ad- 
 vancing on our left flank, which being taken for the 
 enemy, our men fell back, in defiance of every exer- 
 tion of the officers to the contrary, and after retreating 
 about two miles, they were discovered to be our own 
 people, who were originally intended to attack the right 
 wing of the enemy. The fog and this mistake pre- 
 vented us from following a victory that in all human 
 probability would have put an end to the American war. 
 General Howe for some time could not persuade him- 
 self that we had run away from victory, but the fog 
 clearing off, he ventured to follow us with a large body 
 of his infantry, grenadiers, and light horse. I at this 
 time being in the rear, with the view of collecting the 
 
46 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 Stragglers of our retreating army, and finding the enemy- 
 determined to push us hard, drew up in order of battle 
 and awaited their approach. When they advanced suf- 
 ficiently near, we gave them a few cannon shot. Not 
 being pleased with this reception, our pursuers broke 
 and retired — thus ended the action of that day, which 
 continued from daylight until near 10 o'clock. I had 
 forgot to mention that my roan horse was killed under 
 me, within a few yards of the enemy's front, and my 
 left foot a little bruised by a spent ball, but not so much 
 so as to prevent me from walking. My poor horse re- 
 ceived one musket ball in the breast and one in the 
 flank, at the same instant that I had a slight touch on 
 my left hand, which is scarcely worth noticing. 
 
 " Upon the whole it was a glorious day. Our men 
 are in high spirits, and I am confident we shall give 
 them a total defeat the next action, which is at no great 
 distance. 
 
 " My best love and wishes to all friends. 
 
 "Anthony Wayne." 
 
 Each army, after this action, resumed its former posi- 
 tion. Shortly after which Sir William Howe with- 
 drew his troops from Germantown, and concentrated 
 his force in the city and its immediate vicinity. Con- 
 gress had left on the 18th of September and proceeded 
 to Lancaster, sixty miles in the interior of the state. It 
 was on the 26th that Howe, with a detachment of his 
 troops, took peaceable possession of Philadelphia.* 
 
 * As they entered the city, Lord CornwalUs, at their head, 
 led the van. They marched down Second street, without any 
 huzzaing or insolence of manner ; and the citizens thronged 
 the sidewalks, with serious countenances, looking at them. 
 The artillery were quartered in Chestnut street, between 
 Third and Sixth streets, — the State House yard was made use 
 of as a parade ground. — Watson's Annals of Philadelphia. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 47 
 
 Washington, being now reinforced, took a strong 
 position at White Marsh, fourteen miles from Phila- 
 delphia, to which he added extensive field works. 
 Howe, supposing that the American general intended 
 to hazard another battle for the recovery of the then 
 metropolis of the United States, resolved to march from 
 Philadelphia on the night of the 4th of December, and 
 attempt the surprise of the American camp in the same 
 manner that Washington had actually surprised that 
 of the British at Germantown. But in this design the 
 British general failed. His troops remained a few days 
 in the neighborhood of the American lines, and made 
 many demonstrations of assault, in the expectation that 
 Washington would quit his strong position in order to 
 bring on a general action, which he prudently declined. 
 After some considerable skirmishing, Howe returned 
 to the city, virtually acknowledging by his retreat 
 that he durst not risk a battle with his adversary on 
 ground chosen by himself, notwithstanding he outnum- 
 bered Washington in regular troops. The commander- 
 in-chief, in his official account of this excursion and re- 
 treat of Howe, says : — " I seriously wish they had 
 made the attack ; the issue would, in all probability, 
 have been happy for us. Policy forbade our quitting 
 our posts to attack them." 
 
 On the 7th of December, Howe returned to his win- 
 ter quarters, there to indulge in " all the sweets of 
 luxury and pleasure to be drawn from the wealthy and 
 populous city of Philadelphia." Whilst Washington, 
 on the 11th, with his almost famished and naked 
 troops, whose march could be traced by the blood from 
 their bare feet, proceeded to Valley Forge, sat down in 
 a woods, and, in the latter end of December, cheerfully 
 commenced building huts with their own hands, which, 
 
48 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 after being completed, were palaces in comparison with 
 their ragged tents. 
 
 The British, while they wintered in Philadelphia, 
 pursued a round of amusements, and their young offi- 
 cers indulged in habits and excesses that were both 
 novel and disagreeable to the staid citizens of a Quaker 
 city. Sir William Howe was a handsome man, and 
 of courteous manners. He had seized the carriage of 
 Mrs. Pemberton for his own use, and rode much about 
 the town. Of a social disposition, he gave many din- 
 ner parties, and was desirous of making the acquaint- 
 ance of all the opulent families in the city. Balls and 
 parties succeeded night after night, in a constant round, 
 during the winter. Major Andre, and Captain Delan- 
 cy, took the lead in such dramatic entertainments as 
 were got up at the Old Theatre (now a distillery) in 
 South street, above Fourth. Major Andre assisted in 
 painting the scenes, and a drop curtain painted by him 
 was for years after in use.* 
 
 In their foraging excursions, the British were inva- 
 riably piloted and assisted by a notorious refugee family 
 of five brothers and two cousins, bearing the name of 
 Doan. It was at the instance of this band of free- 
 booters that Howe had undertaken to surprise the 
 Americans at White Marsh, and he kept them con- 
 stantly on the lookout to furnish him with information 
 if any opportunity should present.t 
 
 During the whole of the campaign of 1777, Gen. 
 Wayne experienced every vicissitude of the military 
 operations, under the immediate command of Gen. 
 Washington. In councils of war and private confer- 
 ence he did every thing in his power to aid his country 
 
 • Watson's Annals of Philadelphia. 
 f History of the Doans. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 49 
 
 and general. It is a fact which must here be placed to 
 Gen. Wayne's credit, that, owing to a combination of 
 circumstances, the duty, which was usually performed 
 by three general officers for a length of time, devolved 
 on him alone. To this case the commander-in-chief, 
 (at one of the most pressing crisises in the campaign of 
 1777,) adverts in an official letter. 
 
 " The recall of General St. Clair, obliged me to part 
 with General Lincoln, whom I could but ill spare, so 
 that the whole charge of his division is now upon 
 General Wayne, there being no other brigadier in it 
 than himself." 
 
 From the encampment, Wayne thus addressed a 
 friend, Richard Peters, Esq. 
 
 ^{ " Mount Joy, Dec. 30, 1777. 
 
 L " We are busy in forming a new city at this place. 
 jky people will be covered in a few days ; I mean as 
 to huts, but naked as to clothing — in which respect they 
 are in a worse condition than Falstaff 's recruits, for 
 they have not one whole shirt in a brigade — he had 
 more than that to a company. * * * * The eastern 
 states have taken the wise measure of clothing their 
 own troops. Would to God that Pennsylvania had 
 done the same. I hope it is not yet too late. If I had 
 not sent out some of my officers to purchase shoes, 
 stockings, breeches and blankets, (for which our clother- 
 general refuses payment) the Pennsylvania troops must 
 have either perished, or deserted, before this time. 
 However, I expect soon to be able to procure necessa- 
 ries to make them comfortable ; but to effect this essen- ^ 
 tial business, and to recover my health, I shall require^ 
 three or four weeks respite from camp duty, for — after 
 struggling with a stubborn cold for some weeks, ac-'^^ 
 companied by a pain in the breast, occasioned by a fall 
 5 
 
50 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 at Germantown, when my horse was shot under me — 
 this caitiff complaint has taken post in my lungs and 
 throat. And, unless I am permitted to change my 
 ground, I dread the consequence. I have now been on 
 constant duty for twenty-three months, sixteen of which 
 I served in Canada and Ticonderoga, the remainder 
 with his excellency, during which I have never had one 
 single moment's respite. * * * * -I am happy to hear 
 that Mrs. Peters has blessed you with a son, and that 
 she is likely to recover and assist you in forming his 
 young mind, and placing him in the bright path to 
 honor, virtue, freedom and glory — from which, I trust, 
 neither he, nor my own little fellow, will turn aside, 
 although the track should be marked with his father's 
 blood." 
 
 So soon as the troops were comfortably covered, 
 Wayne asked, and obtained, leave of absence for the 
 purpose spoken of in the proceding letter. Early in 
 January he repaired to Lancaster, where the Seat of 
 Government was then located. On the morning of 
 leaving the camp, he issued the following : 
 
 *^ Division Orders. — ^The following promotions of 
 field officers in the Pennsylvania line has taken place.'* 
 Here the names of the officers and their respective ranks 
 occur, after which he proceeds : " The justice done to 
 the merits of these officers has opened the way for the 
 promotion of the subaltern officers of the respective 
 regiments, whose bravery and good conduct equally 
 entitle them to it. The pleasure the general experien- 
 ces on this occasion, he can much belter feel than ex- 
 6. press. It must affi)rd the highest satisfaction to grate- 
 __ful minds to see a corps of officers honorably provided 
 for, who have more than shared the dangers and diffi- 
 culties of the late hard campaign. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 51 
 
 " The general's state of healtli, as well as other con- 
 siderations, require a little respite. He hopes soon to 
 be able to rejoin the army. In the interim every exer- 
 tion of his shall be used to provide not only comforta- 
 ble clothing but the neatest uniform for his fellow-sol- 
 diers, whose bravery and conduct have made them for- 
 midable to their foes, and endeared them to their coun- 
 try and their general, whose greatest ambition is to 
 deserve their esteem and confidence, and to share every 
 vicissitude of fortune with them. The general requests 
 his officers to pay every possible attention to the disci- 
 pline, health and comfort of the soldiers during his ab- 
 sence.'* 
 
 While at Lancaster, in fulfilment of this promise to 
 his soldiers, Gen. Wayne used every exertion within 
 his power, and, aided by Congress and patriotic friends 
 of his immediate acquaintance, he raised supplies, and 
 ultimately succeeded in rendering the Pennsylvania 
 line comparatively comfortable as to clothing, as well 
 as respectable in appearance. But, notwithstanding his 
 exertions, and that of other officers, most of the troops 
 at Valley Forge were in a distressed situation during 
 the winter of 1777-8. So great did the scarcity of 
 provisions become, that Washington, after using lenient 
 measures, was at length compelled, in order to save the 
 army from famine, to detach % strong* body of troops 
 under Gen. Greene, with orders to obtain, on the west- 
 ern side of the Delaware, " an immediate supply of 
 provisions by any means whatever." This officer, 
 from the necessity of the case, (with the aid of a strong 
 body of dragoons, commanded by Col. Lee,) foraged 
 as in an enemy's country, and seized on every animal 
 fit for slaughter, and by these means the immediate 
 wants of the army were supplied. 
 
52 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 To prevent a recurrence of so deplorable a state of 
 want, Gen. Wayne, about the middle of February, at a 
 tempestuous and inclement season, was detached with 
 a body of troops to New Jersey, in order to secure 
 cattle on the eastern banks of the Delaware, and to de- 
 stroy the forage which could not be removed lest it 
 should fall into the hands of the British. This was a 
 most hazardous and arduous enterprise, within the 
 limits of the enemy's lines, and in a district of country 
 subject to his control. But danger never deterred the 
 gallant Anthony Wayne ! He resolved on the relief 
 of the suffering soldiery, and determined to wrest from 
 the grasp of Sir Wilham Howe the provisions he re- 
 quired for his army, as well as the forage which he 
 much needed for the sustenance of his wagon-artillery 
 and cavalry horses. He cheerfully proceeded to exe- 
 cute Washington's orders, and literally carried on a 
 winter-campaign beyond the reach of any aid from his 
 compatriots. After several skirmishes with the ene- 
 my — indeed, they rather merit the title of battles — in 
 all of which he was so fortunate as to chastise them — 
 he succeeded, by judicious management and great exer- 
 tion, in sending to the American camp several hundred 
 head of fine cattle, many excellent horses, suited for 
 cavalry service, and also in securing a quantity of for- 
 age, and destroying much more, for the whole of 
 which, to the w^ll affected, he executed certificates in 
 due form. About the middle of March, he returned to 
 camp with his command, which had been partially aid- 
 ed by a detachment of New Jersey militia. Here he, 
 his officers and soldiers, received the thanks of the 
 commander-in-chief and the blessings of the army. 
 
 During the remainder of the season, matters at Val- 
 ley Forge continued pretty much in statu quo. The 
 comforts of the army were " few, and far between," 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 53 
 
 whilst Washington and his officers were using every 
 exertion to perfect the troops in the art of war ; nor did 
 Sir William Howe, at any time, visit them at their 
 quarters, although the American general and his army 
 calculated on that event. 
 
 The British commander-in-chief spent the spring of 
 1778, nearly in a state of inaction, confining his opera- 
 tions to sending out foraging and predatory parties, 
 which did some mischief to the country, and but little 
 service to the royal cause. 
 
54 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The British evacuate Philadelphia. — Washington holds a 
 council of his officers — pursuit of the British through New- 
 Jersey. — Battle of Monmouth — Wayne — Gen. Charles Lee. 
 — Washington's commendation of Wayne — great rejoic- 
 ings in consequence of this victory. — Wayne's account of 
 the battle so far as he was personally concerned in it — his 
 letter of July 12th. — Court Martial of Gen. Lee — Wayne a 
 witness — Lee's strictures wpon his testimony — correspond- 
 ence in consequence. — Wayne joins the main army at 
 White Plains — his account of Col. Baylor's disaster — let- 
 ters, etc. 
 
 The issue of the two campaigns had already con- 
 vinced Sir William Howe, that the result of the con- 
 test in the provinces could by no possibility be such as 
 the British government had expected, when in 1775 
 they engaged in it. Some time previous to the open- 
 ing of the campaign of 1778, he, at his own request, 
 was recalled, and the command in chief devolved on 
 Sir Henry Clinton. The latter arrived at Philadelphia 
 on the 8th of June, where he found peremptory orders 
 from his government for the immediate evacuation of 
 the city. These orders were in consequence of the 
 advanced state of the negotiations then in progress be- 
 tween the American commissioners at the court of 
 France and the French government, apprehensive as 
 the British ministry were that a fleet fitted out at Tou- 
 lon was destined to the Delaware, and to co-operate 
 with Washington against Philadelphia. Howe, they 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 55 
 
 were apprehensive, if a French fleet should blockade 
 his squadron in the Delaware, whilst Washington en- 
 closed him on the land side, would share the fate of 
 Burgoyne, who had been so signally defeated in Octo- 
 ber of the preceding year. 
 
 The intended evacuation of the city could not long 
 be concealed, in consequence of the preparations neces- 
 sary on the pert of the British, and it soon became 
 known in the American camp. Washington, on the 
 17th of June, called a council of war, when the opinion 
 of all his general officers was required, on the proper 
 course to be pursued, all of whom concurred in the sen- 
 timent that it would not be advisable to disturb the 
 British while crossing the Delaware, or to enter the 
 works about Philadelphia until they should be entirely- 
 evacuated. On the subject of a general or even a par- 
 tial action, whilst the enemy should be on their march, 
 a diversity of opinion existed. Out of the number of 
 seventeen general officers, Wayne and Cadwalader 
 were the only two who were decidedly in favor of 
 attacking the enemy ; La Fayette inclined to this opi- 
 nion, without absolutely adopting it ; Greene was dis- 
 posed for something more than the council were wil- 
 ling to concur in. 
 
 On the 1 8th of June, the British evacuated Philadel- 
 phia, crossed the Delaware, and commenced their diffi- 
 cult march through Jersey. On the same day. Gen. 
 Washington broke up his camp at Valley Forge, for 
 the purpose of following them, with views which were 
 to be regulated by contingencies. He " put his troops 
 in motion for Coryell's ferry ; taking this upper route, 
 as well to avoid a general action in conformity to the 
 opinion of the council, as to keep himself prepared to 
 preoccupy the mountain passes, leading to the posts in 
 
56 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 the Highlands, should the seizure of these make any 
 part of Clinton's plan of operation."* 
 
 On the 24th, the main body of the American army 
 was encamped about five miles from Princeton, and 
 that of the British at Allentown. Being thus relatively 
 situated as to his enemy, Washington again convened 
 his council of general officers, and stated to them the 
 following facts : " The enemy's force is between nine 
 and ten thousand rank and file. The American army 
 on the ground is 10,684 effective rank and file, beside 
 the advanced brigade under Gen. Maxwell of about 
 1200, and about 1200 militia." After this statement 
 he proposed the question " Will it be advisable to haz- 
 ard a general action ;" all the generals composing the 
 council, excepting Wayne, (Cadwalader being absent,) 
 gave a negative answer, like that of the day preceding 
 the movement of the army from Valley Forge. It was 
 however agreed to strengthen the detachments which 
 were then hovering on the flanks and rear of the British 
 army, with an additional number of 1500 men, in pur- 
 suance of which Gen. Scott joined the advanced troops 
 with that body of men. 
 
 Marshall, in his Life of Washington, says, " Though 
 every general officer, except Wayne, had signed the 
 opinion, given on the 24th, respecting the strength of 
 this last detachment, yet the council had, on that point, 
 been nearly equally divided. Those who were deci- 
 dedly against hazarding a serious action, either general 
 or partial, conceived the number agreed on competent 
 to every purpose which ought to be contemplated ; 
 while others, who privately wished to bring on some- 
 thing more tlian light skirmishing, but had not suflli- 
 cient confidence in themselves to hazard the responsi- 
 
 * Sparks' American Biography. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 57 
 
 bility of openly advising the measure, were desirous 
 of augmenting it to 2000 or 2500 men." The fact was, 
 as the same writer has said — " The American officers 
 seem to have been influenced by the councils of the 
 Europeans." 
 
 Gen. Washington, who although cautious, yet pos- 
 sessing a very enterprising disposition, did, from the 
 commencement, indulge in the most anxious desire to 
 close with his antagonist, and finding himself support- 
 ed by some officers M^hom he highly valued, he " re- 
 solved to take his measures on his own responsibility 
 and without calling another council." He, therefore, 
 despatched Gen. Wayne, with 1000 selected men, to join 
 the advanced corps, which now amounting to upwards 
 of 4000, became a major-general's command, and the 
 Marquis de La Fayette was ordered to that duty. These 
 facts clearly evidenced Washington's intention that his 
 antagonist should not escape without a general action ; 
 inasmuch as Wayne had openly advocated that measure, 
 and La Fayette was favorable to a partial one, there- 
 fore, if an opening occurred it was certain that those 
 officers would attack with their whole force, which it 
 would be necessary to support with the main army. 
 They were also accompanied by Col. Hamilton, aid to 
 the commander-in-chief, " who felt the strongest desire 
 to signalize the detachment, and to accomplish all the 
 wishes of his general." 
 
 With these orders, La Fayette, on the 26th, took a 
 position on the Monmouth road, live miles in the rear 
 of the British camp; but the main army, owing to bad 
 weather and scarcity of provisions, was not sufficiently 
 advanced to support the movement, and the corps was 
 recalled on the morning of the 27th to English town. 
 
 Gen. Lee in the first instance, although entitled to 
 this command, declined it, as he was against both a 
 
58 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 partial or general action ; but, discovering that his hav- 
 ing declined it, was lessening him in the estimation of 
 both officers and soldiers, he now solicited it. Wash- 
 ington granted his request, provided La Fayette had 
 not .commenced any enterprise. Lee advanced with 
 two additional brigades, and no enterprise having been 
 commenced by La Fayette, although on the very eve 
 of it, the senior general assumed the command of the 
 advanced corps, now amounting to several thousand 
 men. 
 
 Lee encamped at English town, and the main army 
 moved forward about three miles in his rear. Sir 
 Henry Clinton had taken a strong position near Mon- 
 mouth Court House, about seven miles in advance of 
 Lee, whilst Morgan's corps hung on the enemy's right, 
 and Gen. Dickenson on their left. 
 
 This being the relative situation of the armies, Wash- 
 ington determined to attack the British rear the moment 
 they moved from their ground. About 5 o'clock in the 
 morning of the 28th of June, intelligence was received 
 that the front of the enemy was in motion. The troops 
 were immediately put under arms, and orders despatch- 
 ed to Gen. Lee, directing him to move on and attack 
 the rear, " unless there should be powerful reasons to 
 the contrary." — He at the same time was informed, 
 that the main body would be on its march to support 
 him. In pursuance of these orders, Lee made his dis- 
 positions for attack, from which Sir Henry Clinton dis- 
 covering that his flanks and rear were both threatened, 
 and becoming alarmed for his baggage, sent it forward, 
 and covered the rear with " the strength and flower of 
 his army." Gen. Lee, in the first instance, supposing 
 that their rear was protected by no more than 1800 or 
 2000 men, gave orders to Gen. Wayne to advance on 
 them, with 700 men and two pieces of artillery, while 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 59 
 
 he, by a short route on the left, would gain their front, 
 and by these means cut off the covering party from the 
 main body. Sir Henry, discovering Wayne advancing, 
 immediately wheeled about a body of horse and infan- 
 try, and commenced an attack, which was gallantly and 
 speedily repulsed, and intended to be followed up by 
 the artillery and a charge of bayonet. But while the 
 disposition was making for this purpose, a general re- 
 treat of the whole advanced corps was ordered, which 
 Lee afterwards stated was done for the purpose of fall- 
 ing back on more eligible ground, that on which he had 
 been " having in its rear a morass, passable only by a 
 single and narrow causeway, wholly unfit for the pur- 
 poses of either regular retreat or speedy reinforcement." 
 Gen. Wayne, having been unsupported in his gal- 
 lant movement against the enemy, experienced great 
 difficulty in reaching the retreating troops. At this 
 moment Washington rode up, beholding, with equal 
 surprise and mortification, the flower of the army re- 
 tiring before the enemy, without having made but one, 
 and that unsupported, effort to maintain their ground. 
 He indignandy rode up to Lee and made use of words 
 that implied censure. Lee felt it, and replied in unbe- 
 coming language. Washington passed on to the rear 
 of the retreating troops, whom he found closely press- 
 ed by the enemy — when he instantly took an advan- 
 tageous piece of ground, and there posted a body of 
 troops in order to give the enemy the first check. Lee, 
 being told by one of the aids, that Washington had 
 himself taken the command, replied " Then I have no- 
 thing further to do ;" turned his horse and rode after 
 his excellency in front. When he came up, Washing- 
 Ion gave him orders to take proper measures with the 
 residue of his division, and to stop the British column 
 On the ground where he now stood. Lee replied, 
 
60 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 " Your orders shall be obeyed, and I will not be the 
 first to leave the field."* 
 
 After this, Washington immediately rode forward to 
 the main army, which was formed with the utmost ex- 
 pedition. The general action presently commenced. 
 The day was excessively warm and sultry.t The 
 Americans, though much fatigued by their previous 
 march, fought with determined bravery, and the British 
 were compelled to give way. Taking advantage of the 
 night, the approach of which probably saved them from 
 a total rout, they withdrew, and at daybreak had gain- 
 ed the heights of Middletown, having left behind them 
 such of their wounded as could not with safety be re- 
 moved. 
 
 This engagement produced an additional sprig of 
 laurel for the wreath of Anthony Wayne. The com- 
 mander-in-chief, in his official report to Congress, ob- 
 serves — " Were I to close my account of this day's 
 transactions without expressing my obligations to the 
 officers of the army in general, I should do injustice to 
 
 * Charles Lee, a major-general in the army of the Ameri- 
 can revolution, born in North Wales, and became an officer 
 [in the English army] at an early age. In 1773 he sailed for 
 New York. Espousing the cause of the colonies, he receiv- 
 ed a commission from Congress. In 1778, he was arraigned 
 before a Court Martial, in consequence of his misconduct at 
 the battle of Monmouth, and was suspended for one year. He 
 retired to a hovel in Virginia, living in entire seclusion, sur- 
 rounded by his books and his dogs. In 1782, he went to re- 
 side in Philadelphia, where he died in obscurity, October 2d, 
 of the same year. He was a man of much energy and cou- 
 rage, with considerable literary attainments, but morose and 
 avaricious. — Biog. Dictionary. 
 
 j- Many of the soldiers, (especially of the British army, in 
 consequence of their thick clothing) dropped dead from the 
 heat, it is said. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 61 
 
 their merit and violence to my own feelings. They 
 seemed to vie with each other in manifesting their zeal 
 and bravery. The catalogue of those who distinguish- 
 ed themselves is too long to admit of particularizing 
 individuals. I cannot, however, forbear mentioning 
 Brigadier-General Wayne, whose good conduct and 
 bravery, throughout the whole action, deserves par- 
 ticular commendation." 
 
 This splendid victory was joyfully hailed by the 
 patriotic portion of the people throughout the confede- 
 rated colonies, and Congress-^returned thanks to Gen. 
 Washington and his army. 
 
 The following extract from a letter of Wayne to his 
 family, gives a concise account of the battle of Mon- 
 mouth, so far as he was personally engaged in it : 
 
 " Spottswood, \st July, 1778. 
 " On Sunday, the 28th of June, our flying army 
 came in view of the enemy about 8 o'clock in the 
 morning, when I was ordered to advance and attack 
 them with a few men, the remainder of the corps, un- 
 der General Lee, was to have supported me ; we ac- 
 cordingly advanced and received a charge from the 
 British horse and infantry, which was soon repulsed. 
 Our general, however, thought proper to order a retreat, 
 in place of advancing, without firing a single shot, the 
 enemy following in force, which, rendered it very diffi- 
 cult for the small force I had to gain the main body, 
 being hard pushed, and frequently nearly surrounded. 
 After falling back almost a mile, we met his excellency, 
 who, surprised at our retreat, knowing that officers as 
 well as men were in high spirits, and wished for no- 
 thing more than to be faced about and meet the British 
 fire, accordingly ordered me to keep post where he met 
 us, having a body of troops with two pieces of artillery 
 6 
 
62 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 then under my command, and to keep the enemy in 
 play until he had an opportunity of forming the main 
 army and restoring order. 
 
 " We had just taken post when the enemy began 
 their attack with horse, foot and artillery ; the fire of 
 their united force obliged us, after a severe conflict, to 
 give way ; after which a most severe cannonade, ac- 
 companied by small arms, was opened by our left wing 
 on the enemy, which gave them an effectual check. 
 During the interval, which this occasioned, every pos- 
 sible exertion was made use of by his excellency and 
 the other generals to spirit up the troops, and prepare 
 them for another trial. 
 
 " The enemy began to advance again in a heavy 
 column with the view of turning our left flank, but in 
 this they failed. They then made a similar effort on 
 our right, and whilst our artillery was handsomely 
 playing on them, I advanced with a strong body of 
 troops — we met the enemy — the contest was exceed- 
 ingly warm and well maintained on each side for a con- 
 siderable time ; at length victory declared for us ; Bri- 
 tish courage failed, and was forced to give way to 
 American valor. 
 
 "After retreating some considerable distance, the 
 enemy took a strong position. General Washington, 
 although many of our men were falling with thirst, 
 heat and fatigue, resolved to renew the action, and made 
 his disposition for that purpose, but night prevented 
 their final execution. 
 
 " We encamped on the field of battle with a view of 
 recommencing the action in the morning ; but Sir 
 Henry deemed it prudent to evade this, by retreating 
 in the dead of night ; after having interred many of his 
 killed, yet leaving us to bury some of his distinguished 
 officers, and two hundred and forty-five of his soldiers, 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 63 
 
 besides taking charge of a great number of his wound- 
 ed. Our loss in this affair consists of a few gallant 
 officers killed and wounded, and many brave soldiers 
 in a similar state. 
 
 " Every general and other officer, (one excepted,) 
 did every thing that could be expected on this great oc- 
 casion, but Pennsylvania showed the road to victory. 
 
 "Anthony Wayne." 
 
 The palm of victory was certainly Washington's on 
 this day ; although his triumph was not complete. Had 
 his generals concurred with him as to the advisability 
 of a general action, and not by an almost unanimously 
 adverse opinion " trammelled his conduct and circum- 
 scribed his views ;" had not the advanced corps, by 
 precipitately falling back, surprising and confusing the 
 troops which were rushing to its aid, and in conse- 
 quence requiring different and instantaneous arrange- 
 ments to be made in the front of a gallant foe who had 
 every thing at stake — the 28th of June, as the 4th of 
 July, would have been altogether " Worthy of adora- 
 tion, and ever adored." 
 
 Sir Henry Clinton, in his official statement, reported 
 his dead and missing at four officers and one hundred 
 and eighty-four privates, his wounded at sixteen officers 
 and fifty-four privates. — " The stubborn fact" of bury- 
 ing the dead, contradicts the correctness of Sir Henry's 
 statement. He left on the field of battle, independently 
 of those whom his own troops interred, four officers 
 and two hundred and forty-five privates, whose bodies 
 were buried on the field by persons appointed for that 
 express business, and whose report was handed to the 
 commander-in-chief. Some others were afterwards 
 discovered and interred, increasing the amount to up- 
 wards of three hundred. This was not the only de- 
 
64 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 ception of the kind used by the British commanders 
 during the revolutionary war ; they made use of every 
 art to prevent a knowledge of their numbers in killed 
 and wounded. 
 
 The following is an extract of a letter of Wayne, to 
 a friend, on this subject. 
 
 "Faramus, \WiJuly, 1778. 
 
 " We have been in perpetual motion ever since we 
 crossed the Delaware, until yesterday, when we arriv- 
 ed here, where we shall be stationary for a few days, 
 in order to recruit a little after the fatigue which we 
 have experienced in marching through deserts, burning 
 sands, ect. etc. 
 
 " The enemy, sore from the action of the 28 ult., 
 seem inclined to rest also. They are now in three di- 
 visions : — one on Long Island, another on Staten Island, 
 and a third in New York. 
 
 " The victory on that day turns out to be much more 
 considerable than at first supposed. Col. Butler, who 
 remained on the ground two or three days after the ac- 
 tion, says that nearly three hundred British had been 
 buried by us on the field, and numbers discovered 
 every day in the woods, exclusive of those buried by 
 the enemy, not much short of one hundred. So that 
 by the most moderate calculation, their killed and 
 wounded must amount to eleven hundred, the flower of 
 their army, and many of them of the richest blood of 
 England. 
 
 "Tell those Philadelphia ladies, who attended 
 Howe's assemblies and levees, that the heavenly, sweet, 
 pretty red coats — the accomplished gentlemen of the 
 guards and grenadiers have been humbled on the plains 
 of Monmouth. The knights of the Blended Roses and 
 of the Burning Mount, have resigned their laurels to 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 65 
 
 rebel officers, who will lay them at the feet of those 
 virtuous daughters of America, who cheerfully gave up 
 ease and affluence in a city, for liberty and peace of 
 mind in a cottage. 
 
 " Adieu, and believe me 
 
 " Yours most sincerely, 
 
 "Anthony Wayne."* 
 
 Sir Henry having in the night escaped from his ad- 
 versary, as has been mentioned, took a strong position 
 on the high grounds at Middleton ; where, after remain- 
 ing a few days, he proceeded to Sandy Hook, whence 
 he passed his army over to New York. Washington 
 after paying the last honors to the gallant dead, sooth- 
 ing the minds and administering to the relief of the 
 wounded, proceeded by easy marches to the highlands 
 of the Hudson. 
 
 Upon the Court Martial of Gen. Lee, Wayne was an 
 important witness, and the former having made some 
 very severe strictures, published in a newspaper at 
 Philadelphia, upon the testimony given by the latter, 
 we find, after the campaign of 1778 was concluded, the 
 following correspondence. 
 
 " Elizabethtown, 1th Jan. 1779. 
 " Sir — The very severe strictures which you were 
 pleased to make on my evidence in the course of your 
 trial on account of the action of Monmouth, and the un- 
 generous, though free manner, in which you affect to 
 treat my opinion and military character in that, and a 
 
 * The allusions in this letter to Knights of the Blended 
 Roses and Burning Mount, refer to the celebrated fete and 
 tournament, given at the country-seat of Marmaduke Whar- 
 ton, Esq., by the officers of the British army to Sir William 
 Howe, previous to his sailing for England. 
 6* 
 
66 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 late publication in Mr. Dunlap's paper, give a sensa- 
 tion which I can more readily feel than express. 
 
 " If it was your intention by these strictures to injure 
 
 my military character in the eyes of the world, I know 
 
 that you will have the candor to acknowledge it, as well 
 
 as courage to accept my demand of honorable redress, 
 
 " Interim, I am your obedient, 
 
 " Humble servant, 
 
 "Anthony Wayne. 
 Major-General Zee." 
 
 " Elizabethtown, Sth Jan. 1779. 
 
 " Sir — That I should not have a right to show, when 
 my life, fame and fortune are at stake, the unsound- 
 ness of any opinion delivered by an evidence on the 
 part of the prosecution, is left for the present humor of 
 the times. You thought that we ought to have staid in 
 a certain position ; I think your opinion on this point 
 erroneous, and I have said so. If this is treating your 
 military character with contempt, I am guilty, but in no 
 other respect. 
 
 " I can honestly assure you that I have acted with 
 the greatest candor towards you on every occasion, 
 when you have been mentioned as the author of my 
 wicked prosecution, for so I must think it. I have 
 totally exculpated you from the charge, and have done 
 justice to your courage and integrity. With respect to 
 my publication in Dunlap's paper, I give you my word 
 and honor, than any further than condemning the posi- 
 tion which you seemed to approve of, I never had you 
 or any one of the evidences in my thought — perhaps 
 you have conceived some expressions made use of in 
 this paper as alluding to you, when they alluded to the 
 proceedings of the court, which you will see in some 
 strictures I shall soon publish. I will now seriously 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 67 
 
 conjure you well to consider whether the step you are 
 now taking will not hurt you more in the opinion of 
 the world than any thing I have said. However, if you 
 persevere in your intention, as soon as I have taken 
 final leave of Congress, published my case to the world 
 at large, and am sufficiently recovered from my late 
 accident to act with vigor, I will not decline your invi- 
 tation ; although, at the same time, I cannot help ex- 
 pressing my concern that a man of your courage, and 
 (I believe, firmly, integrity,) should appear in the list 
 of persecutors of a man already too much persecuted 
 for the honor of this country, which I will venture to 
 say has been twice saved from destruction by the very 
 man who now is the object of general slander, abuse, 
 and very injurious treatment. 
 " In the mean time, sir, 
 
 " Your most obedient servant, 
 
 " Charles Lee. 
 " General TVayne.^* 
 
 " JElizabethtown, 8th Jan. 1779. 
 " Sir — That you have a right to differ in opinion 
 with me, or any other gentleman, on a point where 
 " your life, fame and fortune are at stake," I readily 
 grant, and that you have also a right to condemn any 
 position which, in your opinion, was improper ; but I 
 must still be permitted to think, that you had no right 
 to take such free libertyj in other instances, with the 
 military character of one who never injured you further 
 than as an evidence with regard to the transactions of 
 that day. You do me great injustice when you place 
 me in the list of your persecutors. I should be the 
 last man in this country that would be guilty of such a 
 piece of cruelty, unless it be deemed persecution to ask 
 redress for my injured character. 
 
68 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 " I very sincerely lament the illiberality of some per- 
 sons, who may be truly called persecutors, and who 
 have attacked your character in the public prints in an 
 unwarrantable and unmanly manner, to give it no 
 harsher terms ; and I assure you my feelings have been 
 much hurt by the perusal of those attacks. 
 
 " When you have taken your ' final leave of Con- 
 gress, published your case to the world, and sufficiently 
 recovered from your late accident to act with vigor,^ I 
 shall expect to hear from you. 
 
 " Interim, I wish you every comfort, 
 
 " And am your most ob'd't humble servant, 
 
 "Anthony Wayne. 
 
 " Major-General Lee.'''* 
 
 Here the matter dropped, and Gen. Lee retired into 
 his seclusion, in Berkley county, Virginia ; and the se- 
 quel will prove (see a letter at page 104) that really 
 brave and honorable military gentlemen can soon for- 
 give, if not forget their differences, or that they can 
 peaceably adjust them without the ceremonious inter- 
 vention of others, who too frequently cause bloodshed 
 — in the detestable practice of duelling. It will also 
 show that Gen. Lee, although of a very warm tempera- 
 ment of mind, could regulate it in such a manner as to 
 afford conclusive evidence not only of a great mind, but 
 of a noble and magnanimous heart. 
 
 It appears this was the only instance, in the public 
 or private life of Wayne, in which he ever felt himself 
 bound to avenge what he may have deemed an insult, 
 in a similar manner ; nor is it known that he was ever 
 ** called out" by a like procedure. He was careful not 
 to give offence, and therefore he was the more likely 
 not to receive any. 
 
 So soon as Wayne was released from his attendance 
 
LIF^ OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 69 
 
 at the Court Martial, upon the occasion in question, he 
 rejoined the main army encamped at White Plains, a 
 few miles to the north-eastward of New York island. 
 While Sir Henry Clinton and the British army were 
 feasting- in New York and its vicinity, diverting them- 
 selves with balls, parties, plays, military pageants, etc., 
 Gen. Washington and his army were enjoying little 
 more than the mental luxury of consciousness that 
 they were defending a glorious cause. Colonels of 
 the Pennsylvania line were now and then detached on 
 distant expeditions, with each of whom Wayne cor- 
 responded in a free and affectionate manner, giving 
 them not only the current news of the day, but inter- 
 esting circumstances relative to the army. Of the 
 number detached was Col. Thomas Hartley, on a very 
 irksome expedition against an incursive party of In- 
 dians, whom Wayne thus addressed on the subject of 
 Col. Baylor's disaster in New Jersey. This event 
 happened the 27th of Sept. 1778. 
 
 " Dear Hartley — It is with pain I inform you of 
 the disaster of poor Colonel Baylor, and his regiment 
 of light dragoons. A few days since, the enemy made 
 a descent on New Jersey, where that corps and other 
 troops were stationed. After drawing their attention 
 to the front, near Hackensack, a large body of British 
 troops landed at Dobbs' ferry in the night, and by the 
 aid and guidance of caitiff tories, fell into the rear of 
 Baylor, surprised him with his detachment, consisting 
 of upwards of one hundred men, in their beds, refused 
 any quarter, and in cold blood most barbarously and 
 mercilessly put to the bayonet men naked and unarmed, 
 begging for compassion, being incapable of resistance. 
 
 " Among the dead is Major Clow, with several other 
 officers. Colonel Baylor is yet alive, but supposed to 
 
70 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 be mortally wounded, having three stabs in his body. 
 One officer, a captain, with ten men, was surrounded 
 in the house where he was quartered, for the men were 
 cantoned in different houses ; he offered to surrender 
 if they would give him quarters, which they peremp- 
 torily refused, and ordered the d d rebel to be bayo- 
 
 netted. — He had a pistol in his hand, which he fired in 
 the face of the officer commanding the party, which 
 opened the way for himself and companions to escape. 
 I cannot find that they gave quarters to any — though 
 many are still alive covered with wounds, who may 
 yet survive to avenge the fate of their unfortunate com- 
 rades. This will be a severe stroke on the ancient do- 
 minion; as we have heard, which I sincerely hope 
 may not turn out to be the fact, that several young fel- 
 lows of family have fallen, among others a Captain 
 Fitztew. 
 
 " The caitiffs retired with the utmost precipitation, 
 on hearing that a body of troops were in full march to 
 return the compliment. 
 
 " The enemy have carefully avoided a general action, 
 but they have taken every opportunity of striking our 
 small parties, which, as in this instance, being masters 
 of the water, they are enabled to facilitate. 
 
 " His excellency received, some time since, a very 
 polite letter from Sir Henry Clinton, thanking him for 
 the humanity and attention with which the wounded 
 and prisoners were treated after the battle of Mon- 
 mouth ; with an assurance that such officers and pri- 
 vates belonging to us, as the fortune of war should 
 throw into his power, should experience the like treat- 
 ment. 
 
 " I hope, indeed I cannot doubt, that his excellency 
 has thanked him in turn, and solemnly assured him 
 that he has a just sense of the acknowledgment which 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 71 
 
 he has made, and that he has cheerfully received it as 
 a pledge that, on all future occasions, the American 
 prisoners will experience similar humanity and atten- 
 tion. 
 
 " A packet has just arrived from England, we, there- 
 fore, expect a movement of some kind to take place 
 immediately ; but whether they will act in America, or 
 withdraw their forces, time alone will determine. For 
 my part I think D'Estaing's fleet and Boston are the 
 most likely objects. I am not quite so sanguine as 
 some others about their acknowledging our indepen- 
 dence, without a further contest, especially as they have 
 just now sent a fresh reinforcement of 3000 men from 
 England to New York, so that, in all probability, we 
 may yet fight and conquer side by side. I dread infi- 
 nitely more the length of the British purse than that of 
 their bayonets. I am, with every sentiment of esteem, 
 
 " Your friend and most ob'd't humble servant, 
 
 " Anthony Wayne. 
 
 " Colonel Hartley:' 
 
 The villanous and barbarous butchery, mentioned 
 in this letter, was perpetrated by the positive orders of 
 Grey, (the same who commanded at the massacre near 
 Paoli) who, it appears, was the only general oflEicer in 
 the British army totally devoid of humanity, and re- 
 gardless of every principle of honorable warfare. 
 
 As in the early part of the campaign of 1777, so in 
 the latter part of that of 1778, Wayne was addressed 
 by many of his former political associates on the sub- 
 ject of the jarring views and interests of the people 
 within his native state. All these communications de- 
 sired his presence, for the purpose of aiding in the pro- 
 curement of relief from men and measures, which, in 
 the opinions of the writers, were rapidly degrading 
 
72 LIFE OJF ANTHONY WAYNjU. 
 
 Pennsylvania. It would appear that the gentlemen 
 who addressed him, were also desirous that he should 
 lend his presence, aid and interest in obtaining the call 
 of a convention, for the purpose of amending the con- 
 stitution of Pennsylvania. 
 
 As the principal object of this memoir is to exhibit 
 the military, and not the political character of Gen. 
 Wayne, only one of those addresses, and his reply, 
 will be noticed. Their brevity, as well as the justice 
 of showing the estimation in which Wayne was held 
 as a private citizen, by some of the most celebrated 
 men in the state, will be, no doubt, a sufficient apology 
 for their introduction. 
 
 " Dear Sir — Affairs now wear a very pleasing as- 
 pect in Pennsylvania. A majority of the members, 
 elected for the Assembly, are sincerely and warmly 
 disposed to rescue their country from tyranny and from 
 contempt. In the county of Chester there has been a 
 double return of members, and a new election may 
 perhaps be the consequence of it. Your presence in 
 that county and in this city, during this important con- 
 jun(iture, will be of signal service in many respects, 
 which we forbear to mention in a letter. The situa- 
 tion of the army will probably admit of your absence 
 for some time from camp. Let us, therefore, have the 
 pleasure of seeing you here as soon as possible. Mat- 
 ters are now approaching a crisis ; and in a few weeks 
 it will be determined whether the state of Pennsylvania 
 shall be happy under a good constitution, or be op- 
 pressed by one of the most detestable that ever was 
 formed. We need say no more to induce you to be 
 with us. 
 
 " We are your very humble servants.* 
 
 ♦(Signed,) Thomas Mifflin, Mark Bird, Jonathan Potts, Ed- 
 ward Biddle, Samuel Potts, and James Wilson. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 73 
 
 ^^Fredericksburg, 2M November, 1778. 
 
 " Gentlemen — It affords me the sincerest plea- 
 sure to hear that our state is likely to be rescued from 
 usurpation and tyranny, with which she has too long 
 been oppressed. She once stood on high ground, and 
 I have the most flattering hopes that her present leaders 
 will place her there again. 
 
 " The army is on the point of moving. As soon as 
 we reach the place for winter quarters, I shall try to 
 be with you, and will most cheerfully contribute my 
 small influence towards restoring the shattered consti- 
 tution of my native state. Present my best wishes to 
 our friends in the Assembly, and believe me, with every 
 sentiment of esteem, yours most sincerely, 
 
 "Anthony Wayne. 
 
 ^''Messrs. Thomas Mifflin, etc^ 
 
 Although the returns of members for the General 
 Assembly, in the autumn of 1778, were not made up 
 of a majority of precisely such men as the truly pa- 
 triotic had anticipated, yet an unusually large portion of 
 talent and worth were brought into the Legislature. Of 
 which no stronger evidence could have been given than 
 the election of Joseph Reed to the presidency of the 
 council, and consequently to the chief magistracy of the 
 state. This gentleman was both an accomplished mili- 
 tary officer, and a deeply read civilian ; and under his 
 auspices Pennsylvania rose into consequence, not only 
 in her own estimation, but in that of the sister re- 
 publics.* 
 
 * Joseph Reed, a patriot of the American revolution. In 
 1778, he was chosen president of Pennsylvania, and retained 
 that office till 1781. — Biographical Dictionary, His death 
 took place March 5th, 1785. 
 7 
 
74 LIFE OF ANTHONV WAYNE. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The American army in winter quarters — Wayne's exertions 
 to relieve their sufferings — letter to Washington — he wishes 
 to form a light corps — passes a short time in Chester coun- 
 ty — his correct views of the state of public affairs — his let- 
 ter of Feb. 18th, 1779 — formation of the light corps, and 
 his bias in favor of an elegant uniform — his letter to Col. 
 Stewart — he rejoins the army at Head Quarters — move- 
 ments of the British — distress of the American army — 
 Stony Point in the hands of the British — the recapture of 
 it considered, and the enterprise intrusted to Wayne — the 
 night of the 15th of July, 1779 — the storming of Stony 
 Point, etc. 
 
 The American army continued at White Plains, 
 watching the movements of the enemy, from the begin- 
 ning of July till the latter end of autumn, 1778, when 
 Washington retired to take up his winter quarters in 
 huts which he had caused to be constructed at Middle- 
 brook, in New Jersey. So late as the latter end of 
 December, these huts had not yet been completed, as 
 we find by a letter of Wayne to President Reed. The 
 following extract presents the condition of the Ameri- 
 can army at this time. 
 
 ''Millstone, 2Sth December, 1778. 
 " Sir — I should long since acknowleged the receipt 
 of yours of the 25th of October, but expected the plea- 
 sure of waiting on you in Philadelphia. The ma- 
 noeuvres of the enemy, up the North river, have put 
 us so far back in hutting, that all the Pennsylvania line 
 are, at this inclement season, exposed to wind and 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 75 
 
 weather in their old tents, one-third of them quite des- 
 titute of blankets and without hats — suffering every 
 possible extreme of fatigue and cold, to which the offi- 
 cers are also exposed, and that in a situation still more 
 intolerable than the soldiery — the latter having good 
 uniform coats and under clothing, whilst the former are 
 
 actually so naked as not to be fit to appear on parade. 
 
 ***** 
 
 " I have already observed that the subject must be 
 ungrateful, but it is a duty which I owe to my country, 
 to myself, and to the worthy officers whom I have the 
 honor to command, to represent their well founded com- 
 plaints, founded upon facts which materially concern 
 the honor of Pennsylvania, and the good of the service 
 in general ; in full confidence that you, sir, will lay the 
 whole before the Legislature of the state, and give it 
 that countenance which you think it may merit. 
 
 " I neither ask nor desire any thing on my own ac- 
 count. I wish for nothing more than an opportunity 
 of returning to my Sabine fields with safety to my 
 country and honor to myself." 
 
 After he had seen the Pennsylvania line comfortably 
 quartered in their huts, Wayne surrendered the com- 
 mand to Maj. Gen. St. Clair, and repaired to Philadel- 
 phia, where he addressed the commander-in-chief as 
 follows : 
 
 ''Philadelphia, lOth Feb., 1779. 
 " Dear General — I did myself the honor of writing 
 to you on the 20th ultimo, mentioning that I was ne- 
 cessitated to be here at the meeting of the Assembly of 
 this state, and that I should take the liberty of waiting 
 on you the first of this inst. for leave of absence. I 
 was, unfortunately deprived the pleasure of seeing you, 
 by passing down the Jersey shore, whilst you were on 
 
76 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 your way for camp on the Pennsylvania side of the 
 Delaware. 
 
 " I made a point of having my people well and com- 
 fortably covered previous to my leaving them, and hope 
 that the appearance of the men, and the regularity and 
 internal police of our new city, have met your excel- 
 lency's approbation. 
 
 " I also flatter myself that General St. Clair will be 
 pleased with the command of troops that always have 
 done, and ever will do, their duty in the field ; and that 
 they, on their part, will be happy under the conduct of 
 a gentleman of his distinguished merit ; a gentleman to 
 whom I cheerfully give place, and sincerely esteem. It 
 is known to your excellency that, although a brigadier, 
 I have commanded a division nearly the whole of the 
 two last campaigns, whilst the colonels in the Penn- 
 sylvania line have, for the greater part of that time, al- 
 ternately conducted brigades, on account of the defi- 
 ciency of general officers ; I have so much sympathy 
 for the feelings of those officers that I cannot think of 
 resuming the command of a brigade. 
 
 " I, therefore, wish to be indulged with a situation in 
 the LIGHT CORPS, if it can take place without prejudice 
 to the service, or the exclusion of an officer of more 
 worth and experience ; but if that cannot be done — I 
 beg your excellency not to spend another thought, or 
 give yourself a single moment's uneasiness on the oc- 
 casion — but permit me to hope for the continuance of 
 that friendship with which you have heretofore honor- 
 ed me, and, in case of an active campaign, the pleasure 
 of serving near your person as a volunteer. 
 " Believe me to be 
 
 " Your excellency's most ob't. 
 
 " Anthony Wayne. 
 
 " His Excellency Gen. PVashington.'* 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 77 
 
 The first hours of Gen. Wayne's relaxation from 
 camp duty were devoted to his family and friends, in 
 Chester county — here he passed a few days among 
 those scenes of domestic happiness and social inter- 
 course for which he possessed so great a predilection, 
 but the enjoyment of which very rarely fell to his lot 
 during an eventful life. After a short visit in Chester 
 county, he returned to Philadelphia, where he found a 
 letter to him from Gen. Washington, assuring him that 
 " so soon as the army would admit of the formation of 
 a respectable light corps, his wishes should be grati- 
 fied ;" and in the meantime he very cheerfully granted 
 him leave of absence. 
 
 To this Wayne replied — 
 
 ''Philadelphia, 2SthFeb., 1779. 
 
 "Dear General — Having been absent from this 
 city on a visit to my farm, it was not until this moment 
 I had the honor of receiving your favor of the 16th. It 
 gives me sincere pleasure to find that the construction 
 and disposition of the Pennsylvania barracks meet your 
 approbation. 
 
 " When the arrangement of the army, and other cir- 
 cumstances will afford an opportunity for the forma- 
 tion of the light corps, or upon any rnovement of the 
 enemy, I shall expect and be happy to receive your 
 excellency's commands. In the interim, I have an 
 affair of some delicacy, as well as matters relating to 
 ray private fortune, which claim some attention ; but 
 these shall never prevent me from doing my duty in 
 the field, when my general or country requires my at- 
 tendance. 
 
 " If it is necessary that I should be present, or that 
 I can in the least degree assist in or facilitate the forma- 
 tion of the corps in which your excellency has been 
 
78 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 SO indulgent as to offer me a command, you will please 
 to signify it ; and believe me, with sincere esteem, 
 " Your most obedient and 
 
 " Very humble servant, 
 
 "Anthony Wayne. 
 ^^Hls Excellency General Washington^ 
 
 During- the winter, whilst in Philadelphia, Wayne 
 received the most flattering marks of attention from the 
 citizens, the heads of the departments, and the mem- 
 bers of the legislative bodies, then convened in that 
 city. But a new cause of vexation had now arisen, 
 which he shared in common with Washington and the 
 officers of the army, viz : the notion of peace, whicli 
 was now so much talked of, and in the illusion of 
 which, the constituted authorities overlooked the com- 
 forts of the array, not considering it necessary to pro- 
 vide for men whose services they infatuatedly thought 
 would no longer be necessary. Indeed, at no period, 
 during the revolutionary struggle, were the affairs of 
 that glorious cause in greater jeopardy than at this 
 crisis. The French minister, M. Gerard, had, by 
 written communications to, and personal conference 
 with, Congress, held out such strong expectations of a 
 general peace throughout Christendom, that the prin- 
 cipal anxiety which appeared to exist on the subject, 
 both in the mind of the minister and the French court 
 was, that America might delay, if not defeat, the de- 
 sirable event, by asking more than European sovereigns 
 would be disposed to grant; hence M. Gerard exerted 
 his arguments and influence to induce the United States 
 to reduce their ultimatum as low as might be compatible 
 with their independency. The whole nation, with 
 Congress at its head, became so infatuated with the 
 prospect of peace, that every other public considera- 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 79 
 
 tion was sacrificed to this illusion. Says an eminent 
 writer of the time, " Wednesday, the 30th of Decem- 
 ber, 1778, was observed, by order of Congress, as a 
 thanksgiving day. At this very period the affairs of 
 the United States were in the most distressed, ruinous, 
 and deplorable condition. Idleness, dissipation, and 
 extravagance, seemed to have laid fast hold of the gen- 
 erality ; and peculation, speculation, and an insatiable 
 thirst for riches, to have gotten the better of every other 
 consideration, and almost of every order of men. Party 
 disputes and personal quarrels were the great business 
 of the day, while the momentous concerns of the em- 
 pire, a great and accumulated debt, ruined finances, de- 
 preciated money, and a want of credit, which is the 
 consequence in the want of every thing, were but 
 secondary considerations, and postponed by Congress, 
 from time to time, as if their affairs wore the most 
 promising aspect. The paper was sinking in Phila- 
 delphia, daily, 50 per cent., and yet an assembly, a 
 concert, a dinner or supper, which cost £200 or £300, 
 did not only take men off from acting, but even of 
 thinking of this business — some of the most interested 
 and patriotic Americans felt more real distress on ac- 
 count of this appearance of things, than they had done 
 at any one time since the commencement of the dis- 
 pute." 
 
 That guardian angel of the United States, the be- 
 loved Washington, seeing, knowing, and feeling this 
 most alarming state of affairs, thus addressed " a very 
 respectable friend, and a gendeman of splendid politi- 
 cal talents :'' 
 
 " I am particularly desirous of a free communication 
 of sentiments with you at this time, because I view 
 things very differently, I fear, from what people in 
 general do, who seem to think the contest at an end, 
 
80 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 and that to make money and get places, are the only- 
 things now remaining to be done. I have seen, with- 
 out despondency, even for a moment, the hours which 
 America has styled her gloomy ones, but I have beheld 
 no day since the commencement of hostilities, when I 
 have thought her liberties in such imminent danger as 
 at present. Our enemy behold, with exultation and 
 joy, how effectually we labor for their benefit; and, 
 from being in a state of absolute despair, and on the 
 point of evacuating America, are now on tiptoe. 
 Nothing, therefore, in my judgment, can save us, but 
 a total reformation in our own conduct, or some de- 
 cisive turn of affairs in Europe." He proceeds to say, 
 " It is a fact too notorious to be concealed, that Con- 
 gress is rent by party, that much business of a trifling 
 nature and personal concernment withdraws their at- 
 tention from matters of great national moment, at this 
 critical period — when it is also known that idleness 
 and dissipation take place of close attention and appli- 
 cation, &c." 
 
 Gen. Wayne was fully aware of the alarming su- 
 pineness which pervaded the constituted authorities of 
 the country. Even prior to leaving the camp, he could 
 not but perceive its indications, and he anticipated the 
 evils which must result from the indifference with 
 which the comforts of the army were treated. From 
 the camp he despatched confidential officers to the seat 
 of government, (Philadelphia) for the purpose of re- 
 presenting, and opening the way for redress of griev- 
 ances, which both the ofl^icers and soldiers of the Penn- 
 sylvania line were suffering. One of these officers 
 thus animadverts upon the state of society in the me- 
 tropolis at that time : — " I am distressed, my dear 
 general, at the present prospect, I must assure you. 
 Nothing but party reigns in different bodies. Every 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 81 
 
 thing confirms the opinion that the enemy have been 
 too long in this country. — Permit me now to say a 
 little of the dress, manners, and customs of the town's 
 people. In respect to the first, great alterations have 
 taken place since I was last here. It is all gaiety, and, 
 from what I can observe, every lady and gentleman 
 endeavors to outdo the other in splendor and show ; the 
 manners of the ladies are much changed ; they have 
 really, in a great measure, lost that native innocence in 
 their manners, which formerly was their characteristic^ 
 and supplied its place with what they call an easy be- 
 havior, &LC. 
 
 " The manner of entertaining, in this place, has like- 
 wise undergone its change. You cannot conceive any 
 thing more elegant than the present taste ; you will 
 hardly dine at a table but they present you with three 
 courses, and each of them in the most elegant man- 
 ner." 
 
 The dinner parties, balls, and various splendors, so 
 freely indulged in by the officers of the British army 
 while in Philadelphia, appear to have given a taste for, 
 and induced much, fashionable rivalry among the opu- 
 lent families of William Penn's city. We find Wayne 
 alluding to it in the following letter : 
 
 ''Philadelphia, ISth February, 1779. 
 " Dear Colonel — I have been honored with two 
 of your favors, the one from this place, the other from 
 Virginia ; but I have never had it in my power to ac- 
 knowledge them before, and I now send this as a flyer, 
 by Major Forsyth, who passes near your winter quar- 
 ters. I need not attempt to give you a description of 
 the manners, customs, fashions and extravagance of 
 this place, as you had a sample of them on your way 
 through ; all the difference is, that the whole rather in- 
 
82 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 crease than diminish ; and party runs so high, that all 
 public business is at a stand, and all public bodies 
 lulled into an unworthy torpidity, from which nothing 
 will rouse them but the approach of the enemy. — 
 Apropos, while I am writing an express announces the 
 burning of a great part of Elizabeth town, with Go- 
 vernor Livingston's house, &;c., and that the enemy are 
 in force two miles on this side of the town. Should 
 they proceed further, I will join General Washington 
 as a volunteer ; and in the interim will, as I have done 
 ever since my arrival, enjoy every moment that I can 
 spare, and participate in every pleasure this place 
 affords ; and this, too, without the least contamina- 
 tion. 
 
 " I must do the citizens the justice to say, that they 
 have honored me with every attention, and treated me 
 with every possible politeness. You know that I have 
 a fondness for ladies' society, yet, excepting the few 
 days which I spent with my family in Chester county, 
 I have not been at a single tea-party since my leaving 
 the army. I have many cards of invitation, and I 
 mean to avail myself of them ; this is an indulgence 
 which I have some right to claim, having been seques- 
 tered nearly four years from the society of the fair, 
 and perhaps the next fair bullet may make my quietus ; 
 but a truce to this. 
 
 "A light corps, on a respectable establishment, is 
 about to be formed. His excellency has lately written 
 to me on the subject, and has offered me a command 
 in it, which, under existing circumstances, I will cheer- 
 fully accept. My best wishes to all our brother offi- 
 cers, and believe me, yours, most respectfully, 
 
 "Anthony Wayne.'* 
 
 As soon as it was known that a corps of light in- 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 83 
 
 fantry was about to be composed of a select body of 
 troops from the different regiments of the army, and 
 that the commander-in-chief had resolved to honor 
 Gen. Wayne with its command, the latter was ad- 
 dressed by many distinguished officers, both of the 
 Pennsylvania and other lines, expressing an ardent de- 
 sire to serve under, him, and soliciting his interest with 
 the commander-in-chief for that purpose — a circum- 
 stance which induced Gen. Wayne to address the fol- 
 lowing letter to Washington : 
 
 ''Philadelphia, May lOth, 1779. 
 
 " Having maturely reflected on the propriety of my 
 being present during the formation of the light corps, 
 I am decidedly of opinion, from the numerous letters 
 which I have received from difl'erent officers, that I had 
 better be absent, lest it should be supposed, however 
 erroneously, that partiality of mine for certain officers 
 had tended to bring them into the corps. If your ex- 
 cellency should concur in this opinion, I then beseech 
 you, in the meantime, to employ me in any other way 
 by which I can render either you or my country any 
 service." 
 
 The commander-in-chief replied, "As soon as the 
 light corps is organized, you shall have notice of the 
 fact."* 
 
 * In another letter to Washington, upon the subject of this 
 light corps, Wayne speaks of his " insuperable bias in favor 
 of an elegant uniform and soldierly appearance ; so much 
 so, that I would much rather risk my life and reputation, at 
 the head of the same men, in an attack, clothed and ap- 
 pointed as I could wish, merely with bayonets, and a single 
 charge of ammunition, than to take them as they appear 
 in common, with sixty rounds of cartridges. It may be a 
 false idea, but I cannot help cherishing it." 
 
84 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 Wayne now repaired to his farm, spending, with his 
 family and friends in Chester county, the few weeks 
 of interval that elapsed previous to his repairing to 
 camp. The pleasure which he derived from those 
 hours of domestic comfort and tranquillity discloses 
 itself by the sentiments contained in the following 
 letter, addressed to Col. Walter Stewart, one of his 
 officers : 
 
 ^^Easttown, Chester county^ IthJune, 1779. 
 
 " Dear Sir — Whatever crimes I may be guilty of, 
 want of gratitude and sincere friendship is not among 
 the number ; but you will say, you have been guilty 
 of neglect in not sooner acknowledging the receipt of 
 my letter of the 3d ultimo ; true, but then the pleasure 
 of a rural life, from which I had been so long with- 
 drawn, the many little endearing amusements it affords, 
 together with the thoughts of shortly bidding a long, 
 perhaps a last^ adieu to them, will plead powerfully in 
 mitigation of the neglect ; especially with a gentleman 
 informed by so congenial a spirit, and whose heart is 
 equally susceptible with my own. Do you not often 
 find it troublesome, and sometimes inflicting pain ? but 
 does it not richly compensate for that ? Is it not of 
 such a texture that, take it "«Z/ in all,'^ you would not 
 wish to exchange it for one more callous ? You agree, 
 and pardon me. I thank you, my dear Watt. 
 
 " Now for the field of Mars. I believe that san- 
 guine god is rather thirsty for human gore. The hor- 
 rid depredations of the enemy, to the southward, indi- 
 cate an inundation of it. For my own part, I have 
 never ceased, since the commencement of this war, 
 sincerely to wish that it could be conducted with more 
 liberality ; but if that is not the choice of Britain, let 
 us, however reluctantly, adopt the alternative, by 
 neither giving nor receiving quarter ; the sooner we 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 85 
 
 close with them on their own ground, the better — as 
 then we shall know what we have to depend on, and 
 our lives be no longer the sport of premeditated and 
 cool villany, but become the price of much blood, and 
 at too great a hazard for Britons to make many pur- 
 chases. 
 
 " I expect soon to see you ; till when, and ever, be- 
 lieve me, yours, 
 
 "Anthony Wayne.*' 
 
 From the tenor of this letter, it is to be presumed 
 that Wayne was upon the immediate point of setting 
 out for the camp at Middlebrook. But Washington 
 broke up the camp at that place, and had moved the 
 army before Wayne reached it, as we find by the fol- 
 lowing : 
 
 ^^ Smiths in the Clove, June 2\st, 1779. 
 
 " Dear Sir — I request that you will join the army 
 as soon as you can. I wrote you upon this subject 
 before we marched from Middlebrook. But as you 
 have not arrived, it is probable my letter has miscar- 
 ried, or that it did not come to hand until very lately. 
 
 " I am, dear sir, with great regard, 
 
 " Your most obedient servant, 
 
 " George Washington. 
 
 *^ General Wayne,'^ 
 
 In obedience to this call, Wayne set off, and jour- 
 neyed with such despatch, that (as it appears from a 
 letter addressed to his family) neither himself nor 
 servant enjoyed an hour's sleep until their arrival at 
 Head Quarters. 
 
 The campaign of 1779 opened under circumstances 
 the most gloomy. The winter had been permitted to 
 pass away without the necessary preparations for a 
 8 
 
86 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 continuance of the war. Congress and the nation, as 
 has been said, were lulled into an almost fatal lethargy, 
 in consequence of a belief that peace was about to take 
 place, without further exertions to secure it. 
 
 At the time a competent army should have been in 
 camp, the men were yet to enlist, owing to the late 
 provisions which Congress had made for recruiting, 
 &c. The bounty offered was so low that men could 
 not be procured to enter the service, and the individual 
 states had to be called on in the most pressing manner, 
 by the commander-in-chief, and ultimately by Congress, 
 to increase the bounty, and use every exertion to for- 
 ward their respective quotas of troops. 
 
 The British, early in July, had commenced a pre- 
 datory warfare. Clinton despatched troops on expe- 
 ditions against the sea-ports of Virginia, as well as 
 those in the eastern states. They issued their procla- 
 mations to the inhabitants, inviting and urging them to 
 declare allegiance to the British monarch, George III.; 
 and also promising all who should remain peaceably in 
 their usual places of residence, protection in person 
 and property, excepting the civil and military officers 
 of government ; but threatened with vengeance those 
 who neglected the warning. An historian of the time 
 says: — "The address, or proclamation, Avas merely 
 farcical ; for instead of leaving them to consult each 
 other on the occasion, they employed force before the 
 people had time to convene after the invitation was re- 
 ceived. On the 5th the troops were landed in Con- 
 necticut, and the British, generals immediately pro- 
 ceeded to the most shameful and wanton destruction 
 and abuse. Towns were delivered up to promiscuous 
 plunder — " whigs and tories had, indiscriminately, 
 money, plate, rings, and other articles taken from 
 them ;" even cattle, by hundreds, were wantonly shot 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 87 
 
 down in the fields. At Norwalk and Fairfield, alone, 
 the British consumed four houses of public worship, 
 162 dwelling-houses, 142 barns, 59 stores and shops, 
 independently of those consumed at Green Farms, 
 New Haven, and East Haven. During those villanous 
 depredations, the militia of the country gave a gallant 
 but ineffectual resistance. 
 
 In the meantime the distresses of the American 
 army were so great that a mutiny had broken out in 
 the New Jersey line. The Pennsylvania line also dis- 
 played a mutinous spirit ; but Wayne, by his strenuous 
 and well-timed exertions, tranquillized the officers and 
 soldiers of that state. Washington, in his communi- 
 cation to Congress at this critical period, says, " that 
 the distresses in some corps are so great, that officers 
 have solicited even to be supplied with the clothing 
 destined for the common soldiery, coarse and unsuit- 
 able as it is. I had not power to comply with the 
 request. The patience of men, animated by a sense 
 of duty and honor, will support them to a certain 
 point, beyond which it will not go. I doubt not Con- 
 gress will be sensible of the danger of an extreme 
 in this respect, and will pardon my anxiety to obvi- 
 ate it." 
 
 In addition to these mortifications, Washington, who 
 had been industriously endeavoring to fortify West 
 Point and the Highlands of the North river, was 
 doomed to receive another in the capture of Stony 
 Point by the enemy. " Some miles below West Point, 
 about the termination of the Highlands, is King's ferry, 
 where the great road, affording the most convenient 
 communication between the middle and eastern states, 
 crosses the North river. The ferry is completely com- 
 manded by the two opposite points of land. The one 
 on the west side, which is a very rough and elevated 
 
OO LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 piece of ground, is called Stony Point, and the other, 
 on the east side, which is a flat neck of land project- 
 ing far into the water, is termed Verplank's Point. To 
 secure those points was a matter of vast importance, 
 both to the British and American commander-in-chief; 
 hence the latter had extended the plan of fortifying the 
 Highlands, so as to comprehend within it this valuable 
 position." * 
 
 However industriously the officers who had charge 
 of fortifying Stony and Verplank's Points, labored for 
 that purpose, yet only on Verplank's a small but strong 
 work had been completed and garrisoned by 70 men, 
 under Captain Armstrong, whilst the works on Stony 
 Point, of much greater extent, and of incomparably 
 more importance, were unfinished. 
 
 To arrest the progress of these fortifications. Sir 
 Henry Clinton sailed with a fleet up the Hudson, and 
 landed his troops in two divisions ; the one under Gen. 
 Vaughan, destined against the works at Verplank's, on 
 tlie east side of the river — the other, which he com- 
 manded in person, against those of Stony Point, on 
 the west side. The fortifications on Stony Point being 
 unfinished, were abandoned without resistance, on the 
 approach of the enemy, who instandy commenced 
 dragging some heavy cannon and mortars to the sum- 
 mit of the hill, and on the next morning, about sun- 
 rise, opened a battery on Fort Fayette, erected on Ver- 
 plank's, the distance across being about one thousand 
 yards. The cannonade during the day, from the very 
 commanding position of Stony Point, as also from ves- 
 sels and gun-boats in the river, occasioned much in- 
 jury to the fort ; which, being invested both by water 
 and land, and no means of saving the garrison now re- 
 
 * See The Casket, page 304. 
 
^ LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 89 
 
 maining, Captain Armstrong, (who had the command) 
 after a gallant resistance, was compelled to surrender 
 himself and troops prisoners of war. Sir Henry pro- 
 ceeded immediately to place both forts in what he sup- 
 posed a perfect state of defence, especially that of Stony 
 Point, which he garrisoned with 600 men, under the 
 command of an officer distinguished for his bravery 
 and circumspection. 
 
 Sir Henry, in consequence of the advance of Wash- 
 ington towards West Point, declined a further move- 
 ment up the Hudson, and retired with his army to 
 Phillipsburg, about half way down towards New York 
 city, with the view of being ready to support Stony 
 and Verplank points, or any other of his garrisons on 
 the river, in the event of an attack upon them. 
 
 The capture of Stony Point had occurred before the 
 arrival of Wayne at Head Quarters. The recapture 
 of this important post was now the object of Gen. 
 Washington ; and, so soon as Wayne arrived, a corps 
 of light infantry was formed, the command given to 
 him, and a service worthy of the corps and their leader, 
 assigned to them. 
 
 " Stony Point is a commanding hill projecting far 
 into the Hudson, which washes three-fourths of its 
 base. The remaining fourth is, in a great measure, 
 covered by a deep marsh, commencing near the river 
 on the upper side, and continuing into it below. Over 
 this marsh there is only one crossing place. But at 
 its junction with the river is a sandy beach, passable 
 at low water. On the summit of this hill was erected 
 a fort, which was furnished with a sufficient number 
 of heavy pieces of ordnance. Several breastworks and 
 strong batteries were advanced in front of the principal 
 M'ork, and about half way down the hill were two rows 
 of abatis. The batteries were calculated to command 
 8* 
 
90 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 the beach and the crossing place of the marsh, and to 
 rake and enfilade any column which might be ad- 
 vancing from either of those points towards the fort. 
 In addition to these defences, several vessels of war 
 were stationed in the river, so as, in a considerable 
 degree, to command the ground at the foot of the 
 hill." * • 
 
 The following was the correspondence between Gen. 
 Washington and Gen. Wayne in relation to the con- 
 templated recapture of this fortress : 
 
 ^^New Windsor, July 1st, 1779. 
 
 " Dear Sir — Herewith you will be pleased to re- 
 ceive general instructions for your conduct. This you 
 will consider as private and confidential. The impor- 
 tance of the two posts of Verplank's and Stony Point, 
 to the enemy, is too obvious to need explanation. We 
 ought, if possible, to dispossess them. I recommend 
 it to your particular attention, without delay, to gain 
 as exact knowledge as you can of the number of the 
 garrisons ; the state of the creeks that surround the 
 former ; the nature of the ground in the vicinity of 
 both ; the position and strength of the fortifications ; 
 the situation of the guards ; the number and stations 
 of the vessels in the river, and the precautions in gen- 
 eral which the enemy employ for their security. 
 
 " It is a matter which I have much at heart, to make 
 some atttempt upon these posts, in the present state of 
 the garrisons, and before the enemy commence any 
 other operations, if warranted by a probability of suc- 
 cess. 
 
 " I must entreat your best endeavours to acquire the 
 
 Marshall's Life of Washington. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 91 
 
 necessary information, after having obtained which, I 
 shall thank you for your opinion of the practicability 
 of a surprise of one or both these places, especially 
 that on the west side of the river. 
 
 " I am, dear Sir, your most obedient servant, 
 
 " Geo. Washington. 
 
 ^^ Brigadier Gen. Waynes 
 
 Fort Montgomery, Sd July, 1779. 
 
 " Dear General — In obedience to your excellency's 
 
 orders, I have reconnoitred the situation of the enemy's 
 
 works on Stony Point, and the approaches to them, in 
 
 the best manner that circumstances would admit, and 
 
 returned late last evening to this place. 
 
 ****** 
 
 " Upon the whole, I do not think a storm practicable, 
 but perhaps a surprise may be effected, could we fall 
 on some stratagem to draw them out. A thought has 
 struck me, that as no party of force has ever yet been 
 down, or appeared to the enemy, and as I have ground 
 to believe that an inhabitant living near to Stony 
 Point acts a double part, and, of course, will give them 
 every information in his power, which goes no further 
 than to the usual route and number of the reconnoitring 
 parties, they may be induced to attempt an ambuscade ; 
 or, if they should not attempt this, a few of our people 
 appearing near, may bring a pretty strong party out in 
 pursuit, which may give our troops an opening to 
 enter ivith them. 
 
 " Should your excellency incline to reconnoitre the 
 works to-morrow, or next day, I will have a proper dis- 
 position made of the light corps, so as effectually to cover 
 you ; or, whenever you may order it, I will attempt 
 the surprise, in case it meets your approbation. The 
 
92 LIFE OF ANTHONV WAYNE. 
 
 troops at the forest of Dane may co-operate with us, if 
 thought necessary. 
 
 " Interim, I am your excellency's ob't servant, 
 
 " Anthony Wayne. 
 
 " General Washington^ 
 
 On the 10th of July, an interview took place between 
 Washington and Wayne, in which they discussed the 
 project of storming Stony Point. In the course of 
 their conference, Wayne, emphatically to express his 
 willingness to undertake the perilous enterprise, is said 
 to have remarked. " General, if you will only plan it, 
 I will storm HellT 
 
 This conference was the cause of the following 
 letter : 
 
 " Head Quarters, July I4th, 1779. 
 
 " Dear Sir — I have reflected on the advantages and 
 disadvantages of delaying the proposed attempt, and I 
 do not know but the former preponderate. You will, 
 therefore carry it into execution to-morrow night, as 
 you desire, unless some new motive, or better infor- 
 mation, should induce you to think it best to defer it. 
 
 " You are at liberty to choose between the different 
 plans on which we have conversed. But as it is im- 
 portant to have every information we can procure, if 
 you could manage, in the meantime, to see Major Lee, 
 it might be useful. He has been so long near the spot, 
 and has taken so much pains to inform himself, critic- 
 ally, concerning the post, that I imagine he may be 
 able to make you acquainted with some further details. 
 Your interview must be managed with caution, or it 
 may possibly raise suspicion. 
 
 " I am, dear sir, your most obedient servant, 
 
 " Geo. Washington. 
 
 " General Wayne.''^ 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 93 
 
 ''Fort Montgomery, Uth July, 1779. 
 
 " Dear General — I am this moment honored with 
 yours of this day, and note the contents. I shall effect 
 the interview in a manner the least suspicious. Every 
 thing will be in readiness the time you mention. I 
 shall do myself the honor to enclose you the plan and 
 disposition of attack to-morrow. 
 
 " Your excellency's obedient humble servant, 
 
 "Anthony Wayne. 
 
 "General Washington,'''' 
 
 On the following day he again wrote to Washington, 
 communicating the progress of his arrangements for 
 the attack, as follows : 
 
 "Wo' clock, A. M. 
 
 "Dear General — On the 11th, Colonels Butler, 
 Febiger, and myself, reconnoitred the enemy's works 
 at Stony Point, in the most satisfactory manner pos- 
 sible ; and I am decidedly of opinion that two real 
 attacks, and one feint, ought to be made, agreeably to 
 the enclosed plan and disposition, which I now do my- 
 self the honor to transmit. 
 
 " I perfectly agree with your excellency, that an en- 
 terprise of this nature does not so much depend upon 
 numbers as on secrecy and prowess ; yet the mass of 
 our soldiery will derive confidence from the reputation 
 of numbers. From this conviction, I have taken the 
 liberty to order Col. Ball's regiment, stationed at Rose's 
 farm, to follow in my rear, and I shall give out that the 
 whole Virginia line are to support us. It can have no 
 bad effect, but it may have a very happy one. 
 
 " I have taken every possible precaution to secure 
 the passes leading to Stony Point ; for which purpose, 
 I have detached three small parties of picked men, 
 under prudent and vigilant officers, with directions to 
 
94 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 approach near the ravine a little before night, so as to 
 reconnoitre, and fix on the proper places to plant iheir 
 sentries, as soon as it is dark ; also, to secure certain 
 persons to serve as guides. I shall meet Major Lee at 
 Clement's, or between that and Storm's. 
 
 " I am pleased at the prospect of the day, and have 
 the most happy presages of the fortune of the night. 
 
 "Adieu, my dear general, and believe me, with every 
 sentiment of esteem, your most obedient and affection- 
 ate humble servant, 
 
 "Anthony Wayne." 
 
 This night — the 15th of July, 1779 — was the time 
 fixed upon for the storming of Stony Point, one of 
 the most daring and enterprising exploits that the page 
 of history records. The danger of the undertaking, 
 and the importance of succeeding in it, as viewed by 
 Washington and Wayne, may be inferred from the par- 
 ticularity of the orders issued by the latter immediately 
 preceding the attempt. 
 
 General orders and disposition for the attack. 
 
 " The troops will march at — o'clock, and move l.y 
 the right, making a short halt at the creek, or run, on 
 this side next Clement's ; every officer and non-com- 
 missioned officer will remain with, and be anfewerable 
 for, every man in his platoon ; no soldier to be per- 
 mitted to quit his ranks on any pretext whatever, 
 until a general halt is made, and then to be attended 
 by one of the officers of the platoon. 
 
 " When the head of the troops arrive in rear of the 
 hill. Col. Febiger will form his regiment into a solid 
 column of a half platoon, in front, as fast as they come 
 up ; Col. Meigs will form next, in Col. Febiger's rear, 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 95 
 
 and Maj. Hull in the rear of Meigs, which will form 
 the right column. 
 
 " Col. Butler will form a column on the left of Fe- 
 biger, and Maj. Murfree in his rear. Every officer and 
 soldier will then fix a piece of white paper in the most 
 conspicuous part of his hat or cap, as a mark to dis- 
 tinguish him from the enemy. At the word march. 
 Col. Fleury will take charge of one hundred and fifty 
 determined and picked men, properly officered, with 
 arms unloaded, placing their whole dependence on fixed 
 bayonets, who will move about twenty paces in front 
 of the right column, and enter the sally-port marked ; 
 he is to detach an officer and twenty men, a little in 
 front, whose business will be to secure the sentries, 
 and remove the abatis and obstructions, for the column 
 to pass through. The column will follow close in the 
 rear, with shouldered muskets, led by Col. Febiger and 
 Gen. Wayne in person. When the works are forced, 
 and not before, the victorious troops will give the watch- 
 word, , with repeated and loud voices, and 
 
 drive the enemy from their works and guns, which 
 will favor the pass of the whole troops. Should the 
 enemy refuse to surrender, or attempt to make their 
 escape by water, or otherwise, eflfectual means must 
 be used to effiict the former and prevent the latter. 
 
 " Colonel Butler will move by the route (2) prece- 
 ded by one hundred chosen men, with fixed bayonets, 
 properly officered, at the distance of twenty yards, in 
 front of the column, which will follow under Colonel 
 Butler, with shouldered muskets. These hundred will 
 also detach a proper officer and twenty men, a little in 
 front, to remove the obstructions, &c.; as soon as they 
 gain the works, they will also give, and continue the 
 watchword, which will prevent confusion and mistake. 
 
96 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 " The general has the fullest confidence in the bra- 
 very and fortitude of the corps that he has the happi- 
 ness to command. The distinguished honor conferred 
 on every officer and soldier, who has been drafted into 
 this corps by his excellency, General Washington, the 
 credit of the states they respectively belong to, and 
 their own reputations, will be such powerful motives 
 for each man to distinguish himself, that the general 
 cannot have the least doubt of a glorious victory ; and 
 he, hereby, most solemnly engages to reward the first 
 man who enters the works with five hundred dollars 
 and immediate promotion ; to the second, four hundred 
 dollars ; to the third, three hundred dollars ; to the 
 fourth two hundred dollars ; and to the fifth, one hundred 
 dollars ; and he will represent the conduct of every 
 officer and soldier, who distinguishes himself in this 
 action, in the most favorable point of view to his ex- 
 cellency, whose greatest pleasure is rewarding merit. 
 But should there be any soldier so lost to feeling of 
 honor, as to attempt to retreat one single foot, or skulk 
 in the face of danger, the officer next to him is imme- 
 diately to put him to death, that he may no longer dis- 
 grace the name of a soldier, or the corps, or the state 
 to which he belongs. 
 
 " As General Wayne is determined to share the 
 danger of the night, so he wishes to participate in the 
 glory of the day, in common with his fellow soldiers." 
 
 The night had already settled down, Avhen the ad- 
 vancing column of the Americans emerged from a thick 
 wood on the shore of the Hudson ; the dim and shadowy 
 prospect disclosing to their sight Verplank's Point, 
 buried in a mass of shadow on the other side of the 
 river, while before them rose the dark, gloomy, and 
 frowning craggy heights of Stony Point, surmounted 
 by a fort that was now deemed impregnable, and the 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 97 
 
 capture of which was, by most persons, regarded as 
 impossible. But to the high heart and daring spirit of 
 Anthony Wayne, danger in the service of his country 
 was delight, and he moved forward on his gallant pur- 
 pose with an unwavering determination. 
 
 A turn in the road soon hid them from the river; 
 and, after a silent march of some minutes, they arrived 
 within a short distance of the enemy's line, and halting 
 at the command of Wayne, formed into columns for the 
 attack. Beginning again their silent progress, they 
 presendy reached the marshy ground at the base of the 
 hill. "Hist!" said Wayne, in a low voice from the 
 front — " Halt." The order passed in a whisper down 
 the line, and the column paused on the edge of the 
 morass. It was a moment of suspense and peril. 
 Every man felt that in a few moments the fate of their 
 hazardous enterprise would be decided, and that they, 
 would be either cold in death, or the American flag 
 floating in triumph over the dark promontory ahead, 
 now scarcely discernible through the thick gloom of 
 the midnight. " The troops remained in this position," 
 says Gen. Wayne,* " until the principal oflicers, with 
 myself, returned from reconnoitering the works. At 
 half after eleven, being the hour fixed on, the whole 
 moved forward." The pioneers, with axes, reached 
 the abatis, and their rapid blows rung upon the night, 
 when suddenly the shout of alarm broke from the fort, 
 the gun of a sentry flashed through the gloom, and in 
 an instant all was uproar and confusion within the as- 
 tonished fortification. 
 
 It was now twenty minutes past twelve o-clock. 
 Not a moment was to be lost. " Advance ! advance !" 
 
 ♦In a letter to Washington, dated " Stony Point, July 17th, 
 1779." 
 
 9 
 
98 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 shouted Wayne, waving his sword, as he pressed rapidly 
 onwards to the abatis, followed in death-like silence 
 by his indomitable troops. 
 
 " To arms !" came borne on the night breeze from 
 the fort — " to arms ! to arms !" — mingled with the 
 quick roll of the drum. In an instant the British were 
 at their posts. The gallant Americans continued their 
 silent but steady march through the morass, now over- 
 flowed by the tide. Thrilling were the moments dur- 
 ing which they maintained their progress. The fire 
 of the enemy burst upon them from every embrasure 
 of the fort. " Neither the deep morass," says Wayne,* 
 " the formidable and double rows of abatis, nor the 
 high and strong works in front and flank, could damp 
 the ardour of the troops, who, in the face of a most 
 tremendous and incessant fire of musketry, and from 
 artillery loaded with shells and grape-shot, forced their 
 way, at the point of the bayonet, through every obstacle, 
 both columns meeting in the centre of the enemy's 
 works at the same instant." 
 
 On — on — they had pressed amid the whirlwind of 
 fire from the fort, over the abatis and bulwarks, until 
 the British, borne back by their impetuous onset, 
 quailed before them. Then, and not till then, was the 
 death-like silence broken. A sound rung out from the 
 victorious troops over all the thunder of battle. It was 
 the watchword of success. It was heard by the head 
 of the column behind, it passed down their line, was 
 caught up by the rear, and a wild shout, making the 
 very welkin tremble, rang out. Indeed, the enthusiasm 
 of the victors cannot be described. But though the 
 contest had been so bloody, not a man of the enemy 
 fell after resistance had ceased. " The humanity of 
 
 Letter of July 17th. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 101 
 
 our brave soldiers," says Wayne,* " who scorned to 
 take the lives of vanquished foes calling for mercy, re- 
 flects the highest honor on them, and accounts for so 
 few of the enemy being killed on the occasion," 
 
 The morning gun announced to the British fleet in 
 the river that Stony Point was again in possession of 
 the Americans. 
 
 The loss of the assailants fell far short of the appa- 
 rent hazard of the enterprise. The killed and wounded 
 did not exceed one hundred. — "Wayne's own escape on 
 this occasion was of the hair-breadth kind. Struck on 
 the head by a musket-ball, he fell ; but, immediately 
 rising on one knee, he exclaimed, " March on — carry 
 me into the fort— -for should the wound be mortal, I 
 will die at the head of the column.'''' The enemy's loss, 
 in killed and wounded, amounted to six hundred and 
 seven men.t 
 
 Washington in his reports to Congress, says of 
 Wayne ; " To the encomiums he has deservedly be- 
 stowed on the oflficers and men under his command, it 
 gives me pleasure to add, that his own conduct, through- 
 out the whole of this arduous enterprise, merits the 
 warmest approbation of Congress. He improved on the 
 plan recommended by me, and executed it in a manner 
 that does honor to his judgment and bravery."! 
 
 A very distinguished public writer of that day, speak- 
 ing of the capture of Stony Point, says, "great is the 
 triumph of the Americans upon the success of this en- 
 
 * Letter of July 17th. 
 
 f Sparks' Biography. — " The loss of the enemy was sixty- 
 three killed; Lieut. Col. Johnston, four captains, and twenty 
 subaltern officers, together with the remainder of the garrison, 
 were made prisoners of war, amounting to 543. The military 
 stores captured were extensive and valuable." — Casket, p. 31 1. 
 
 4 Sparks' Writings of Washington. 
 9* 
 
102 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 terprise, and justly, for it would have done honor to 
 the most veteran troops, and, notwithstanding the pro- 
 vocations given by the plunderings and burnings at 
 New Haven, East Haven, Fairjfield, and Green-Farms, 
 of which they had heard, such was the humanity of 
 the continental soldiers, that they scorned to take the 
 lives of their foe, calling for mercy — so that there were 
 but few of the enemy killed on the occasion." 
 
 In Congress, July 26th, 1779, it was " Resolved, 
 unanimously, That the thanks of Congress be presented 
 to Brigadier-General Wayne, for his brave, prudent, 
 and soldierly conduct, in the spirited and well conducted 
 attack of Stony Point."* 
 
 Of the congratulatory letters received by him from 
 a great number of distinguished men, we have room 
 for only four. General St. Clair wrote as follows : 
 
 New Windsor, July Yith, 1779. 
 
 " Dear General — It is with true pleasure that I 
 received the news of your success at Stony Point, 
 on which I beg leave to present you my cordial con- 
 gratulations. 
 
 " It is an event that makes a very great alteration in 
 the situation of affairs, and must have important con- 
 sequences, and is the more glorious from its having been 
 effected with so little loss. It is, in short, the com- 
 pletest surprise I ever heard of. 
 
 " Please to present my compliments to the gentle- 
 men of your family, and all our friends, and believe 
 me, with much esteem, dear general, 
 
 " Your very humble servant, 
 
 " Arthur St. Clair. 
 
 ^'General Waynes 
 
 Extract from the minutes. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 103 
 
 ^^Philadelphia, August ^th, 1779. 
 
 " My dear Sir — There was but one thing wanting, 
 in your late successful attack upon Stony Point, to 
 complete your happiness : and that is, the wound you 
 received should have affected your hearing ; for I fear 
 you will be stunned, through those organs, with your 
 own praises. Our streets, for many days, rang with 
 nothing but the name of General Wayne. You are re- 
 membered constantly next to our great and good Wash- 
 ington, over our claret and madeira. You have esta- 
 blished the national character of our country ; you have 
 taught our enemies that bravery, humanity, and mag- 
 nanimity, are the national virtues of the Americans. 
 
 "Accept, my dear sir, of my share of gratitude for 
 the honor and services you have done our cause and 
 country. Mrs. Rush joins in the offering; and when 
 our little ones are able to repeat your name, we shall 
 not fail to tell them, in recounting the exploits of our 
 American heroes, how much they are indebted to you 
 for their freedom and happiness. 
 
 "Adieu, my dear friend, and be assured of the sin- 
 cere affection of 
 
 " Yours, most sincerely, 
 
 "Benjamin Rush. 
 
 ^^ General Wayne,''' 
 
 ^'Berkley County, August Wth, 1779. 
 " Dear Sir — You will do me the justice to ac- 
 knowledge, that at the time I was taught to think, I am 
 sure without foundation, that you were one of the most 
 active in my prosecution, I gave it as my opinion that 
 you were a brave officer and an honest man. You 
 must likewise recollect, that when you sent me a cer- 
 tain message at Elizabethtown, I told you that if I 
 was appointed to a command, and had my choice of 
 
104 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 brigadiers, you should be one of my first election. I 
 hope, therefore, that what I am now going- to say you 
 will not consider as paying my court in this your hour 
 of glory ; for as it is at least my present intention to 
 leave this continent, where I have been so scurvily and 
 ungratefully treated, I can have no interest in paying 
 my court to any individual. What I shall say, there- 
 fore, is dictated by the genuine feeling of my heart. 
 I do most sincerely declare, that your action in the as- 
 sault of Stony Point, is not only the most brilliant, in 
 my opinion, through the whole course of the war on 
 either side, but that it is one of the most brilliant I am 
 acquainted with in history. The assault of Schweid- 
 nitz, by Marshal Laudun, I think inferior to it. I wish 
 you therefore, most sincerely, joy of the laurels you 
 have deservedly acquired, and that you may long live 
 to wear them ; and if you have leisure, as I am curious 
 in these details, to inform me of the particular order 
 of your disposition, you will much oblige one who is, 
 without flattery, with respect, and no small admira- 
 tion, 
 
 " Your most obedient humble servant, 
 
 "Charles Lee. 
 
 ^^ Brigadier- General Wayne.^'' 
 
 ^^Havre de Grace, (Finance) October 7th, 1779. 
 
 " Dear Sir — With the greatest pleasure I take this 
 opportunity of congratulating you on your admirable 
 expedition at Stony Point. 
 
 " Besides the general and hearty satisfaction I feel 
 from any advantage which may bless the arms of my 
 fellow-American soldiers, I was particularly delighted 
 in hearing that this glorious affair had been conducted 
 by my good friend General Wayne. 
 
 " I beg, my dear sir, you would present my compli- 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 105 
 
 ments to my friends and acquaintances in the army ; 
 and believe me, most affectionately, yours, 
 
 " La Fayette." * 
 
 The ball which wounded Wayne at the storming of 
 Stony Point, grazed his skull nearly two inches in 
 length, under the hair. The infantry cap which he 
 wore on that night, and which was perforated by the 
 ball, was of beaver, having a crest neatly ornamented 
 with horse-hair. The wound speedily healed, and, in 
 a few days, he was again ready and eager for active 
 service. 
 
 The campaign of 1779 closed by Washington taking 
 up his winter quarters at Morristown, N. J.; and on 
 the 26th of December, Sir Henry Clinton, with a large 
 army, sailed with a fleet of 110 sail to the south, leaving 
 Gen. Kniphausen, with a suflicient force, in command 
 of New York. The command of Wayne having ceased, 
 in consequence of the corps of light infantry rejoining 
 their respective lines, he took an affectionate leave of 
 Washingtoiwind his brother officers, repaired to the 
 seat of government, and immediately recommenced his 
 exertions in stimulating the councils of the nation, espe- 
 cially those of his native state, in behalf of our suffer- 
 ing soldiery, nearly one-half of whom were at this time 
 barefooted, and otherwise destitute of comforts. 
 
 * La Fayette had, in January, 1779, returned to France, for 
 the purpose of exerting every means in his power to induce 
 his country to send effectual aid to the United States. In 
 May, 1780, he returned. 
 
106 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The campaign of 1780 — La Fayette's return to America, 
 with the tidings of effectual assistance from the ^rench 
 government — Wayne joins the camp at Morristown, N. J. 
 — Incursions of the British into Jersey — Gallant expedi- 
 tion of Wayne into Bergen Neck — his account of the af- 
 fair — Allusions of Major Andre to the father of Wayne — 
 Ridicule of Washington, Wayne, and other officers of the 
 Americans, by the British officers, on the stage at the the- 
 atre in New York — Treason of Arnold — Capture of Major 
 Andre — The character of Arnold as drawn by Wayne — 
 The American army in winter quarters — their distressed 
 condition — Mutiny, on the 1st of January, 1781, of the 
 Pennsylvania line, etc. 
 
 The campaign of 1780 opened under prospects of 
 many encouraging circumstances. La Fayette returned 
 from France about the middle of May, and communi- 
 cated to the commander-in-chief and to C%igress the 
 pleasing intelligence that a French fleet, with a power- 
 ful detachment of land forces, might be speedily ex- 
 pected on the coast. But this pleasure was soon 
 depressed by the intelligence that reached the northern 
 states, of the fall of Charleston, S. C, into the hands 
 of the British, the capitulation of which city took 
 place on the 12th of May. Washington, while the 
 main army of the enemy was operating in the south, 
 " was confined to the irksome and inglorious task of 
 watching, from his encampment at Morristown, the 
 motions of the British on New York island, and of 
 restraining their incursions into the adjacent country.*'* 
 
 • Frost's United States. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 107 
 
 His forces were weakened by the departure from his 
 camp of reinforcements, which it was necessary he 
 should send to the American army in the south ; " and 
 never did distress press more heavily upon him." 
 
 But the joyful news of the French assistance had 
 the effect of rousing the nation from its lethargy. 
 Congress and the executives of the different states, 
 especially the inestimable governor of Pennsylvania, 
 (Joseph Reed,) exerted themselves to make such ar- 
 rangements as the crisis demanded; and the patriotic 
 merchants of Philadelphia proceeded to the establish- 
 ment of a bank, with a capital of jS3 15,000, to be paid 
 in specie, if required, the object of which was to sup- 
 ply the army with* provisions, &;c. 
 
 The stockholders were to derive no advantage from 
 the establishment ; their credit and money were to be 
 advanced for the benefit of the continental army. They 
 asked nothing more than that Congress should pledge 
 the faith of the nation for a redemption of the costs 
 and charges of the institution in a reasonable time. 
 These stipulations were entered into, and the bank 
 speedily went into operation, and was productive of 
 very happy effects. In addition to this, the ladies of 
 Philadelphia most nobly and patriotically subscribed 
 $300,000 for the immediate relief of the suffering sol- 
 diers, which example was extensively followed. Yet 
 those, with other sources of relief, fell far short of 
 their objects.* 
 
 * Congress, from Washington's repeated representations 
 by letter, and Wayne's personal urgency, sent, a committee 
 to the camp. This committee, after a full inquiry, reported 
 that " The army was unpaid for five months ; that it seldom 
 had more than six days' provisions in advance, and was on 
 several occasions, lor sundry successive days, without meat; 
 that the army was destitute of forage ; that the medical de- 
 
108 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 On the 18th of May, Washington addressed a letter 
 to Gen. Wayne in which he says, " I shall be very 
 happy to see you at camp again, and hope you will, 
 without hesitation, resume your command in the Penn- 
 sylvania line." To which Wayne replied, (from Phi- 
 ladelphia, June 1st,) that he would render himself "in 
 camp the latter end of next week ;" and which promise 
 he fulfilled. 
 
 At this crisis. Sir Henry Clinton had returned from 
 the South, and he and Kniphausen were making incur- 
 sions into Jersey, and enlisting tories and refugees, of 
 which they had four thousand at their command. Their 
 object was to capture or destroy the military stores de- 
 posited at Morristown, and in its neighborhood, and to 
 cut up the small army which might have the gallantry 
 to attempt its defence.* To mask his real view, he 
 embarked troops and made such preparations at New 
 York as indicated an immediate move up the North 
 river. As soon as Gen. Washington received intelli- 
 gence of this circumstance, that he might be prepared 
 to defend West Point and the strongholds in the High- 
 lands, he marched with the principal part of his army to- 
 wards those points on the 2 1st of June, leaving at Spring- 
 field the remainder, consisting of 700 men, together with 
 
 partment had neither sugar, tea, chocolate, wine, or spirituous 
 liquors of any kind ; that every department of the army was 
 without money, and had not even the shadow of credit left; 
 that the patience of the soldiers, borne down by the pressure 
 of complicated sufferings, was on the point of being ex- 
 hausted." 
 
 * The British regular force in New York, at this time, was 
 12,000. The whole, under the immediate command of Wash- 
 ington, fell short of 3,000. The greater part of the British 
 could be speedily concentrated for any object; in addition to 
 which, they could call to their aid the 4,000 refugees. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 109 
 
 the cavalry and militia, under command of Maj. Gen. 
 Greene. As Gen. Washington was resolved not to 
 march beyond supporting distance of Gen. Greene, his 
 movement was necessarily slow ; and he had not ad- 
 vanced more than eleven miles from Morristown, on 
 the 22d, when he was informed that the most probable 
 design of the British was the stores, &:c. He there- 
 fore halted. On the morning of the 23d, further sus- 
 pense was removed by a messenger from Greene, dated 
 *♦ Springfield, 23d, six o'clock, a. m. — The enemy are 
 out on their march towards this place in full force, 
 having received a considerable reinforcement last 
 night." 
 
 So soon as this intelligence reached Washington, he 
 detached a brigade, under Wayne, from the main army, 
 to hang on the right flank of the enemy ; but the action 
 was over, and the British had retreated before the bri- 
 gade, with every exertion, could gain its position. The 
 following correspondence occurred on this occasion : 
 
 ''Chatham, 23d June, 1780—8 o'clock, P. M, 
 "Dear General — You no doubt have heard that 
 the enemy, after burning Springfield, are retired to 
 their former post on Elizabethtown Point. Their num- 
 ber, from the best observation, did not exceed 4,000. 
 They brought out three days' provisions, which pro- 
 bably is to serve them until they reach the vicinity of 
 West Point. I have not yet seen Gen. Greene ; but 
 from good intelligence, the grenadiers and light infan- 
 try, composing two battalions, together with all the 
 other troops lately arrived from Charlestown, except 
 the legion, embarked last evening, but had not sailed 
 this morning. May they not wait the return of those 
 who marched from the point this morning, and pro- 
 ceed in conjunction up the river, in full confidence that 
 
110 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 this manoeuvre has drawn your excellency's attention 
 to this quarter ? 
 
 " I shall in consequence move along the mountain 
 towards Passaic falls, in the morning, unless counter- 
 manded by your excellency or General Greene. 
 
 " Most respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 " Anthony Wayne. 
 ; **Gm. Washington,''* 
 
 ''Whippany, 11 o'clock, P. M. — 23d June, 1780. 
 
 " Dear Sir — Some time before the receipt of your 
 favor, I was informed that the enemy had returned to 
 their station at Elizabethtown Point. It is certainly 
 difficult, if not impossible, to ascertain their views. I, 
 however, all things considered, wish to keep our force 
 as compact as possible, and therefore wish you, if you 
 find in the morning that the enemy are quiet or gone 
 over to Staten Island, to return by the same route you 
 marched to-day. 
 
 *' I am, dear sir, your most obedient servant, 
 
 " Geo. Washington. 
 
 "General Wayne.** 
 
 It has already been mentioned that Sir Henry Clinton 
 had, at any time, subject to his command 4000 militia 
 and refugees. Many persons of this latter description 
 resided in Bergen Neck, New Jersey, and were in 
 the practice of stealing from the well affected inhabit- 
 ants horses, cattle, &c. for the use of the British army. 
 The principal leaders of this banditti had erected for 
 the defence of themselves, associates and plunder, a 
 remarkably strong and large block-house, which was 
 said to have been constructed under the immediate 
 superintendence of an engineer attached to the British 
 army. This block-house was well garrisoned with 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. Ill 
 
 refugees, tories, and all the banditti, robbers and 
 horse-thieves of that country, and fully supplied with 
 the means of defence. The capture of the horses, 
 cattle, &;c., together with the destruction of this post, 
 was deemed a matter of considerable importance, as it 
 must necessarily result in the breaking up of this horde 
 of freebooters. With the view, therefore, of breaking 
 up this " lawless and mischievous establishment, to 
 withdraw from the isthmus supplies of cattle and horses 
 intended for the use of the enemy, to decoy into the 
 defiles near Fort Lee any British detachment sent for 
 the protection of the block-house, and, lastly, to make 
 such demonstrations as might detain in port for a few 
 days an armament known to be destined against the 
 French fleet and army then at Rhode Island,* formed 
 the objects of an enterprise projected by Wayne and 
 approved by Washington."! 
 
 In pursuance of this plan, Wayne with the 1st and 
 2d Pennsylvania brigades, with four pieces of artillery, 
 on the 20th of July, at 3 o'clock, P. M. took up the 
 line of march, and arrived a little in the rear of New 
 Bridge at nine in the evening. They moved again at 
 one in the night, in order to occupy the ground in the 
 vicinity of Fort Lee, and the landing opposite King's 
 Bridge, by the dawn of day. They advanced towards 
 Bull's ferry, Gen. Irvine, with part of his brigade 
 along the summit of the mountain, and the first brigade, 
 under Col. Humpton, with the artillery and Col. Moy- 
 lan's horse, on the open road. Col. Moylan, with the 
 horse and a detachment of infantry, remained at the 
 
 * Which had arrived at Newport, on the 10th of July, under 
 the command v.f Chevalier de Fernay, with 6000 land troops, 
 under the Count de Rochambeau. 
 
 t Sparks' Biography. 
 
112 tiFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 forks of the road leading to Bergen and Paulus Hook, 
 to receive the enemy if they attempted any thing from 
 that quarter. " On reconnoitering the enemy's post at 
 Bull's ferry," says Wayne,* " we found it to consist 
 of a block-house, surrounded by an abatis and stockade 
 to the perpendicular rocks next North river, with a 
 kind of ditch or parapet serving as a covered way. 
 By this time we could discover a move of troops on 
 York Island, which circumstance began to open a 
 prospect of our plan taking the wished effect. General 
 Irvine was therefore directed to halt in a position from 
 which he could move to any point where the enemy 
 should attempt to land, either in the vicinity of this 
 post or Fort Lee, where the sixth and seventh Penn- 
 sylvania regiments were previously concealed, with 
 orders to meet the enemy, and, after landing, with the 
 point of the bayonet to dispute the pass in the gorge 
 of the mountain, at every expense of blood, until sup- 
 ported by General Irvine and the remainder of the 
 troops. The first regiment was posted in a hollow 
 way on the north of the block-house, and the tenth in 
 a hollow on the south, with orders to keep up an inces- 
 sant fire into the port-holes, to favor the advance of 
 the artillery covered by the second regiment. — When 
 the four field pieces belonging to Colonel Proctor's 
 regiment arrived at the medium distance of sixty yards, 
 they commenced a fire which continued without inter- 
 mission from eleven until quarter after twelve, at which 
 time we received expresses from Closter, that the enemy 
 were embarking their troops at Phillips', and falling 
 down the river. We also saw many vessels and boats, 
 full of troops, moving up from New York, which made 
 it necessary to relinquish the lesser for the greater 
 
 Letter to Washington, dated Totoway, 22d July, 1780. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 113 
 
 object; — i. e. drawing the enemy over towards the 
 posts already mentioned, and deciding the fortune of 
 the day in the defiles, through which they must pass 
 before they could gain possession of the strong 
 grounds." 
 
 " In the meantime," continues Wayne, " we found 
 that our artillery had made but little impression, 
 although well and gallantly served, not being of sufficient 
 weight of metal to traverse the logs of the block-house. 
 As soon as the troops understood that they were to be 
 drawn off, such was the enthusiastic bravery of all 
 officers and men, that the first regiment, no longer 
 capable of restraint, rather than leave a fort in their 
 rear, rushed with impetuosity over the abatis, and ad- 
 vanced to the palisades, from which they were with 
 difficulty withdrawn, although they had no means of 
 forcing an entry. The contagion spread to the second, 
 and by great effi)rts of the officers of both regiments 
 they were at length restrained, not without the loss of 
 some gallant officers wounded, and some brave men 
 killed. Happy it was that the ground would not ad- 
 mit of a further advance of the tenth, and that the situa- 
 tion of General Irvine's brigade prevented them from 
 experiencing a loss proportionate to those immediately 
 at the point of action, as the same gallant spirit per- 
 vaded the whole, which would have been the means of 
 encumbering us with wounded. The artillery was 
 immediately drawn off and forwarded towards the 
 wished-for point of action ; the killed and wounded 
 were all moved on, excepting three that lay dead under 
 the stockades. During this period Colonel Moylan's 
 dragoons drove off the cattle and horses from Bergen, 
 whilst a detachment of the infantry destroyed the sloops 
 and wood boats at the landing, in which were taken a 
 captain with a few sailors. Some others were killed 
 10* 
 
114 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 whilst attempting to escape by swimming. Having 
 thus effected part of our plan, we pushed forward to 
 oppose the troops from Voluntine's hill, where we ex- 
 pected to land at the nearest point to New Bridge, 
 which, if effected, we were determined either to drive 
 back the enemy, or cut our way through them ; but in 
 the doing of either we were disappointed. The enemy 
 thought proper to remain in a less dangerous situation 
 than that of the Jersey shore. We therefore passed 
 on to New Bridge, and by easy degrees we have re- 
 turned to this place. 
 
 " One object, not the least," remarks Wayne, "was 
 to divert the enemy's attention from their meditated 
 attempt upon Rhode Island, in a combined attack by 
 land and water on the French fleet and army at tliat 
 place. Six thousand were actually embarked, who 
 have been delayed by this manoeuvre, for four days, a 
 circumstance which will render their meditated attack 
 abortive."* 
 
 It has been said that Gen. Wayne's expedition to 
 Bergen Neck afforded a theme for the poetical pen of 
 the Adjutant-General of the British army, the ill fated, 
 though accomplished, Maj. John Andre. The verses 
 were, and perhaps yet are, exhibited in Peale's museum, 
 Philadelphia, and are pronounced to be autographical. 
 In this playful sally of the major's muse, Gen. Wayne 
 is represented in the character of a tanner, driving off 
 cattle for the sake of their hides, &c. 
 
 In the commencement of this memoir, it is said that 
 Isaac Wayne, the father of the American General, was 
 " a man of great industry and enterprise" which was 
 the fact. To agriculture, on a very extensive scale, he 
 added a tan factory, perhaps, in its day, the largest in 
 
 • Letter to Colonels Delany and Johnstone, 26th July, 1780. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 115 
 
 the State of Pennsylvania ; this, together with the 
 farm on which it was erected, descended, in 1774, to 
 his son, the subject of this memoir ; however, neither 
 the father nor son were professional tanners. 
 
 From the appended memorandum,* copied from one 
 of Wayne's ledgers, it would appear that if he had 
 actually been a tanner, (and no mechanical branch is 
 more honorable) and had he personally pursued his 
 business during the Revolutionary war, he would not, 
 in all probability, have sustained the pecuniary loss 
 which it records. 
 
 While the British army was reposing in ease at New 
 York, the officers occasionally amused themselves with 
 writing comedies,, interludes, and farces — and themselves 
 were the personae dramatis. "Among others, they got 
 up an interlude^ in which Washington was represented 
 as a surveyor, Greene as a gunsmith, Wayne as a 
 tanner, and other American officers in different, me- 
 chanical professions — all of whom were exhibited on 
 the stage, in dresses, and with instruments suited to 
 their respective occupations ; for instance, Washington 
 carrying a surveyor's jacol staff of huge size, accom- 
 panied by a negro man, groaning under the weight of 
 a compass, and dragging a chain more resembling one 
 
 * "Mr, Shannon has sunk for me since the beginning of 
 January, 1776, until he went away, upwards of two thousand 
 four hundred pounds in stock, exclusive of the interest for 
 near eight years. Nor do I believe that he made much for 
 himself, although he has certainly injured me to the full 
 amount of three thousand six hundred pounds, counting only 
 the principal and interest; had he managed my stock in 
 trade to that advantage which others have done in the course 
 of the late war, I ought to have, at a moderate computation, 
 : seven thousand pounds in stock, in place of nothing.^* 
 
 ANTHOjfi Watite. 
 
 March, 1784. 
 
116 JAFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 used by bullocks than a surveyor; Greene with a 
 hammer, an unwieldy old gun and broken lock in his 
 hand; Wayne with a huge currying knife, and a 
 leathern apron buckled round his neck, and extending 
 down to his feet. 
 
 " This interlude was too good a thing to be lost ; it 
 was therefore, (as reported,) carried across the Atlantic 
 by a British sergeant, who himself had probably been 
 one of the personae dramatis in America. At the in- 
 stance of this son of Mars, the interlude was got up 
 in England, under the auspices of the manager of a 
 strolling company, with additions, amendments, new 
 scenery, decorations, <fec. 
 
 " On one of the nights of its being performed, and 
 just as the curtain was dropping to close this ludicrous 
 scene, amidst the plaudits of the spectators, an Ame- 
 rican tar in the gallery vociferated, " Honor to my coun- 
 try, disgrace to old England for suffering their hides to 
 be dressed, and their heads broken, by American tan- 
 ners and gunsmiths." This piece of well-timed humor 
 bore off the palm of applause from the interlude, and 
 consigned it to the tomb of the Capulets." * 
 
 On the 25th of September, 1780, the capture of 
 Maj. Andre took place, and the treason of Arnold was 
 discovered. In the following letter, under date of the 
 27th September, addressed by Wayne to a member of 
 Congress, he thus describes the character of the trai- 
 tor, and we have a glance at his own movements : 
 
 " I am confident that the perfidy of Gen. Arnold will 
 astonish the public ; the high rank he bore, the eclat 
 he had obtained, whether deserving or not, justified the^ 
 world in giving it him. But there were a few gentle- 
 men who, at a very early period of this war, became 
 
 * Casket, p. 398. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 11*7 
 
 acquainted with his true character. When you asked 
 my opinion of that officer last winter, I gave it freely, 
 and, I believe, you thought it rather strongly shaded. 
 
 " I think that I informed you I had the most despi- 
 cable idea of him, both as a gentleman and a soldier, 
 and that he had produced a conviction to me in 1776, 
 that honor and true virtue were strangers to his soul ; 
 and, however contradictory it might appear, that he 
 never possessed either genuine fortitude or personal 
 bravery, and that he rarely went in the way of danger, 
 but when stimulated by liquor, even to intoxication. 
 
 " I shall not dwell upon his military character, or 
 the measures he had adopted for the surrender of West 
 Point ; the latter have, no doubt, been already fully 
 mentioned by the commander-in-chief in his despatches. 
 But I will give you a small specimen of his peculate 
 talents. 
 
 "What think you of his employing sutlers to retail the 
 public liquors for his private emolument, and furnish- 
 ing his quarters with beds and other furniture, by pay- 
 ing for them with pork, salt, flour, <fec., drawn from the 
 magazines ? He has not stopped here ; he has de- 
 scended much lower, and defrauded the veteran soldier 
 who has bled for his country in many a well-fought 
 field, during five campaigns ; among others, an old ser- 
 geant of mine has felt his rapacity. By the industry 
 of this man's wife, they had accumulated something 
 handsome to support themselves in their advanced age, 
 which, coming to the knowledge of this cruel spoiler, 
 he borrowed a large sum of money from the poor cre- 
 dulous woman, and left her in the lurch. The dirty, 
 dirty acts which he has been capable of committing, 
 beggar all description ; and they are of such a nature 
 as would cause the infernals to blush, were they ac- 
 cused of the invention and execution of them. 
 
118 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 " The detached and debilitated state of the garrison 
 on West Point, insured success to the assailants. The 
 enemy were all in perfect readiness for the enterprise, 
 and only waited the return of Andre to carry it into ex- 
 ecution. The 26th was the day fixed on for this ex- 
 ploit, and the discovery of Arnold's treachery was not 
 made until late on the 25th. At 12 o'clock of the morn- 
 ing of the 26th, an express reached General Greene 
 from his excellency, (who had fortunately arrived at 
 West Point on his return from Hartford,) to push on 
 the nearest and best disciplined troops, with orders to 
 gain the defile or pass over the Dunderburg before the 
 enemy. The first Pennsylvania brigade moved imme- 
 diately ; and, on the arrival of the second express, I 
 was speedily followed by our gallant friend General 
 Irvine, with the second brigade. Our march of six- 
 teen miles was performed in four hours, during a dark 
 night, without a single halt or a man left behind. When 
 our approach was announced to the general, he thought 
 it fabulous ; but when assured of the reality of his 
 tenth legion being near him, he expressed great satis- 
 faction and pleasure. 
 
 " The protection of this important place is committed 
 to the division under my command until a proper gar- 
 rison arrives. We will dispute the approaches to the 
 works inch by inch, at the point of the bayonet, and, if 
 necessary, decide the fate of the day in the gorge of 
 the defiles at every expense of blood. You may rest 
 assured that, whatever may be the issue, neither the 
 conduct of myself nor gallant assistant will ever re- 
 quire the palliation of a friend, or cause a blush on the 
 cheek of any affectionate acquaintance. 
 
 " Most respectfully, your obedient, 
 
 "Anthony Wayne." 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 119 
 
 The situation of the American soldiers at this period 
 was truly deplorable. They were wearied out with 
 privations, and indignant at their officers, whom they 
 accused of not properly representing their situation to 
 Congress. But the fault was in the tardiness of Con- 
 gress, not in the officers. Gen. Wayne was particu- 
 larly urgent in his memorials to the government. The 
 Pennsylvania troops had been enlisted on the ambi- 
 guous terms of " serving three years, or during the 
 continuance of the war ;" and Wayne, long before the 
 army retired into winter quarters, anticipated the evils 
 that occurred at the expiration of the three years from 
 the date of their enrolment, January 1st, 1781. We 
 make a few extracts from his letters upon this matter : 
 
 "When I look to a period fast approaching, I dis- 
 cover the most gloomy prospects and distressing ob- 
 jects presenting themselves ; and when I consider the 
 mass of people who now compose this army will dis- 
 solve by the 1st of January, (except a little corps en- 
 listed for the war, badly paid and worse fed,) I dread 
 the consequence, as these melancholy facts may have 
 a most unhappy influence on their minds, when op- 
 posed to a well appointed, puissant, and desolating 
 army."* 
 
 " I am therefore induced to call upon the honorable 
 Council to adopt some mode to procure a fresh supply 
 of blankets and winter clothing for the officers and pri- 
 vates belonging to the state of Pennsylvania. The 
 weather begins to pinch ; hard necessity obliges us to 
 be economists. Our soldiers' uniforms are much worn 
 and out of repair. We have adopted the idea of cur- 
 
 * Letter to Joseph Reed, Esq., Sept. 17th, 1780. 
 
120 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 tailing the coats, to repair the elbows and other defec- 
 tive parts ; for which we shall immediately want 
 needles and thread. Will your excellency be so 
 obliging as to direct them to be procured and sent to 
 camp, with the other stores, with all possible despatch ; 
 and to appoint Lieutenant Dungan, of the sixth Penn- 
 sylvania regiment, in place of the gentleman lately dis- 
 missed the service by the sentence of a general court 
 martial." * 
 
 " Whatever gentlemen may think of matters, for my 
 own part I very much dread the ides of January. It 
 will be a crisis in which we shall be most vulnerable, 
 and, as I have already observed, in which the minds 
 of the troops will be most susceptible of impressions 
 injurious to this service ; and I have ground to believe 
 that will be the season in which the enemy are in- 
 structed to operate. Should they then advance, and 
 find our troops wretchedly appointed and pinchingly 
 fed, the prospect will not be very flattering on our side ; 
 for we shall find it full as difficult a task to introduce a 
 conviction into our people, that the articles of provision 
 and warm clothing are non-essentials in a winter's cam- 
 paign, as it was for Peter to pass a piece of brown loaf 
 upon Martin and Jack for good mutton and Burgundy. 
 
 "No, gentlemen, it is impossible. The first and 
 keenest feelings of nature, (hunger and cold,) are not 
 to be reasoned down by sophistry ; especially if your 
 adversaries make use of a more effectual argument, by 
 holding out an immediate relief in one hand, and an 
 invitation to partake of their friendship and plenty in 
 the other. 
 
 " Believe me, gentlemen, that this is not a picture 
 
 * Letter to Joseph Reed, Esq., Oct. 17th, 1780. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 121 
 
 drawn by fancy's pencil. It is taken from the life, and 
 it has stamped too indelible an impression upon my 
 mind to be removed. Permit me to assure you, that 
 it is not the prowess of our enemy I dread, but their 
 taking advantage of our necessitous situation and in- 
 ternal disunion — neither of which they are to learn. 
 They will therefore attempt to attain, by a winter's 
 manoeuvre, art, and corruption, that which they can- 
 not hope to accomplish by open force. 
 
 " It is, gentlemen, greatly in your power to frustrate 
 and blast their most sanguine views, by making the 
 first overtures to a union among yourselves. Let me, 
 therefore, as a friend and fellow-citizen, call upon you, 
 in the most solemn manner, to meet the other part of 
 the Assembly and Council with temper. Let party 
 prejudice subside. Meddle not now with the consti- 
 tution, as the time is drawing near when the magnum 
 concilium of Pennsylvania will be necessarily convened 
 to decide upon its case. Exert every power for the 
 immediate! completion of your quota of troops ; esta- 
 blish magazines of provisions ; adopt some efficacious 
 measure to procure a quantity of specie ; and, at all 
 events, find means to clothe the soldiers belonging to 
 this state by the first of January." * 
 
 ^^Campat Totaway, I9th November, 1780. 
 "Dear Sir — Whilst Colonel Temple's servant is 
 waiting on horseback, I take the liberty again to men- 
 tion the absolute necessity of forwarding a quantity of 
 hard cash and state stores with all possible despatch, 
 in order to keep our people in temper, as well as an 
 inducement to the new levies to enlist. Our honor and 
 
 * Letter to Robert Morris, Esq., and others, Nov. 9th, 1780. 
 11 
 
122 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 credit are now plighted for near 200 half joes, to the 
 soldiers who enlisted on trust. 
 
 " I expect to march this division for winter quarters 
 in a few days, which will be in the vicinity of Morris- 
 town ; the other part of the army will take post at 
 West Point and the neighborhood of New Windsor. 
 
 " Time will not permit me to mention matters of con- 
 sequence. I find that I shall have a very fatiguing and 
 difficult task of duly during the winter, and, from some 
 hints, not of the most pleasing nature. For God's sake 
 direct every exertion to be used in procuring a com- 
 plete uniform for the line, which, with some hard cash 
 towards making up the depreciation, will enable me to 
 prevent, very probably, disagreeable consequences, re- 
 store content, and render this line not only respectable 
 in the eyes of our friends, and honorable to the state, 
 but terrible to our enemies. 
 
 " Interim, I have the honor to be your excellency'* 
 most obedient and very humble servant, 
 
 "Anthony Wayne. 
 
 ** Governor Reed^ 
 
 It was with these forebodings that Wayne marched 
 the division under his command into winter quarters, 
 upon ground, (designated by him in his letters as 
 Mount Kemble,) in the neighborhood of Morristown. 
 The spirit of dissatisfaction and mutiny hourly in- 
 creased ; the looks of the soldiery were sullen and inso-. 
 lent ; their demands for pay, clothing and provisions were 
 constandy urged ; complaints of the neighboring farm- 
 ers poured into the camp of depredations committed 
 on their property. To protect the persons and property 
 of the inhabitants, the officers used every exertion, and 
 vigorous measures were taken to bring the marauders 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 123 
 
 to exemplary punishment. Guards and sentries, and 
 all officers indiscriminately, were ordered to stop every 
 soldier going out or coming into camp, and examine 
 his pass, which, if found not signed by the command- 
 ing oflicer of the regiment to which he belonged, was 
 to be taken from him, and the soldier himself to be 
 confined and punished at the discretion of a regimental 
 court-martial, in the most summary manner. The 
 names of the men belonging to each hut were written 
 and pasted on the door ; and the officers of police 
 visited every hut in their respective regiments after 
 tattoo beating, and saw whether or not the whole of 
 the men were present, or properly accounted for. 
 
 Head-Quarters, New Windsor, 2Sth Dec, 1780. 
 
 " Dear Sir, — I have received your favour of the 
 25th, as I did that of the 10th. I think your precau- 
 tions for the security of your camp very good, though 
 I hope if the enemy have made a detachment equal to 
 report, which says 2000 to 2500, you will be quiet in 
 your quarters ; you are more in the way of gaining 
 intelligence from New York than I am, and I shall be 
 obliged to you for procuring as much as you can, and 
 transmitting me whatever is material. Mrs. Blair 
 having informed me that about 2000 shirts, part of the 
 productions of the ladies' contributions to the army 
 were made up, I have desired her to deliver them to 
 Colonel Miles, deputy Quarter-Master-General, in 
 Philadelphia, who has directions to forward 800 of them 
 to you ; you will have them distributed among those 
 of the soldiers who are most in need, or by lot. I 
 very much approve of what I hear is your determina- 
 tion, to hold all your amusements within the line of 
 your camp, Morristown would have been exposed to 
 a night's excursion from Staten Island. I wish the 
 
124 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 compliments of the season to you and the gentlemen 
 of the line, and am, with great regard, 
 
 " Dear Sir, your most obedient servant, 
 
 " Geo. Washington. 
 " General Wayne y 
 
 Unfortunately the intelligence mentioned in Wash- 
 ington's letter came too late. Wayne had pledged 
 himself to breast the storm come when it might, and 
 had he been more early possessed, even of those means 
 of encouragement, he might possibly have reconciled 
 the troops to a longer endurance of their privations, 
 under positive assurance of approaching relief. The 
 British, in New York, fully apprized of the discon- 
 tented state of the soldiers at Morristown, had sent 
 their emissaries into the camp with tempting solicita- 
 tions, encouraging them to revolt and massacre their 
 officers, oftering to take them under the protection of 
 the British government, and to pay them the amount 
 due to them from Congress. 
 
 Surrounded by these difficulties, Wayne kept up 
 his rigid discipline, and saw that his orders were ful- 
 filled to the letter. The soldiers now complained that 
 they experienced more restraint and stricter duty than 
 usual in winter. He replied that he " would much 
 rather be accused of that than a relaxation of rfi5cij»/inc 
 or inattention,^^ But, in the end, the clouds of dis- 
 content, which he had perceived so long gathering, 
 burst out into a storm, which was attended by circum- 
 stances the most appalling. 
 
 Orders appear to have been strictly obeyed, in every 
 minutiae, up to the hour of nine o'clock on the evening 
 of the 1st of January, when every thing appeared 
 favorable, and all the soldiers were either in their huts 
 or properly accounted for. ^ Between nine and ten 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 127 
 
 however, they rushed from their huts, paraded under 
 arms without officers, forcibly supplied themselves 
 with ammunition and provisions, seized six pieces of 
 artillery, and took the horses from the generals' stables. 
 "The whole division, with a few exceptions, was 
 found in a state of open and decided insurrection ; dis- 
 claiming all further obedience, and boldly avowing an 
 intention of immediately abandoning the post, and of 
 seeking, with arms in their hands, a redress of their 
 grievances."* 
 
 Wayne, and his brother officers, rushed among the 
 mutineers, and " appeals, both urgent and frequent ad- 
 dressed as well to the passions as the interests of the 
 offenders, were faithfully but unsuccessfully tried ; 
 compulsatory means, the last resort of invaded authority 
 followed ; blows were given, wounds inflicted and lives 
 lost; but without producing the desired eflfect, and 
 tending only to imbitter a strife, melancholy in its 
 cause and hopeless in its object."! 
 
 Immediately after the meeting, Wayne despatched 
 the following account of it to Washington. 
 
 Mount Kemble, 2d Jan,, 1781, 
 t half after 4 o'dock.A. M. 
 
 Dear General — ^It is with great pain I now inform 
 your excellency of the general mutiny and defection, 
 which suddenly took place in the Pennsylvania line, be- 
 
 • Sparks' Biography, vol. 4, page 52. — Hazard's Register, 
 vol. 2, 1828. 
 
 f On Wayne's cocking his pistols there were a hundred 
 bayonets at his breast, with "we love you, we respect you, 
 but you are a dead man if you fire. Do not mistake us, we 
 are not going to the enemy ; on the contrary, were they novf 
 to come out, you would see us fight, under your orders, with 
 as much resolution and alacrity as ever ! " 
 
128 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 tween the hours of 9 and 10 o'clock last evening. E very- 
 possible exertion was used by the officers to suppress 
 it in its rise ; but the torrent was too potent to be stem- 
 med. Captain Bitting- has fallen a victim to his zeal 
 and duty. Captain Tolbert and Lieutenant White are 
 reported mortally wounded — a very considerable num- 
 ber of the field and other officers are much injured by 
 strokes from muskets, bayonets, and stones ; nor have 
 the revolters escaped with impunity. Many of their 
 bodies lay under our horses' feet, and others will re- 
 tain with existence the traces of our swords and es- 
 pontoons. They finally moved from the ground about 
 eleven o'clock at night, scouring the grand parade with 
 round and grape shot from four field pieces ; the troops 
 advancing in a solid column, with fixed bayonets, produc- 
 ing a diffusive fire of musketry in front, flank, and rear. 
 
 " During this horrid scene, a few officers, with my- 
 self, were carried by the tide to the fork of the roads 
 at Mount Kemble ; but placing ourselves on that lead- 
 ing to Elizabethtown, and producing a conviction to 
 the soldiery that they could not advance upon that 
 route, but over our dead bodies, they fortunately 
 turned towards Princeton. 
 
 "Colonels Butler and Stewart, (to whose spirited 
 exertions I am much indebted) will accompany me to 
 Vealtown, where the troops now are. We had our 
 escapes last night. Should we not be equally fortunate 
 to-day, our friends will have this consolation, that we 
 did not commit the honor of the United States, or our 
 own, on this unfortunate occasion. 
 
 "Adieu, my dear general, and believe me yours, 
 most sincerely, "Anthony Wayne. 
 
 "General Washington.''^ 
 
 The conflict lasted about two hours ; and, at half 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 129 
 
 past eleven, the revolters commenced their march to- 
 wards Princeton, bivouacking for the night at Veal- 
 town, as mentioned in the preceding letter of Wayne, 
 who followed them to that place, and opened a corres- 
 pondence with them for the purpose of bringing them 
 back to their duty. 
 
 Sir Henry Clinton, apprized of the revolt in the 
 American camp, and presuming that the object of the 
 deserters was to get to New York, speedily placed a 
 corps of infantry and artillerists on Staten Island, with 
 a sufficient number of boats for their speedy transporta- 
 tion to Perth Amboy ; at the same time despatching 
 written proposals to the insurgents, inviting them to a 
 junction with him. These proposals reached them on 
 the 7th of January. Instead of entertaining them, they 
 promptly and proudly rejected them, spurning the idea 
 of becoming Arnolds, as they expressed it. They 
 placed the two bearers in confinement as spies ; en- 
 closed the overtures of the British in an envelope, and 
 despatched them to Wayne by two sergeants ; witti 
 also a solemn assurance, that " should any hostile move- 
 ment be made by the enemy, the division would im- 
 mediately march, under their old and beloved com- 
 mander, to meet and repel it."* 
 
 By the zealous exertions of Wayne, in whom their 
 confidence was yet undiminished, and whom they con- 
 stituted the medium through which the correspondence 
 between them and the civil authority should pass, 
 money was raised, their grievances were redressed, and 
 an amicable adjustment soon followed. Certain stipu- 
 lations were entered into, and a temporary dissolution 
 of the Pennsylvania line took place. After which, 
 the ofl[icers were sent into Pennsylvania to recruit men. 
 
 Casket, p. 453. — Sparks' Biog. p. 55. 
 
130 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The campaign of 1781 — Wayne is ordered to join the south- 
 ern army — His untiring preparations — A mutiny — Jemy 
 the Rover — Origin of the cognomen " Mad Anthony " — 
 Wayne effects a junction with La Fayette — Battle of Green 
 Spring — Wayne's daring and decisive attack — Compli- 
 mentary letter received by him from Robert Morris, Esq. — 
 Wayne pursues Tarleton — Retreat of the British — Lord 
 Cornwallis takes up a position at Yorktown, Virginia — 
 Arrival of the French fleet — Wayne and La Fayette — The 
 British and French fleets — The siege of Yorktown — Sur- 
 render of Cornwallis — Wayne's diary, etc. 
 
 About the latter end of February, 1781, Gen. Wayne 
 received orders to prepare to join the southern army 
 under command of Gen. Greene, and to commence as 
 early as possible the rendezvousing of the Pennsylvania 
 troops, and to march them off by detachments as soon 
 as they could be collected. But so dispersed were the 
 men in consequence of the recent revolt, and so great 
 was the difficulty of procuring camp equipage and 
 money, and adjusting the pay due the troops, that he 
 did not get in motion from York, Pennsylvania, until 
 the latter end of May, when he proceeded to co-operate 
 with La Fayette. While on his march to Virginia, in 
 a letter to his family, Wayne gives the following ac- 
 count of an execution that he was necessitated to put 
 into force : 
 
 " The anxiety of mind, and constant hurry of busi- 
 ness, attending my station under trying circumstances, 
 will be the best apology for so long a silence. I shall, 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 131 
 
 therefore, under the friendly covert of a tree, proceed 
 to give you a brief detail of our manoeuvres. 
 
 "When I arrived at York, there Avas scarcely a 
 horse or carriage fit to transport any part of our bag- 
 gage or supplies. This difficulty I found means to 
 remedy, by bartering one species of public property to 
 procure another. The troops were retarded in ad- 
 vancing to the general rendezvous by the unaccount- 
 able delay of the auditors, who were appointed to 
 settle and pay the proportion of the depreciation due 
 them, which, when received, was not equal to one- 
 seventh part of its nominal value. This was an alarm- 
 ing circumstance. The soldiery but too sensibly felt 
 the imposition, nor did the conduct or precept of the 
 inhabitants tend to moderate, but rather inflame their 
 minds, by refusing to part with any thing for it ; say- 
 ing it was not worth accepting, and that they ought not 
 to march until justice was done them. To minds al- 
 ready but too susceptible of this kind of impression, 
 and whose recent revolt was still fresh in their memory, 
 little more was wanting to stimulate them to try it again. 
 The day antecedent to that on which the march was 
 to commence, a few leading mutineers on the right of 
 each regiment called out to pay them in real, not ideal 
 money ; they were no longer to be trifled with. Upon 
 this they were ordered to their tents ; which being pe- 
 remptorily refused, the principals were immediately 
 either knocked down or confined by the officers, who 
 were previously prepared for this event. A court-mar- 
 tial was ordered on the spot ; the commission of the 
 crime, trial, and execution, were all included in the 
 course of a few hours, in front of the line, paraded 
 under arms. The determined countenances of the 
 officers produced a conviction to the soldiery that the 
 sentence of the court-martial would be carried into exe- 
 
132 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 cution at every risk and consequence. Whether by 
 design or accident, the particular friends and messmates 
 of the culprits were their executioners ; and whilst the 
 tears rolled down their cheeks in showers, they silently 
 and faithfully obeyed their orders without a moment's 
 hesitation. Thus was this hideous monster crushed in 
 its birth, however to myself and officers a most painful 
 scene. We shall join the marquis in a few days, and 
 produce a conviction to the world that death has no 
 terrors when put in competition with our duty and 
 glory. 
 
 " P. S. Jemy, the Rover, alias the commodore, has 
 absented himself from this detachment of the army. 
 Should he in his ramble pass your way, I hope that 
 you will extend towards him every hospitality which 
 may be most likely to minister to his comfort. I am 
 convinced that, whether in his hours of sanity or in- 
 sanity, he would cheerfully lay down his life for either 
 me or any of my family." 
 
 Jemy, the Rover, to whom Wayne refers in this post- 
 script, was the person with whom originated the cog- 
 nomen " Mad Anthony." In all armies, the soldiers 
 delight in nicknaming their principal officers ; and 
 Jemy fixed one upon the subject of our memoir, by 
 which he is to this day familiarly spoken of. The 
 real name of Jemy is not recollected. He was an 
 Irishman, and a regularly enlisted soldier in the Penn- 
 sylvania line. He was subject to, or at least so feigned, 
 occasional fits of craziness ; in which state he often 
 proved very noisy and troublesome, and in one instance 
 was ordered to the guard-house. Whilst the sergeant, 
 with a file of men, was conducting him thither, Jemy 
 suddenly halted, and asked the sergeant by whose 
 orders he was arrested. " By those of the general," 
 was the reply. " Then, forward !" said the Rover. In 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 133 
 
 the course of a few hours he was released. In the 
 act of taking his -departure, he asked the sergeant 
 whether Anthony, (this being the only name he gave 
 Gen. Wayne,) was mad, or in fun, when he placed 
 him under arrest — not condescending to say under 
 guard. The answer was, " The general has been much 
 displeased with your disorderly conduct ; and a repeti- 
 tion of it will be followed not only by confinement, but 
 twenty-nine well laid on." " Then," exclaimed Jemy, 
 "Anthony is mad; farewell to you — clear the coast 
 for the commodore, mad Anthony's friend '."* 
 
 On the 7th of June, the Pennsylvania troops, amount- 
 ing to 1100, formed a junction with La Fayette, which 
 Philips and Arnold, who were ravaging the country, in 
 vain had endeavored to prevent. Immediately after 
 this junction. La Fayette and Wayne advanced against 
 Cornwallis, who was now retreating. La Fayette, with 
 the main body of his army, continued to hold a posi- 
 tion about twenty miles in the rear of the British, 
 whilst the advanced corps, under Gen. Wayne, kept 
 within eight or nine miles, with the view of com- 
 mencing an attack on the rear-guard, after the main 
 body should have passed the river. After a variety of 
 marches and counter-marches. La Fayette received in- 
 telligence on the 5th of July, that the enemy had moved 
 
 * "This Jemy, the Rover, had method in his derangement. 
 General Wayne, to whom he was most devotedly attached, 
 frequently employed him as a spy. While the American 
 army lay at Valley Forge, he was repeatedly sent within the 
 British lines, and always returned with correct and impor- 
 tant information. It is said, by those who are yet living, and 
 who well recollect the Rover, that he was a man of good 
 education and extraordinary shrewdness. In fact it was 
 much doubted whether or not Jemy Jfeigned derangement." — 
 Caskd, p. 499, 1829, 
 
 12 
 
134 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 from Williamsburg to Jamestown, and were preparing 
 to transport their baggage and troops over the river. 
 This induced him to take a position at Chickahominy 
 church, eight miles from Jamestown. Early the next 
 morning, information was received that the main army 
 of the British had already effected its passage. La 
 Fayette directed Wayne to advance immediately and 
 attack their rear-guard. Upon arriving at Green Spring 
 Farm, near the enemy, Wayne discovered that the in- 
 telligence of the main army having passed was false, 
 and that he had now to confront the whole British host 
 with but only five hundred men. The only possible 
 mode which he could calculate upon, under these cir- 
 cumstances, for saving his command from falling into 
 the grasp of the enemy, was that which he promptly 
 adopted, attacking vigorously and retreating precipi- 
 tately. " Moments decide the fate of batdes ; and the 
 mind of our hero, prompt as firm, seeing at a glance the 
 whole extent of his danger, and knowing that boldness 
 only could afford a sufficient security against it, re- 
 sorted to a charge."* "At three o'clock/' says Wayne,t 
 " the riflemen commenced and kept up a galling fire 
 upon the enemy, which continued until five in the after- 
 noon, when the British began to move forward in 
 columns ; upon which Major Galvan, at the head of 
 the advanced guard, attacked them, and, after a spirited 
 though unequal contest, retired upon our left. A de- 
 tachment of the light infantry, under Major Willis, 
 having arrived also, commenced a severe fire, but were 
 obliged to fall back ; which the enemy observing, and 
 beginning to turn our flanks — a manoeuvre in which, 
 had they persevered, they must inevitably have pene- 
 trated between this corps and the other part of the 
 
 ♦ Sparks' Biography. f Letter of 8th July, 1781. 
 
UFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 135 
 
 army ; but being joined at this crisis by Colonel Har- 
 mer and Major Edwards, with part of the 2d and 3d 
 Pennsylvania regiments, under Colonel Humpton, with 
 one field piece, it was determined, among a choice of 
 difficulties, to advance and charge them, although num- 
 bering more than five times our force. This was done 
 with so much spirit as to produce the desired effect; 
 i. e. checking them in their advance, and diverting 
 them from their Jirst manoeuvre. But being enveloped 
 by numbers, and many brave and worthy officers and 
 soldiers killed or wounded, we found it expedient to fall 
 back one half mile to Green Spring Farm. Two of 
 our field pieces, which were necessarily introduced 
 under Captain DufTee, to keep up the idea of our being 
 in force, were served with equal spirit and effect, until 
 disabled by having many of the men, with Captain 
 Crosby, wounded, and all the horses killed, at last fell 
 into their hands. The wagons and ammunition were 
 saved. The enemy, sore from the contest, and finding 
 us supported at that place by the remainder of the light 
 infantry, were content with barely keeping the field, 
 although opposed but by a handful of men compared 
 with theirs ; and which, from the number of the ene- 
 my and the nature of the ground, were obliged to act 
 in a detached manner, except that part of the Pennsyl- 
 vania line that had time to arrive, whose numbers did 
 not exceed five hundred. From the mutual emulation 
 in the officers and men of each corps, I am confident 
 that, had the army been in force, victory would have 
 inclined to our arms. However, every circumstance 
 considered, our small reconnoitering party of horse and 
 foot, who had the hardiness to engage Lord Cornwallis 
 at the head of the whole British army, with the ad- 
 vantage of a powerful cavalry, on their own ground 
 and in their own camp, are more to be envied than 
 
136 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 pitied on this occasion ; and I trust that, in an equal 
 contest, we shall produce a conviction to the world that 
 we deserve success." 
 
 In this action 108 of the continental troops were 
 killed, wounded and taken. Many of the officers were 
 severely wounded, and most of the field officers had 
 their horses killed under them. The Marquis de La 
 Fayette, in his official notice of this action says — "From 
 every account the enemy's loss has been very great, 
 and much pains taken to conceal it." 
 
 By some military critics this gallant attack of Wayne 
 was considered rash and useless. Col. Lee, speaking 
 of this engagement,* insinuates that it was not good 
 generalship, but Wayne's eagerness for fighting, that 
 brought about the action. Such, however, was not 
 the opinion of Washington, Greene, Robert Morris, 
 and others. Washington writes him — " I, with the 
 greatest pleasure, received the official account of the 
 action at Green Spring. The Marquis de La Fayette 
 speaks in the handsomest manner of your own be- 
 haviour, and that of the troops, in the action. I think 
 the account which Lord Cornwallis will be obliged to 
 render of the state of southern affiiirs, will not be very 
 pleasing to ministerial eyes and ears, especially after 
 what appear to have been their esrpectations by their 
 intercepted letters of March last. I am in hopes that 
 Virginia will be soon, if not before this time, so far 
 relieved as to permit you to march to the succor of 
 General Greene, who, with a handful of men, has done 
 Qnore than could possibly have been expected ; should 
 Ihe be enabled to maintain his advantage in the Caroli- 
 Inas and Georgia, it cannot fail of having the most im- 
 'portant political consequences in Europe." 
 
 * See his Memoirs of the Southern Campaigns. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 137 
 
 Gen. Greene, observes — " The marquis gives you 
 glory for your late conduct in the action at Jamestown, 
 and I am sensible you merit it. It gives me great 
 pleasure to hear of the success of my friends ; but be 
 a little careful and tread softly, for depend upon it, you 
 have a modern Hannibal to deal with in the person of 
 Lord Cornwallis. Oh ! that I but had you with me 
 a few days ago, your glory and the public good might 
 have been greatly advanced. Cols. Lee and Washing- 
 ton are the heroes of the south, and bear down all be- 
 fore them." 
 
 The distinguished Robert Morris, who was at this 
 time financier-general, addressed Wayne in the follow- 
 ing words. " We Tiave received a full report of the 
 action at Green Springs. It is very flattering to find 
 our troops arrived to that degree of discipline which 
 enables them to face, with inferior numbers, that proud 
 foe who have heretofore attempted to treat our army 
 with such contempt. It is still more agreeable to find 
 these handful of troops have been led to the conflict 
 by oflicers revered for their public, and esteemed for 
 their private, conduct through life. I do assure you, 
 my worthy friend, that I shall think my present toils 
 well rewarded when they enable you and your com- 
 petitors for glory to enjoy the sweets, whilst you en- 
 dure the toils of a military life. It is true that my 
 views extend much farther, but this is not the smallest 
 nor the least pleasing objects of my pursuit. I hope 
 to see you this winter, enjoying the trophies acquired 
 by a glorious campaign. In the meantime, I shall be 
 happy in, and profited, no doubt by occasionally hear- 
 ing from you." 
 
 The night after the action at Green Spring, the 
 enemy retreated, says La Fayette, in his despatches, 
 " to James' Island, which they also evacuated, crossing 
 
138 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 over to the south of the river." On the 9th, Corn- 
 walHs despatched Col. Tarleton, with his legion and 
 some mounted infantry, to Bedford county, adjoining 
 the Blue Ridge, with the view of destroying some pub- 
 lic stores which were supposed to be collected in that 
 quarter for the use of Greeners army, and also for the 
 purpose of intercepting any troops which might be 
 advancing from the south to reinforce La Fayette. 
 Fortunately those stores had been forwarded to Greene 
 previous to Tarleton's excursion ; and as he met no 
 troops marching from the south, he rapidly retrograded, 
 and joined Cornwallis on the 15th day from his 
 departure. 
 
 As soon as La Fayette received intelligence of 
 Tarleton's movement, he detached Gen. Wayne, with 
 the Pennsylvania regulars, and Gen. Morgan, who 
 previously to this had retired from the regular service, 
 with the militia riflemen and horse to intercept Col. 
 Tarleton. But the troops, under this officer, being all 
 mounted, were enabled to evade the American detach- 
 ment. "I made a push for Tarleton in Amelia," 
 Wayne says,* " but obtaining intelligence of my ad- 
 vance, he made a precipitate retreat." 
 
 So soon as Tarleton rejoined the 'army^ Cornwallis 
 marched to Portsmouth, and commenced fortifying 
 there. However, after remaining at that place but a 
 few days, he received orders from Sir Henry Clinton 
 to occupy the most eligible position on the Chesapeake, 
 as well with a view to the convenience of a winter 
 harbor for part of the British fleet, as for facilitating 
 any military operations on or near the waters of that 
 bay. In obedience to these orders, Cornwallis, after 
 much reconnoitering for a suitable position, or such a 
 
 • Letter to Gov. Nelson, July 24th, 1781. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 139 
 
 one as would combine the views of his commander-in- 
 chief, selected York town, a short distance up the York 
 river, to which, early in August, he moved the principal 
 portion of his forces, and commenced such a system 
 of fortifications as clearly indicated a permanent post. 
 At this place, the whole army under his command, was 
 concentrated before the 23d of August. Thus situated — 
 and waiting to co-operate in the subjugation of Virginia 
 with a fleet which he was led to expect would about 
 this time arrive from the West Indies in the Chesa- 
 peake — he employed his extensive corps of cavalry in 
 furnishing every species of supply that did not reach 
 him by water ; whilst his army was at all times pre- 
 pared to advance on La Fayette and Wayne, should 
 they move with their comparatively feeble army with- 
 in striking distance of him. 
 
 Gen. Washington, on receiving intelligence that 
 the Count de Grasse contemplated being on the Ameri- 
 can coast early in the month of August, with a power- 
 ful fleet, and three thousand land forces, resolved, in 
 the first instance, with the combined American and 
 French troops, to attack Sir Henry Clinton on York 
 Island ; but after having maturely reflected on the 
 chances of success, between operating against Clinton 
 and Cornwallis, on York river, in Virginia, the pro- 
 bability of success against the latter, preponderated. 
 
 La Fayette had been for some time expecting the de- 
 cision of the commander-in-chief upon this interesting 
 point. Washington, so soon as he decided, apprized 
 La Fayette of it, and commanded him " to take mea- 
 sures for the interception of Lord Cornwallis' retreat, 
 should that general discover the intended blow, and 
 attempt to elude it by gaining North Carolina.'* La 
 Fayette instantly adopted every possible means in his 
 power to carry the orders of the commander-in-chief 
 
140 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 into effect, by the instrumentality of his regulars and 
 that of the militia. 
 
 In consequence of the above information and ar- 
 rangements, the following letters passed between the 
 marquis and Gen. Wayne : 
 
 ,. "Co/. Braxton's House, 22c? August, 1781. 
 " Dear Sir — The long expected letter is at length 
 arrived. In consequence of which, you will begin your 
 march to-morrow morning, and move pretty rapidly to 
 Westover, where you will find boats in readiness to 
 cross. But I would not have you to cross till you hear 
 further from me. You will, therefore, take a conve- 
 nient position for your supplies and this purpose. The 
 commissary which I have sent will be able to provide 
 you with some flour and rum from Richmond. Upon 
 your report, I have made him answerable for his con- 
 duct. 
 
 " I have the honor to be, dear sir, 
 " Your obedient servant, 
 
 "La Fayette. 
 *^ General Wayne.^'' 
 
 ''25th August, 1781. 
 " Dear Sir — I am happy in this safe opportunity 
 to open my heart to you. There is an important se- 
 cret which I communicate to you alone, and which I 
 request you to keep from every body's knowledge. 
 There is great reason to hope for an immediate aid by 
 water. In the last letter from the general, he commu- 
 nicates this intelligence, which I am bound upon honor 
 to keep secret. He directs me to keep you here until 
 further orders ; and, above all, recommends that every 
 measure may be taken to prevent the enemy's retreat- 
 ing to Carolina. Your position at Westover seems to 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 141 
 
 case the mind of Lord Cornwallis ; and should he pass 
 over James' river, your troops may be on the other side 
 hy the time the remainder of the army arrives there. 
 But in case our friends occupy water passages, we may 
 in one day form our junction above Sand's Bridge, and 
 co-operate with them against the common enemy. I 
 would, therefore, wish you to take a healthy position 
 near Westover ; to make every preparation ; to collect 
 the means of helping to keep up the idea of a south- 
 ern destination, and to improve your situation upon 
 James' river, in having your men well supplied. The 
 one hundred Virginians had better join the battalion, 
 when they will add to the discipline and improvement 
 of the new levies. I request you will pay attention to 
 the improvement of that battalion. I hope the execu- 
 tive will send them clothing. Any arms to be had 
 upon the James' river, could conveniently come down 
 to them. 
 
 " Very sincerely, yours, 
 
 "La Fayette. 
 ^''General Waync.^^ 
 
 ^'•Prince George's County, ^\st Aug., 1781. 
 
 " Dear Marquis — I had the honor of writing you 
 the 28th instant ; on which occasion I mentioned the 
 unmilitary position at Westover, to troops who had no 
 command of the water, and destitute of horse, which 
 had determined me take post on Malvan hills. 
 
 " The next morning after our arrival there, I was 
 favored with your orders of the same day ; upon which 
 the troops immediately took up their line of march, 
 and began to cross the James' river from Westover, 
 about sunset, the night before last ; and, by persevering 
 night and day, with a few bad boats without any hands, 
 
142 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 excepting soldiers unacquainted with water craft, we 
 have effected this fatiguing business. 
 
 " The boats shall be sent to Mentzea's ferry imme- 
 diately. I have directed the party who takes them, to 
 join us the soonest possible after depositing the craft 
 at that place. 
 
 " I shall proceed for Cabin's Point ; and if I find 
 Lord Cornwallis anxious to pass the river, I will en- 
 deavor to dissuade him from it by the most forcible 
 arguments. 
 
 *' Interim, believe me, yours, most sincerely, 
 
 "A. Wayne. 
 
 ^^ Marquis La Fayette^ 
 
 ''HolVs Forge, August 31, 1781. 
 " My dear Sir — By information from Cape Charles, 
 I hear that a large fleet from the southward was yes- 
 terday standing for the bay. Though this account is 
 not yet so ascertained as to make it public, I have every 
 reason to believe those are Count de Grasse's, with 
 twenty-five ships of the line, and a body of land forces. 
 This will enable his excellency to come down from 
 the head of Elk. Lord Cornwallis must then either 
 submit to a siege, or this very night endeavor to gain 
 the south side of James' river. Now that you are 
 over, I am pretty easy ; forty dragoons, three hundred 
 riflemen, and three hundred militia, are to join you 
 immediately at Cabin's Point. I request you will use 
 every endeavor to be acquainted with the enemy's 
 movements. Mulberry or Hog Island seems to be the 
 best places for them to land. I have previously re- 
 quested the French admiral to push frigates up James' 
 river ; but this depends upon winds. The remainder 
 of the army is ready to support you — General Stevens 
 at the ferry, and the light infantry at this place. The 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 143 
 
 moment every door by water is shut, I will request 
 you to move this way, and we will take measures for 
 a junction with the French troops. I wish you to 
 communicate to me every intelligence you may obtain. 
 I shall be very vigilant to do the same for you. 
 
 " Most sincerely and affectionately, yours, 
 
 "La Fayette. 
 
 ^^ General Wayne.''^ 
 
 Whilst Gen. Washington was making such demon- 
 strations towards an attack on Clinton's posts at New 
 York Island, as to induce the latter officer to devote 
 his whole attention to their security, he was, at the 
 same time, disposing of the American troops, and those 
 of the French under Gen. Rochambeau, in such a man- 
 ner as to enable him to make a rapid move to the 
 Chesapeake ; and he had duly apprized the Count de 
 Barras, who lay at Rhode Island with a squadron of 
 French ships, of his recent determination to attack 
 Lord Cornwallis on the York river, in Virginia. The 
 count speedily arranged all matters which fell under 
 his province, and, on the 25th August, sailed for the 
 Chesapeake, having under his charge all the heavy 
 ordnance and military stores for the intended opera- 
 tions against Cornwallis. On the same day that De 
 Barras left Rhode Island, to join De Grasse in the 
 Chesapeake, the last division of Washington's army 
 crossed the Hudson. So fully persuaded was Sir Hen- 
 ,ry that the army under his immediate command, and 
 not that of Cornwallis, was the object of Washington's 
 { attack, that he could not believe the contrary until the 
 advanced division of the allied army had passed the 
 Delaware ; but then, in place of adopting measures for 
 the relief of Cornwallis, he detached a strong body of 
 troops under the infamous Arnold, to fall like demons 
 
l44 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 on Connecticut, in hopes by this means to recall Wash- 
 ington from the further pursuit of his plans against 
 Cornwallis. Vain effort — the steady mind of the com- 
 mander-in-chief was not thus to be diverted from its 
 object. The combined army continued its march until 
 it reached the place of destination. It will be proper 
 at this stage, although very cursorily, to advert to 
 the respective movements of the French and British 
 fleets. 
 
 Sir George B. Rodney, the British admiral, then 
 commanding in the West Indies, having received intel- 
 ligence from his government that the Count de Grasse 
 would speedily arrive on the American coast, gave 
 orders to Admiral Hood, (then with him,) to proceed 
 instandy with a squadron of ships to the United States 
 coast. Those orders were speedily obeyed by Hood, 
 who, it Was expected, when joined by Admiral Greaves 
 with a squadron of ships, then at New York, would 
 be a full match for the supposed number of ships under 
 command of De Grasse and Barras. 
 
 Hood, with fourteen sail of the line, reached the 
 Chesapeake bay on the 25th of August, it being the 
 same day that Count de Barras sailed from Rhode 
 Island ; and, however extraordinary the coincidence 
 may appear, on the same day that the last division of 
 the allied army, destined to operate against Cornwallis, 
 crossed the Hudson. 
 
 Hood, looking into the Chesapeake and Delaware 
 bays but discovering no fleet of his adversaries in 
 either, proceeded to Sandy Hook, where he arrived 
 on the 28th of August. 
 
 On the same day Admiral Greaves joined Hood 
 with five additional ships of the line, and instantly put 
 to sea, in hopes of intercepting Barras, of whose sail- 
 ing he had just received intelligence, or cutting ofi" De 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 145 
 
 ^ Grasse before a junction could be formed between 
 1 them. If either had occurred, fatal might have been 
 • the consequences ; and especially if Barras had have 
 s been met and vanquished, because his vessels carried 
 1 all the heavy ordnance as well as military stores to be 
 ' employed in the operations against Cornwallis. Most 
 ( happily, the British admiral was disappointed of suc- 
 1 ceeding in either of his objects. Barras evaded the 
 
 British fleet by standing far out to sea, and De Grasse, 
 I on the 30th, anchored safely in the Chesapeake bay, 
 ■ being a considerable time before the British admiral 
 I reached the latitude of the Virginia capes. 
 
 In consequence of the arrival of the French fleet, 
 I La Fayette requested an interview with Wayne, on 
 ! which occasion an accident happened to the latter, 
 I which he ten days subsequently thus mentioned in a 
 I letter to a friend. " On the 2d instant the French 
 1 troops landed near this place.* After I had pointed 
 
 out the most proper position for an encampment, I 
 
 received an express from the Marquis La Fayette, to 
 i meet him on business of importance that evening, about 
 : ten miles distant. I proceeded, accordingly, attended 
 : by two gentlemen and a servant. When we arrived 
 '• in the vicinity of his camp, about 10 o'clock at night, 
 
 we were challenged by a sentry, and we made the 
 , usual answer, but the poor fellow being panic struck, 
 
 mistook us for the enemy, and shot me in the centre 
 : of the left thigh, then fled and alarmed the camp. 
 I Fortunately, the ball only grazed the bone, and lodged 
 I on the side opposite to which it entered." 
 
 This circumstance must have been a source of great 
 I mortification to him, inasmuch as the wound confined 
 I him for many days, and, of course, deprived him of 
 
 ! • The troops, 3000 of them, landed at Burwell's Ferry. 
 13 
 
146 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 participating in those personal congratulations and 
 civilities, which no doubt speedily and reciprocally 
 passed between the American and French officers. 
 Independently of this, the wound was not inflicted by 
 an enemy's ball, yet he was necessitated for a time to 
 withdraw from that active and eflicient service, which 
 both duty and inclination equally and at all times im- 
 pelled him to employ in behalf of his much beloved 
 country. However, he appears from his letters to 
 have submitted to his pain and mortification with that 
 resignation and cheerfulness for which he was, on all 
 occasions that called for them, so much admired both 
 in and out of the army. " This caitiff disorder is now 
 leaving me," he writes on the 12th of Sept., " and I 
 shall, in a few days, take an active and interesting 
 command in despite of the ball, and hope to participate 
 in the glory of attending the capture of Lord Corn- 
 wallis and his marauding army."* In a postscript to 
 this letter, he adds, " I this day mounted and rode ray 
 horse ; an exertion which caused some pain ; yet I 
 succeeded beyond my expectation." 
 
 On the 5th of September, the van of the British fleet 
 appeared off Cape Henry. As soon as De Grasse as- 
 certained its character, not knowing at first view but 
 it was De Barras' squadron, from Rhode Island, he 
 slipped his cables and went out to sea, in order to ofier 
 admiral Greaves battle. The British admiral did not 
 refuse to accept the challenge, although he had but 
 nineteen sail of the line to oppose to twenty-four. 
 
 A partial engagement ensued on the 7th, in which 
 the French had the advantage — night separated the 
 combatants. The action was not renewed, although 
 the respective fleets continued in thQ neighborhood of 
 
 Letter to Richard Peters, Esq. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 147 
 
 J each other during four days. De Grasse re-entered 
 fthe Chesapeake on the 10th, very prudently contenting 
 .himself with the possession of the bay, without further 
 '(hazarding his fleet at this critical moment, by exposing 
 tit to battles and storms. During the excursion of De 
 i Grasse, De Barras safely moored in the Chesapeake 
 •I his squadron from Rhode Island with the transports. 
 I Admiral Greaves, notwithstanding some of his vessels 
 (were much disabled, and one abandoned and burnt, 
 ineared the capes ; but, discovering the whole French 
 ifleet in the bay, he sailed for New York.* 
 
 I Cornwallis' garrison amounted to 7,000, and the 
 ;place was strongly fortified. His main works were at 
 lYorktown, which is nearly surrounded by the river 
 'and a morass ; and on the isthmus he had erected a 
 istrong redoubt, etc., with ditches, fraises, and abatis. 
 •He also occupied Gloucester, on the opposite side, 
 iwhere he had erected some works to keep up the com- 
 imunication with the country. 
 
 Gen. Washington reached the neighborhood of the 
 
 very interesting scene of operation, against the re- 
 
 inowned although unfortunate Cornwallis, on the 14th 
 
 •of September, and immediately proceeded on board the 
 
 il 
 
 II * Casket, p. 358.— On the 7th of September, M. de Grasse 
 encountered the British fleet, and a distant fight took place, 
 in which the French seemed to rely more on their manoeu- 
 vring than on their valor. The reason of this was soon ap- 
 parent In the course of the night that followed the action, 
 1 squadron of eight line of battle ships safely passed the 
 British, and joined De Grasse ; in consequence of which ac- 
 cession of strength to his antagonist, Admiral Graves thought 
 
 I it prudent to quit that part of the coast, and retire to New 
 York. This impediment to their operations having been re- 
 moved, the Americans and French directed the whole of 
 f;heir united efforts to the capture of Yorktown."— frost's 
 United States. 
 
148 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 Ville de Paris, (flag-ship of the French admiral,) when 
 the plan of siege was concerted with the Count de 
 Grasse. De Grasse was very desirous to move with 
 his fleet to New York, previously to his joining in the 
 siege, for the purpose of blocking up the British fleet ; 
 a measure from which he was with difficulty dissuaded 
 by Washington. Had De Grasse persevered in his 
 resolution, the glorious event of Cornwallis' capture 
 might not now be matter of record ; but, in lieu of it, 
 the disastrous and bloody scenes which crushed an em- 
 pire just rising into existence. Here we have another 
 instance of the interposition of that benign and con- 
 trolling Providence which compelled the ambition, 
 pride, and folly of man, the seas and winds to be still, 
 when acting in opposition to that great cause, which, 
 when crowned with success, instantly burst asunder 
 the shackles which had long held in bondage both the 
 body and mind of the free-born American. 
 
 Subjoined is Gen. Wayne's diary of the siege of 
 Yorktown and capture of Cornwallis : 
 
 "On the 28th of September, 1781, his excellency 
 General AVashington put the combined army in motion 
 at 5 o'clock in the morning, in two columns, (the Ame- 
 ricans on the right and the French on the left,) and 
 arrived in view of the enemy's lines at York, about 4 
 o'clock in the afternoon. 
 
 " 29th. — Completed the investiture. The enemy 
 abandoned their advanced chain of works this evening, 
 leaving two redoubts perfect within cannon-shot of 
 their principal fortifications. This was not only un- 
 military, but an indication of confused precipitation. 
 
 "30th. — The allied troops possessed the ground aban- 
 doned by the British ; the French occupied the two re- 
 doubts ; and the Americans broke ground, and began 
 two new ones on the right. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 149 
 
 " 1st October. — The enemy discovered our works 
 in the morning ; commenced a cannonade, which con- 
 tinued through the day and night with very little ef- 
 fect. 
 
 " 2d. — Two men were killed by the enemy's fire. 
 
 " 3d. — Last night a drop-shot from the British killed 
 four men belonging to the covering party. 
 
 " 4th. — The redoubts were perfected ; enemy's fire 
 languid. 
 
 " 5th. — Two men were killed by ricochet shot. 
 
 " 6th. — Six regiments, i. e. one from the right of 
 each brigade, marched at 6 o'clock, p. m., under the 
 command of Major-General Lincoln and Brigadiers 
 Clinton and Wayne, and opened the first parallel with- 
 in 550 yards of the enemy's works and their extreme 
 left, which was continued by the French to the ex- 
 treme right. 
 
 " 7th — The parallel nearly complete, without any 
 opposition, except a little scattered fire of musketry, 
 and a feeble fire of artillery, by which a few of the 
 French troops were wounded, and one officer lost his 
 leg. 
 
 " 8th. — Completed the first parallel ; two of the 
 Pennsylvanians were killed by ricochet shot. 
 
 "9th. — At 3 o'clock, p. m., the French opened a 
 twelve-gun battery on the extreme right of the enemy ; 
 and at 5 o'clock, the same afternoon, a battery of ten 
 pieces was opened on their extreme left, by the Ame- 
 ricans, with apparent effect. 
 
 " 10th. — At day-break, three more batteries were 
 opened, (one of five heavy pieces by the Americans, 
 and two containing twenty-two by the French,) oppo- 
 site the centre of the British works ; at 5 p. m., another 
 American battery of two ten-inch howitzers was also 
 opened, which produced so severe a fire that it, in a 
 13* 
 
150 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 great degree, silenced that of the enemy ; at 7 o'clock, 
 p. M., the Caron, of 44 guns, was set on fire by our 
 balls, and totally consumed. 
 
 "11th. — The second parallel was opened this night 
 by the Pennsylvanians and Marylanders, covered by 
 two battalions under General Wayne, on the part of 
 the Americans. 
 
 "12th. — Nothing material. 
 
 "13th. — That part of the second parallel which was 
 opened, nearly completed. 
 
 "14th. — A little after dark, two detached redoubts 
 belonging to the enemy were stormed ; that on the ex- 
 treme left by the light infantry, under the Marquis La 
 Fayette, in which were taken a major, captain, and one 
 subaltern, with seventeen privates, and eight rank and 
 file killed. Our army lost, in killed and wounded, 
 forty-one. The other was carried by the French, under 
 the Baron de Viominial, who lost, in killed and wound- 
 ed, about one hundred men. Of the enemy, eighteen 
 were killed, and three officers and thirty-nine privates 
 were made prisoners. The above attacks were sup- 
 ported by two battalions of the Pennsylvanians, under 
 General Wayne ; whilst the second parallel was com- 
 pleted by the Pennsylvanians and Marylanders, under 
 Colonel W. Stewart. 
 
 "15th. — ^Two small batteries were opened this even- 
 ing. 
 
 "16th. — The enemy made a: sortie, and spiked seven 
 pieces of artillery, but were immediately repulsed, the 
 spikes drawn, and batteries again opened. 
 
 "17th. — The enemy beat the chamade at 10 o'clock, 
 
 A. M." 
 
 Cornwallis now " sent out a flag, proposing a cessa- 
 tion of hostilities for twenty-four hours," continues 
 
LIFE. OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 151 
 
 Wayne,* " and that commissioners might be appointed 
 to meet at Mr. Moore's house, to settle the terms upon 
 which the garrisons of York and Gloucester should 
 surrender. General Washington would only grant a 
 cessation for two hours ; previously to the expiration 
 of which, his lordship, by another flag, sent the fol- 
 lowing terms, viz : The troops to be prisoners of war ; 
 the British to be sent to Great Britain, and not to act 
 against America, France, or their allies, until exchanged ; 
 the Hessians to Germany, on the same conditions ; and 
 that all operations cease until the commissioners should 
 determine the details. To this his excellency returned 
 for answer : That hostilities should cease, and no al- 
 terations in the works, or any new movement of the 
 troops, take place, until he sent terms in writing; 
 which he did on the 18th, at nine o'clock, a. m., allow- 
 ing the enemy two hours to determine. They again 
 requested more time ; and the general granted them 
 until one o'clock, when they acceded to the heads of 
 the imposed terms, and nominated Colonel Dundas 
 and Major Ross, on their part, to meet with Colonel 
 Laurens and Viscount de Noailles on ours, to reduce 
 them to form, which was completed by nine o'clock at 
 night ; and, on the 19th, at one o'clock, p. m., the ca- 
 pitulation was ratified and signed by the commander 
 of each army, when the enemy received a guard of 
 Pennsylvania and Maryland troops in one of their prin- 
 cipal works, and one of French troops in another. At 
 four o'clock, the same afternoon, the British army 
 marched out of Yorktown with colors cased, between 
 the American and French troops, drawn up for the pur- 
 pose, and then grounded their arms agreeably to capitu- 
 lation." 
 
 * Letter to Hon. George Clymer, dated Oct 20, 1781. 
 
152 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Wayne reaches the southern army — receives orders from 
 Gen. Greene — he crosses the Savannah into Georgia — 
 captures a body of Indians — his talk to them — defeats the 
 British and Indians on the 21st of May, 1782 — his camp 
 attacked on the night of the 24th — gallant action — Wayne's 
 horse shot under him — he fights on foot, resolved to be vic- 
 torious or die in the midst of his enemy. — Evacuation of 
 Savannah, and triumphant entry of Wayne — after which 
 he repairs to the army of Gen. Greene. — Evacuation of 
 Charleston. — 111 health of Wayne — He returns to Philadel- 
 phia — is brevetted a major-general— elected to a seat in 
 the General Assembly, etc. 
 
 Gen. Greene had been long and anxiously expect- 
 ing the arrival of Wayne and the Pennsylvania troops 
 in the south ; and about the 1st of January, 1782, our 
 hero reached the camp of the southern army. This 
 augmentation of force, together with the fall of Corn- 
 wallis, enabled Greene to gratify his wishes in afford- 
 ing military aid to the state of Georgia, wherein the 
 enemy had been long rioting without the fear of oppo- 
 sition from either regulars or militia. Citizen had 
 risen against citizen, and more deadly hatred existed 
 between whig and tory than against the common ene- 
 my, and but slender means of protection could be pro- 
 cured for either life or property. Such was the dis- 
 tressed situation of Georgia ; and Greene despatched 
 Wayne into that state, with instructions to " try, by 
 every means, to soften the malignity and deadly re- 
 sentments subsisting between whigs and tories> and to 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 153 
 
 put a stop, as mucli as possible, to the cruel custom of 
 putting people to death after a surrender. I am sen- 
 sible there are many difficulties which will attend your 
 command," adds Greene ; " but the high opinion I 
 have of your zeal, abilities, resource, and enterprise, 
 as well as perseverance, give me the most flattering ex- 
 pectations that you will surmount them all, and do 
 honor to yourself, as well as render most essential ser- 
 vice to your country."* 
 
 In pursuance of these instructions, Wayne imme- 
 diately proceeded to the execution of the arduous task 
 assigned him, with a body of troops very inferior in 
 point of numbers to those of the enemy. On the 19th 
 of February, he crossed the Savannah river, and effect- 
 ed a landing in Georgia, with a detachment of the 1st 
 and 4th regiments of dragoons. With this force, aided 
 by a small state corps and a few spirited militia, he 
 manoeuvred the enemy out of several strong posts, and 
 confined to the town of Savannah 1 500 regular troops, 
 exclusive of tory-militia, refugees, Indians, and armed 
 negroes, amounting to nearly a thousand more, who, in 
 their retreat, desolated the country, destroyed and broke 
 up all the bridges and causeways to the very gates of 
 the town — measures, by which the British Gen. Clarke 
 thought to have compelled Wayne to abandon Georgia ; 
 but hearing of a quantity of forage and provisions on 
 the Great Ogechee, fifteen miles from Savannah, and 
 being determined to seize them and hold possession of 
 Georgia, he advanced to secure them. — When he ar- 
 rived near that river, he received intelligence of a body 
 of Creek Indians, on their march to Savannah. In or- 
 der to deceive or decoy them, he instantly detached a 
 strong party of horse, under Col. M'Coy, dressed in 
 
 * Dated Head Quarters, Round O, Jan. 9th, 1782. 
 
154 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 British uniform. The deception succeeded, and the 
 Indians were surrounded and disarmed without the 
 least resistance, although they had previously prepared 
 for action, with every warlike insignia upon them. 
 During the above transaction, his videttes announced 
 the approach of a large body of horse, which proved to 
 be ninety-three pack horses, loaded with skins, &c., 
 escorted by thirty or forty mounted Indians and tories, 
 who effected their escape by abandoning their horses 
 and dashing into a deep swamp : the horses, skins, &.c. 
 were secured. 
 
 Among the captured Indians were twenty-six head 
 chiefs or warriors, with their Interpreter. Humanity, 
 as well as policy induced Wayne to spare their lives, 
 and send them to their own country, with a talk calcu- 
 lated to keep them neutrals and to remain quiet spec- 
 tators until the war should terminate between us and 
 Britain. 
 
 In this talk to the Indians, Wayne briejfly stated the 
 rise and progress of the present war. He informed 
 them that he was no Englishman, but a plain, open 
 warrior, born upon the same great continent with them 
 — that all the Americans asked of the Indians was to 
 remain quiet spectators until the war should be termi- 
 nated — but that if Indians should be deaf to the voice 
 of reason, and wished to shed the blood of a people 
 who never injured them ; if they preferred the hatchet 
 to the olive branch, Americans possessed undaunted 
 hearts, strong arms, and keen cutting swords, with 
 which they were ready to meet them on their own 
 grounds. 
 
 "It is now upwards of five weeks," writes Wayne, 
 on the 24th of February,* " since we entered this state, 
 
 * Letter to Gen. Wm. Irvine, dated Ebenezer, state of 
 Georgia. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 155 
 
 during which period not an officer or soldier with me 
 has once undressed for the purpose of changing his 
 linen ; nor do the enemy lay on beds of down — they 
 have once or twice attempted to strike our advanced 
 parties. The day before yesterday, they made a for- 
 ward move in considerable force, which induced me to 
 advance to meet them ; but the lads declined the inter- 
 view, by embarking in boats and retreating by water to 
 Savannah, the only post which they hold in Georgia." 
 On the 21st of May, Wayne received intelligence of 
 the enemy being out in force ; a movement which he 
 had long desired, and with avidity he availed himself 
 of the opportunity to attack them. The Americans 
 were at Ebenezer, and the intelligence reported the 
 enemy to be seven miles distant, at Harris' bridge, on 
 the Ogechee road. Upon inquiry, Wayne found that 
 the only route to the enemy's position was through a 
 swamp of nearly four miles extent, with many deep 
 and dangerous morasses to pass ; and then to intersect 
 the Ogechee road, at an intermediate distance from Sa- 
 vannah and the bridge. He was properly impressed 
 with the difficulty attending a night's march over such 
 ground, as well as the delicacy of a manceuvre that 
 placed him between the whole of the enemy's force in 
 Georgia ; but when he came to reflect upon the expe- 
 rience and gallantry of the officers, and the steady 
 bravery of the troops, they were ordered to advance, 
 from the conviction that the success of a nocturnal at- 
 tack depended more upon prowess than numbers. At 
 12 o'clock at night the American van arrived at the 
 Ogechee road, four miles S. W. of Savannah, when the 
 enemy also appeared advancing in close and good or- 
 der. Notwithstanding this unexpected circumstance, 
 and the great disparity of numbers, Wayne ordered the 
 van guard to charge, which was obeyed with such vi- 
 
156 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYl^. 
 
 vacity as to terminate in the total defeat and dispersion 
 of all the British cavalry, and a large body of infantry 
 picked from the 7th regiment, the Hessians, Tanning's 
 and Brown's regulars, with the Choctaw Indians, to- 
 nes, (fee, the whole commanded by Col. Brown. 
 
 After this action, Wayne moved from Ebenezer, and 
 took post at Sharon, five miles in front of the enemy. 
 On the night of the 24th, his rear guard, with which he 
 was in person, received an attack from upwards of 500 
 picked chiefs and warriors of the Creek nation, which 
 speedily brought on a general action. " The advance 
 of a large body of Creek Indians," he writes,* "head- 
 ed by a number of their most celebrated chiefs and 
 warriors, and a British officer, was announced at half 
 after one o'clock this morning, by a most furious attack 
 upon Lieutenant-Colonel Posey's light company, which 
 had been placed for the protection of two field pieces, 
 a short distance in rear of his battalions. Their onset 
 was so impetuous and their numbers so superior, that 
 this gallant little corps was compelled to fall back a few 
 paces, a circumstance which, for a few minutes, put the 
 enemy in possession of that artillery. But the corps 
 immediately rallied under Captain Gunn, with his 
 troop of dragoons, when I instanUy ordered the two 
 companies to advance to the charge, which they did, 
 through a most tremendous fire of small arms, accom- 
 panied by a hideous yell of the enemy, from almost 
 every direction. Colonel Posey and Major Finley, 
 with their command, were now ordered to advance, and 
 charge the Indians in flank ; the whole was performed 
 with such irresistible vigor, that the action terminated 
 in the total route of the savages, who did not discover 
 want of prowess on this occasion ; but they met our 
 
 • Letter to Gen. Greene, dated Sharon, 24th June, 1782. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 157 
 
 charge with that ferocity for which they are so famous 
 at the onset ; and it was especially so in this instance, 
 being not a little elated with their temporary success 
 in gaining possession of our cannon. Our enemy re- 
 treated into the pipe-maker's swamp, where they dis- 
 persed with precipitation. Many Indians and two 
 white men fell dead on the field ; among the former 
 several chiefs, with the famous Guristersigo, our great- 
 est enemy, and principal warrior of the Creek nation. 
 Their proportion of wounded must be considerable, as 
 the bravery of the Indians, fighting hand to hand, gave 
 an opening for the free use of the sword and bayonet. 
 
 " As I had every reason to suspect a combined opera- 
 tion by an attack from the British, we formed to re- 
 ceive them, and made a disposition, at the same time, 
 to prevent a junction with their savage allies ; for 
 which purpose Colonel Posey, with part of his bat- 
 talion, advanced to a position near the enemy's lines, 
 where we forced their pickets, and produced a convic- 
 tion to them that we were at once in possession of the 
 field of action, and in a condition to profit from events.* 
 
 " A few minutes after sunrise we formed a junction 
 of our whole force, when the British made an advance, 
 who, after sustaining some loss, were driven back to 
 their works by a detachment of infantry and cavalry ; 
 but, notwithstanding every precaution to prevent it, part 
 of the Indians found their way into Savannah, under 
 cover of the swamp already mentioned. 
 
 * Col. Lee, in^his Memoirs, adverting to the above ren- 
 counter, says : — " Wayne, participating with his light corps 
 in the surrounding dangers, was now dismounted, his horse 
 being killed. But he behaved with his accustomed gallantry. 
 Not doubling but General Clarke, with his whole force from 
 Savannah, was upon him, he determined to cut his way to 
 victory, or die in the midst of his enemy." 
 
 14 
 
158 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 " Our trophies are an elegant British standard, 107 
 horses, with a number of packs, arms, etc., and more 
 horses are hourly secured and brought in." In a post- 
 script, he adds, " Such was the determined bravery 
 with which the Indians fought, that, after I had cut 
 down one of their chiefs, with his last breath he drew 
 his trigger, and shot my noble horse dead under me." 
 
 The body of Indians that made the above mentioned 
 attack, was to have formed a junction with the British, 
 under Colonel Brown, near the Ogechee, about this 
 period ; but, in consequence of some mistake in the 
 interpreters. Brown had anticipated the time, and expe- 
 rienced a total defeat on the night of the 21st of May. 
 
 Says Mr. Gordon, in his History of the American 
 Revolution, " The British administration having re- 
 solved upon abandoning all offensive operations in 
 America, the scheme of evacuating the weaker posts in 
 the United States, was adopted, and that at Savannah 
 was to be the first. When the measure was determin- 
 ed upon, the merchants and others, inhabitants of the 
 place, obtained permission to apply to Wayne for the 
 security and preservation of their persons and property. 
 He replied to their deputies, that should the British 
 garrison eventually effect an evacuation, the persons 
 and properties of such inhabitants, or others, who 
 choose to remain in Savannah, will be protected by the 
 military, and resigned, inviolate into the hands of the 
 civil authority, which must ultimately decide. The 
 merchants and inhabitants of Savannah having sent out 
 a second flag, Wayne, at the desire of the civil autho- 
 rity of the state, sent them for answer — ' That them er- 
 chants not owing allegiance to the United States, will 
 be permitted to remain a reasonable time, to dispose of 
 their goods and settle their affairs.' Major Habersham, 
 who was charged with this message, pledged himself 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 161 
 
 that they might rely with the utmost confidence on the 
 terms proposed to them." 
 
 On the llth of July, 1782, Savannah was evacuated 
 by the British, and Wayne took possession of it. 
 Shortly after this, the situation of Greene became criti- 
 cal in South Carolina, and, in August, Wayne received 
 orders to form an immediate junction with him. He 
 did so, and, with the aid of the Pennsylvania troops, 
 executed most important services in circumscribing 
 and chastising the British foraging parties in the neigh- 
 borhood of Charleston. 
 
 About the latter end of November, the light infantry 
 of the army, and the legionary corps, (part of whom 
 had so gallantly followed his standard in Georgia,) 
 were added to Wayne's command. With this united 
 force he passed the Ashley river, and pushed the ad- 
 vanced corps of the enemy into Charleston. He now 
 continued to hold a convenient position, for the purpose 
 of attacking their rear, when the hour of the contem- 
 plated evacuation should arrive. 
 
 The British general (Leslie) dreading this, made a 
 proposition, that if his army were permitted to embark 
 without molestation, every care should be taken for the 
 preservation of the town, etc. To this Gen. Greene 
 acceded ; and, on the morning of the 14th of Decem- 
 ber, 1782, Gen. Wayne had the honor and satisfac- 
 tion to take peaceable possession of Charleston, with 
 the infantry and legionary corps ; thus closing his last 
 active and military scene in the revolutionary war, 
 after having performed many exploits no less brilliant 
 than important. 
 
 At this glorious period in the history of his coun- 
 try's glory, in establishing which no one had more 
 largely contributed by personal exertions than himself, 
 Wayne found his health seriously affected. In conse- 
 
162 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 quence of great fatigue and exposure, he contracted a 
 severe indisposition ; and himself, as well as his friends, 
 became apprehensive of his falling a victim to a fever 
 which had so long and obstinately adhered to him. 
 He writes to his friend Dr. Rush,* that on the 2d of 
 September, he was seized by a violent fever ; " nor 
 have I," he continues, " from that period to this hour, 
 enjoyed one day's health. My physicians, after try- 
 ing the powers of almost the whole materia medica, 
 without effect, have directed the substitution of regi- 
 men and moderate exercise, in hopes of removing a 
 complaint from my breast which possesses many diag- 
 nostics of a pulmonary consumption, although our 
 medical gentlemen say that they are feelings or the 
 natural effects of a continued and severe fever, and are 
 happy presages of the manner in which those fevers 
 generally terminate. Be that as it may, I have this 
 consolation, that neither idleness nor dissipation has so 
 injuriously affected my constitution ; but that it has 
 been broken down, and nearly exhausted, by encoun- 
 tering almost every excess of fatigue, difficulty, and 
 danger, in the defence of the rights and liberty of 
 America, from the frozen lakes of Canada to the burn- 
 ing sands of Florida." 
 
 , Gen. Wayne continued with the army at the south, 
 taking a part in the multiplicity of business that de- 
 volved upon the officers ; such as receiving the alle- 
 giance of the disaffected portion of the inhabitants in 
 South and North Carolina, and Georgia — making trea- 
 ties with Creeks, Cherokees, and other Indians ; and 
 it was not until the month of July, 1783, that, after 
 having seen the last of the Pennsylvania troops em- 
 barked on board the transports, he took passage for 
 
 • Letter dated Charleston, Dec. 24th, 1782. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 163 
 
 Philadelphia, where he arrived in a state of flattering 
 convalescency — though late in the autumn he expe- 
 rienced a severe relapse of fever. 
 
 In pursuance of a resolution of Congress, Brigadier- 
 General Wayne was brevetted a major-general on the 
 10th of October, 1783. In 1784, he was elected by 
 his native county to a seat in the General Assembly, 
 in which civic capacity he served during the sessions 
 of 1784 and 1785. By reference to the journals of 
 those years, as well as to his correspondence, he 
 appears to have taken deep interest in every mea- 
 sure of importance which was agitated in the Legisla- 
 ture. To his exertions, more than to those of any 
 other individual, has been attributed the early abroga- 
 tion of the Pennsylvania test laws ; the continuance of 
 which, after the peace of 1783, had become not only 
 impolitic in relation to the public weal, but both griev- 
 ous and tyrannic with respect to a large portion of 
 the people of that state. 
 
 Although the resolutions which were presented by 
 him on the above-mentioned subject, were defeated, in 
 the first instance, by an overwhelming majority, he 
 nevertheless returned to the charge, and a decisive vic- 
 tory was ultimately obtained. 
 
 Wayne, among other interesting subjects during his 
 brief continuance in the Assembly, presented a resolu- 
 tion relative to inland navigation, which was the first 
 movement of Pennsylvania, since the revolutionary 
 war, on that interesting concern, and more comprehen- 
 sive than any one which had heretofore been submitted 
 to legislative consideration. 
 
 The resolution and consequent proceedings are thus 
 exhibited on the journals. 
 
 November 7th, 1785. — It was moved by Mr. Wayne, 
 and seconded by Mr. Watts, as follows : 
 
164 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 " Resolved, That a committee be appointed to revise 
 the law declaring the river Susquehanna, and other 
 streams therein named, public highways, and for im- 
 proving the navigation of said river and streams, passed 
 the 9th of March, 1771, and the supplement thereto, 
 passed the 31st March, 1785, and to report a bill 
 which shall have for its object the more perfect im- 
 provement of the navigation of said river and streams, 
 and also in concurrence with the states of Maryland 
 and Delaware, the improvement of the navigation be- 
 tween the waters of the Chesapeake and Delaware, by 
 a canal on principles of reciprocity." And said mo- 
 tion was referred to a committee consisting of a mem- 
 ber from each county. 
 
 The committee, on the 18th November following, 
 made a report, approving the plan and recommending 
 the opening of a navigable communication between the 
 bays of Chesapeake and Delaware ; concluding with 
 a resolution authorizing "the Executive Council to 
 enter into a negotiation with the states of Maryland 
 and Delaware, to effect that object." 
 
 The canal, which Wayne contemplated in his reso- 
 lution, is now completed and in successful operation. 
 The innumerable advantages which the Union, and of 
 course the state of Pennsylvania, must derive from this 
 branch of inland navigation, will recall to memory the 
 name of Anthony Wayne, as being one among the num- 
 ber of its earliest advocates and promoters. 
 
 Many are the letters which Wayne received, about 
 this period, from distinguished characters, asking per- 
 mission to offer his name for the presidential chair of 
 Pennsylvania, at the expiration of the then incumbent's 
 term of office. The pressure of his domestic concerns 
 not only compelled him to decline this honor, but to 
 resign his seat in the Legislature. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 165 
 
 The stale of Georgia, in 1782, complimented Gen. 
 Wayne with a very valuable landed estate, in conside- 
 ration of his public services, as well as with the view 
 of inducing him to become a citizen of that state after 
 the war should terminate. 
 
 He also possessed a valuable patrimonial property 
 in his native state ; and being under obligations of grati- 
 tude to both, he resolved to spend a portion of time in 
 each state. 
 
 The estate in Georgia he could not dispose of with- 
 out giving offence, and that in Pennsylvania he could 
 not, from prejudices of local attachment, reconcile his 
 mind to sell. 
 
 His Waynesborough estate, in the county of Chester, 
 which had been inoperative for a length of time, first 
 claimed his attention, which, for the space of two years, 
 was most assiduously devoted to the placing of that 
 property in a state of cultivation. In the meantime 
 his arrangements were making for rendering his Geor- 
 gia estate productive. The latter object could not be 
 effected without a very considerable sum of money — 
 a sum which, at that period, could not be procured in 
 this country. Wayne was, therefore, necessitated to 
 attempt a loan in Holland. Although every precaution 
 was taken to render this negotiation secure and suc- 
 cessful, yet, most unhappily, his bills were all returned 
 protested — a circumstance which involved him in ex- 
 treme difficulties and embarrassments ; and ultimately, 
 to save his patrimonial estate, he was compelled, in the 
 year 1791, to sacrifice his Georgia present. 
 
 His time was so fully engrossed by his domestic 
 concerns, from the close of the revolutionary war until 
 the autumn of 1791, and his personal attendance being 
 so much divided between the state of Pennsylvania and 
 that of Georgia, the wishes of neither could be fully 
 
166 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. \ 
 
 gratified in affording him an evidence of its desire to 
 place him in the councils of state. Indeed, it was a sub- 
 ject for judicial decision in a particular case, whether 
 his citizenship was in Pennsylvania or Georgia. How- 
 ever, in 1787, his fellow-citizens of Pennsylvania 
 availed themselves of an opportunity to elect him one 
 of the members of the convention which adopted the 
 constitution of the United States ; and his fellow-citi- 
 zens of Georgia, in the year 1792, elected him a mem- 
 ber of the United States Congress. This election was 
 contested, and, after a lengthy and animated discussion, 
 set aside. Immediately after which, President Wash- 
 ington nominated Anthony Wayne to the Senate as 
 commander-in-chief of the United States army — which 
 nomination being confirmed, the high and important 
 trust was accepted on the 13th of April, 1792. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 167 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Wayne appointed by President "Washington commander-in- 
 chief of the army of the United States. — Aggressions of 
 the Indians on the western frontier. — Wayne repairs to 
 Pittsburg in November, 1792, and from thence to the Ohio., 
 where he opened negotiations with the Indian chiefs. — 
 Failure of the negotiations. — Marches his army to the Mi- 
 ami settlements. — Great battle of the 20th of Aug., 1794. — 
 Defeat of the Indians. — Wayne returns home. — His tri- 
 umphant entry into Philadelphia. — Renewed aggressions 
 upon the part of the Indians. — Wayne returns to the west- 
 ern country. — He is attacked by the gout on Nov. 17th, 
 1796. — His death at Presque Isle on the 15th of December 
 following, etc. 
 
 The particular object for which Wayne was ap- 
 pointed to the command in chief of the army, was to 
 bring to a close the war with the confederated tribes 
 of Indians, which had so long raged on the north-west- 
 ern frontier. The magnitude of the trust reposed, can 
 only be realized by a due consideration of the circum- 
 stances existing at the time the appointment was made. 
 When peace was concluded with Great Britain, a por- 
 tion of their Indian auxiliaries refused to bury the 
 hatchet, but continued their depredations upon the set- 
 tlements bordering on the Ohio ; and there is reason 
 to believe that these avowed enemies were aided by 
 tribes which had entered into treaties with the United 
 States — the whole stimulated by white incendiaries 
 from Canada. From 1783 to 1790, it was estimated 
 that fifteen hundred men, women and children^ had 
 
168 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 been slain or taken captive by the Indians, upon the 
 waters of the Ohio ; and that more than two thousand 
 horses had been stolen from the inhabitants. Every 
 effort by negotiations, to restore peace, having failed, 
 Brig. Gen. Harmer was ordered to advance into the 
 Indian country, with a force deemed competent to 
 chastise the savages, destroy their towns, and bring 
 them to a more reasonable disposition. The defeat of 
 that brave and meritorious officer, and the annihilation 
 of his army, in the summer of 1790, carried dismay 
 throughout all our western settlements, and inspired 
 the Indians with additional confidence and courage. 
 On the part of the general government, the necessity 
 for more extensive and decisive efforts, to protect the 
 frontier and wipe away the stain from the American 
 arms, became manifest. A new army was raised, and 
 placed under the command of Maj. Gen. Arthur St. 
 Clair, who led his forces to meet and punish a fero- 
 cious foe, become haughty and confident from succes- 
 sive victories. Every thing was hoped from the prow- 
 ess, skill, and experience of the accomplished general 
 who commanded the federal army. The eyes of the 
 nation were fixed upon him with the most lively so- 
 licitude. The honor of the federal government, pub- 
 lic confidence in its wisdom, (which faction was en- 
 deavoring to subvert,) the respect of foreign nations — 
 all combined, with the security of the frontier, so long 
 the scene of ambush, conflagration, and slaughter, to 
 demand victory at his hands. The issue is known. 
 On the 4th of November, 1791, Gen. St. Clair and his 
 gallant army suffered a total defeat, rout, and massacre, 
 near the Miami villages, by the confederate Indians, 
 aided by efficient, though unavowed, white auxiliaries, 
 from Canada. Upwards of sixty commissioned offi- 
 cers were killed or wounded, and near one thousand 
 
k 
 
 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 169 
 
 privates slain, besides the wounded who died, or were 
 disabled. 
 
 The whole country was thrown into consternation 
 knd mourning by the news of the defeat of St. Clair. 
 A succession of disasters to the American arms, ren- 
 dered the Indian war, to the last degree, unpopular ; 
 and no litde of the odium attached to the administra- 
 tion under whose auspices it had been conducted. Not 
 only were the people at large rendered averse to the 
 war from its continued ill success, but those who were 
 disposed to a military life looked with insuperable 
 aversion upon a service, to enter which had so far 
 proved neither a path to usefulness nor honor, but a 
 sure avenue to the grave. To fall by the rifle, the 
 tomahawk, or scalping-knife, experience had so far 
 shown to be the almost certain consequences to those 
 who should enter into the army ; and which neither 
 bravery nor skill had thus far been able to avert. Be- 
 sides the sacrifice of life, the immense sum of money 
 expended in the two expeditions under Harmer and St. 
 Clair, in the embarrassed state of the national treasury, 
 was regarded as an evil of oppressive magnitude. Par- 
 ties had already developed themselves in Congress and 
 the nation, and the conduct of the Indian war furnished 
 abundant ground, for the ill-disposed, on which to raise 
 charges against, and excite distrust of, the wisdom of 
 the administration. 
 
 \ Thus situated, to sustain the honor of the govern- 
 ment, to vindicate the superiority of the American 
 arms, to arrest the clamor of party, to give protection 
 to the frontier settlements, and, if possible, to restore a 
 safe and lasting peace with the Indian nation, new 
 measures were to be adopted. The highest exercise 
 of the wisdom of Washington, in the selection of a 
 commander-in-chief for the army, was demanded ; for 
 
170 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 on this selection, more than on any other ever made 
 since the commencement of the revolutionary war, 
 every thing dear to the country depended. The fame 
 of the president was itself concerned ; for another de- 
 feat would scarcely have failed to involve his character 
 deeply in its humiliating consequences. Bravery, and 
 a general knowledge of the science of war, were by no 
 means the chief requisites demanded in the character 
 that should be called to command the army. The 
 soundest judgment — the most consummate prudence ; 
 a capacity to comprehend all the great and various in- 
 terests concerned — the cautious coolness, and guarded 
 circumspection, necessary to counteract the wiles of a 
 subtle enemy — a perfect knowledge of human nature 
 and that control and influence over men, indispensable 
 to restore and confirm confidence both in the public and 
 in the army, which is the attribute of genius, and only 
 given to superior minds ; withal, a strict disciplinarian, 
 mingling firmness with conciliation, that should at once 
 command respect and love — these, with a soul animat- 
 ed by patriotism and a love of glory, impelling to no- 
 ble deeds, were the requisites, if they could be found 
 in one man, which the occasion imperiously demanded. 
 Among the peculiar traits that distinguished Washing- 
 ton, was his knowledge of character. Having acted 
 with Wayne in the most trying scenes of the revolu- 
 tionary war, the best opportunity existed for a thorough 
 knowledge of his fitness for the important command. 
 
 On the 25th of May, 1792, Wayne having been fur- 
 nished by the secretary at war with the instructions of 
 the president, in which it was emphatically expressed, 
 " that another defeat would be inexpressibly ruinous 
 to the reputation of the government," immediately took 
 leave of his family and friends, and repaired to Pitts- 
 burg, the place appointed for the rendezvous of the 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 171 
 
 troops, where he arrived early in June. By a new or- 
 ganization, the army was to consist of one major-gene- 
 ral, four brigadier-generals and their respective staffs, 
 the commissioned officers, and 5120 non-commissioned 
 officers and privates, the whole to be denominated 
 *' The Legion of the United States." The legion 
 to be divided into four sub-legions, each to consist of 
 commissioned officers named, and 1280 non-commis- 
 sioned officers and privates. The previous army hav- 
 ing been nearly annihilated, a new one was to be re- 
 cruited. Most of the experienced officers having been 
 slain in the defeats of Harmer and St. Clair, or resign- 
 ed their commissions, the labors of the commanding 
 general were augmented to an extent which nothing but 
 the most unwearied patience and ardent zeal could 
 have performed. Many of the officers, as well as most 
 of the soldiers, had yet to learn the rudiments of their 
 profession. The organization of the troops, military 
 tactics, discipline, &c. &c., devolved so far upon the 
 general, as to leave him scarcely time, without infinite 
 labor, to keep up the correspondence incident to his 
 station. His efforts were indefatigable ; and it is im- 
 possible, at the present day, to form an adequate idea 
 of the difficulties he had to encounter — the labors to 
 perform — and the obstacles he was called to surmount. 
 So panic-struck was the whole country at the repeated 
 and bloody successes of the enemy, that an engagement 
 with them was looked to as certain defeat. A perfect 
 horror seemed to seize the recruits when marched from 
 the rendezvous where they had enlisted, and their faces 
 turned to join the army. In a letter to the secretary at 
 war, dated Pittsburg, 20th July, 1792, Gen. Wayne 
 says : — " The detachment, under Major Ashton arrived 
 at this place on Monday Lieutenant ; Miss Campbell's, 
 with Stakes* dragoons and Captain Faulkner's riflemen, 
 
172 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 on Tuesday. I am, however, sorry to inform you of 
 the alarming desertion that prevailed in Ashton's de- 
 tachment and Stakes' dragoons. Not less than fifty of 
 the former, and seven of the latter, deserted on their 
 march between Carlisle and Pittsburg." Most of the 
 detachments of recruits suffered in the same manner ; 
 and all the wisdom of the general, by combining the 
 strictest discipline with every milder means to inspire 
 confidence and command obedience, was called into 
 requisition. Another fact will show the degree of ter- 
 ror that the name of Indians had inspired, and the ex- 
 traordinary difl[iculties the general had to surmount to 
 introduce obedience, self-confidence, and courage. A 
 letter to the secretary of war, dated Pittsburg, 10th Au- 
 gust, 1792, says : — " Desertions have been frequent 
 and alarming — two nights since, upon a report that a 
 large body of Indians were close in our front, I ordered 
 the troops to form for action, and rode along the line to 
 inspire them with confidence, and gave a charge to 
 those in the redoubts, which I had recently thrown up 
 in our front and right flank, to maintain their posts, at 
 any expense of blood, until I could gain the enemy's 
 rear with the dragoons ; but such was the defect of 
 the human heart, that from excess of cowardice, one- 
 third of the sentries deserted from their stations, so as 
 to leave tlie most accessible places unguarded. 
 
 By the salutary measures adopted to introduce order 
 and discipline, the army soon began, however, to as- 
 sume its proper character. The troops were daily ex- 
 ercised in all the evolutions necessary to render them 
 efiicient soldiers, and more especially in those manneu- 
 vres proper in a campaign against savages. Firing at 
 a mark was constantly practised, and rewards given to 
 the best marksmen. To inspire emulation, the rifle- 
 men and infantry strove to excel, and the men soon at- 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 173 
 
 tained to an accuracy that gave them confidence in 
 their own prowess. On the artillery, the general im- 
 pressed the importance of that arm of the service. The 
 dragoons he taught to rely on the broad sword, as all 
 important to victory. The riflemen were made to see 
 how much success must depend on their coolness, 
 quickness, and accuracy ; while the infantry were led 
 to place entire confidence in the bayonet, as the certain 
 and irresistible weapon before which the savages could 
 not stand. The men were instructed to charge in open 
 order ; each to rely on himself, and to prepare for a 
 personal contest with an enemy. The confidence in- 
 spired, and the rapid improvement in discipline, is fre- 
 quently mentioned with pleasure, in the letters of the 
 commanding general, written during the autumn ; but 
 the season was too far advanced before a reasonable 
 force could be collected to warrant active operations. 
 
 Gen. Wayne had not permitted the summer to pass 
 without adopting proper measures to ascertain the 
 strength and disposition of the hostile Indians. Efforts 
 were made to impress on their minds the earnest de- 
 sire of the American government to make peace on 
 terms that should be mutually just and honorable, and 
 yet to leave no doubt that, if war was preferred by them, 
 they would have to contend with a difi'erent force from 
 iJiat which they had previously encountered. Among 
 the measures adopted by the government to obtain peace 
 by pacific means, was that of sending Col. Harding 
 and Maj. Trueman, brave officers and valuable men, 
 with flags of truce to the Indians ; but they were both 
 wantonly murdered. 
 
 In the meantime, the Indians continued their depre- 
 dations upon the frontier, except in the immediate 
 neighborhood of posts occupied by detachments of 
 troops ; many valuable lives were lost. The Indians, 
 15* 
 
174 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 vaunting in their superiority, sent repeated messages 
 of their desire to see the legion advance to their coun- 
 try ; and claiming victory as if it were bound, by un- 
 alterable fate, to their standard. 
 
 A suitable position having been selected by Wayne 
 to pass the winter, the army left Pittsburg on the 28th 
 of November, and took up a position on the Ohio, 
 twenty-two miles below that place, and seven above the 
 mouth of the Big Beaver, to which he gave the name 
 of Legionville. Here the troops were hutted, the gene- 
 ral remaining in his marquee, and the officers in tents, 
 until the soldiers were comfortably accommodated. 
 The camp was fortified, and every possible preparation 
 for defence adopted ; for at that period the post select- 
 ed was not considered beyond striking distance of a 
 formidable force of the enemy. 
 
 Anxious to conciliate the Six Nations of Indians, 
 who, though professing to be friendly, were uneasy and 
 restless, Wayne sent an invitation to Cornplanter and 
 New Arrow, two distinguished chiefs of their tribes, to 
 visit him at Legionville, at which place they arrived, 
 accompanied by Big Tree and old Guasutha, in March, 
 1793. Friendly disposed as they were, a toast given 
 by Cornplanter, at the general's table, will show their 
 sentiments of the terms on which they thought peace 
 ought to be made between the American government 
 and the Indians. " My mind and heart are upon that 
 river," said Cornplanter, pointing to the Ohio ; " may 
 that water ever continue to run and remain the boun- 
 dary of lasting peace between the Americans and In- 
 dians on its opposite shores." If such was the boun- 
 dary line fixed upon by friendly Indians, it may safely 
 be inferred that the demand of the hostile and victorious 
 tribes were not less unreasonable. In truth, no doubt 
 sustained by British policy, the Ohio was the division 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 175 
 
 boundary insisted upon. The United States must re- 
 linquish all claim north and west of that river, although 
 repealed treaties, and fair purchase, had confirmed to 
 them considerable portions of Indian titles, which had 
 been pledged by the government to officers and soldiers 
 of the revolution, or continue the war. This point is 
 proper to be distinctly known, as it shows that the ad- 
 vance of Wayne into the Indian country, was not a 
 measure of aggression, but of indispensable necessity 
 to sustain unquestionable rights, as well as to curb the 
 ferocity of the savages. 
 
 In a letter to the secretary of war, dated " Legion- 
 ville, 30th March, 1793," the general says :— " The 
 progress that the troops have made, both in manceu- 
 vring and as marksmen, astonished the savages on St. 
 Patrick's day ; and I am happy to inform you that the 
 sons of that Saint were perfectly sober and orderly, be- 
 ing out of the reach of whisky, which baneful poison 
 is prohibited from entering this camp, except the com- 
 ponent part of the ration,' or a little for fatigue duty, or 
 on some extraordinary occasion." The information 
 contained in this extract is regarded as reflecting great 
 credit on Wayne. The highly improved discipline of 
 the legion now gave their general full confidence in 
 them. Speaking of a meeting proposed by the govern- 
 ment to be held to form a treaty with the Indians, in 
 whose determination for war he was yet fully satisfied, 
 the general playfully expresses a wish to be present, 
 " with 2500 of his commissioners in company, with 
 not a single Quaker among them," (meaning not one 
 having conscientious scruples of bearing arms,) in 
 which case he feels confident an honorable peace 
 would be the result. Soliciting the secretary " to for- 
 ward certain legionary distinctive decorations ; also, a 
 legionary standard, and sub-legionary and battalion co- 
 
176 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 lours," — he says emphatically, " they shall not be 
 
 LOST." 
 
 The winter was not productive of any striking events. 
 Early in April, Wayne announced his readiness to 
 descend the river, having a respectable body of well 
 disciplined troops, in whom he expressed perfect con- 
 fidence. The ruinous disasters of previous campaigns 
 afford abundant reason for the tardiness of enlistments. 
 Though Washington was at the head of the govern- 
 ment, and Wayne at the head of the army, the over- 
 whelming defeats of Harmer and St. Clair, still threw 
 a damp upon the ardor of those who, under more pro- 
 pitious circumstances, would have cheerfully rallied 
 under the standard of the hero of Stony Point. Boats 
 being in readiness, Wayne, with the Federal army, de- 
 parted from Legionville on the 30lh of April, 1793. 
 
 While descending to the place of their destination, 
 we may take occasion to make a remark upon the 
 spirit of the army. Among the soldiers, discipline, and 
 their uncommon accuracy in firing at a mark, had in- 
 spired confidence in themselves, as it was unbounded 
 in their commander ; but among a portion of the offi- 
 cers the seeds of disorganization were deeply sown. 
 By the French revolution, the opinions of men through- 
 out the civilized world, had become extremely unset- 
 tled. The principles of liberty and equality, so cor- 
 rect in the abstract, seem totally incompatible with the 
 subordination and obedience requisite to the discipline 
 of an army. Throughout the United States, the minds 
 of men were excited to such a degree, that reason was 
 loosened from her empire ; and it required all the wis- 
 dom, character, and firmness of Washington, to save 
 the country from being involved in a foreign war, and 
 to preserve the government from being overthrown by 
 faction at home. Gen. Wayne frequently complained 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 177 
 
 of the baleful leaven being infused into the army, and 
 the difficulties consequently experienced by him. Cer- 
 tain officers, tinctured with the prevailing mania, were 
 little disposed to yield that entire obedience which was 
 deemed essential to the safety of the army. Several 
 tendered their commissions ; the mind of the general 
 was made up not to meet the enemy with officers on 
 whom he could not repose confidence ; and the com- 
 missions were, somewhat unexpectedly, promptly ac- 
 cepted. The utmost firmness and prudence were ne- 
 cessary to save the legion from being disturbed by these 
 feuds which entered into every other circle ; but the 
 wisdom displayed, produced the desired results ; the 
 army, in all its grades, yielded to that strict discipline 
 which was indispensable to victory. 
 
 The immediate destination of the troops was Fort 
 Washington, then near the village, now the city, of Cin- 
 cinnati. Nearly due north from that point, distant 
 eighty miles, is situated Fort Jefferson, which is twenty- 
 nine miles from the battle ground where St. Clair was 
 defeated. In six days the army arrived at Fort Wash- 
 jington, but Wayne preferred a position a mile below, 
 / for reasons stated in a letter to the secretary of war, 
 dated Hobson's Choice, (the name given to his new 
 camp,) 9th May, 1793. " We are now encamped a 
 mile below Fort Washington, on the margin of the river, 
 with a wide swamp in our front, and the Ohio in our 
 rear ; there is no good ground for manoeuvres or en- 
 campment in the neighborhood of Fort Washington ; 
 add to this, that the village of Cincinnati is directly 
 upon our right flank, filled with ardent poison, and cai- 
 tiff wretches to dispose of it." Impatient to be en- 
 gaged in useful service, the general proceeds : — "I now 
 anxiously await the arrival of Major Hughes, with the 
 old garrisons of forts Franklin and Cassawauga ; by 
 
178 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 the aid of those, I hope to receive permission to take 
 such position or positions as will enable me to make 
 the necessary arrangements for effectual operations, 
 which, with all our industry, will be a work of time, 
 fatigue, and difficulty." Of his soldiers, he says :— 
 " It is an old observation, and it is a very just one, that 
 it requires three years for a soldier to learn to live upon 
 his ration, and to take proper care of his arms and 
 clothing. I am happy, however, to have it in my 
 power to declare, that both officers and soldiers have 
 acquired a greater degree of military knowledge in the 
 course of a few months, than I ever saw acquired in 
 twice that time by any soldiers during the late war. 
 How they will behave in action, is yet to be determin- 
 ed — a very great proportion of them are certainly good 
 marksmen, and they perform the different evolutions 
 with a velocity and precision seldom excelled." But 
 the solicitude of the general and troops for orders to 
 advance, was not gratified. The American govern- 
 ment was extremely desirous of peace, and Gen. Knox, 
 secretary of war, in a letter to Gen. Wayne, dated 
 January 5, 1793, says : — " The sentiments of the citi- 
 zens of the United States, are adverse, in the extreme, 
 to an Indian war." Intimation having been given by 
 the Indians of a disposition to treat, a commission, in 
 the highest degree respectable, was appointed to meet 
 them, consisting of Gen. Lincoln, Col. Pickering, and 
 Beverly Randolph, Esq., of Virginia. While the ne- 
 gotiations were pending, the secretary of war, in a let- 
 ter to Wayne, thus expresses himself: — "It will here- 
 after be still more and more necessary, even than the 
 past summer, that 7io offensive operations be under- 
 taken against the Indians." Col. Hull, of Massachu- 
 setts, was despatched early in the season to Niagara, 
 to purchase provisions, and to make the necessary ar- 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 179 
 
 rangements for holding the treaty. The commission- 
 ers, agreeably to their instructions, repaired to the place 
 appointed to meet the Indians. On the 20th of April, 
 1793, the secretary of war writes to Gen. Wayne : — 
 *' The president has directed me to communicate to you 
 the following general ideas : 
 
 " That all possible caution and vigilance, agreeably 
 to my letter of the 13th, be observed, to prevent the 
 irruption of any parties of whites towards the Indian 
 country during the continuance of the treaty, and until 
 further permission from you. 
 
 " That the commissioners are instructed to use 
 every exertion to bring the treaty to a close, on or be- 
 fore the first of August next, so that, in case of an un- 
 successful issue, you may have time to carry on your 
 operations. 
 
 " That in case of a successful treaty, the commission- 
 ers will inform you directly thereof — but that in case 
 of an unsuccessful issue, they are directed to send you 
 a letter, with many copies thereof, signed by them- 
 selves, of the following form : 
 
 " We were at Sandusky days. Although we 
 
 did not effect a peace, yet we hope that good may 
 hereafter arise from the mission." 
 
 Autograph signatures of the respective commission- 
 ers were also sent, to prevent imposition. 
 
 Thus restrained from active operations, Wayne de- 
 voted himself to perfecting the preparations necessary, 
 if the negotiations should not, as he was fully persua- 
 ded they would not, eventuate in peace. The troops 
 were manoeuvred and disciplined. Arrangements were 
 adopted for bringing into service an auxiliary aid of 
 mounted volunteers from Kentucky. Vigorous exer- 
 tions were made to insure a full supply of provisions, 
 especially at the head of the line ; for the command- 
 
180 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 ing general was fully impressed with the importance 
 of placing the army not only beyond the reach, but be- 
 yond the apprehension of want. It is scarcely pos- 
 sible to conceive the difficulties encountered in effect- 
 ing this indispensable object. '^ So inadequate were the 
 contractors' supplies to accortiplish the wishes of the 
 commander-in-chief, that additional and effectual means 
 were promptly adopted to effect the purpose. In truth, 
 from the moment of his taking the command, from the 
 want of experienced officers in several departments, it 
 became necessary for him to attend to them much in 
 detail. By the organization of the legion he was en- 
 titled to the aid of four brigadier-generals ; whereas he 
 had but one during the greater period of his campaigns, 
 and at no time more than two, one of whom was his 
 gallant and distinguished friend Gen. Thomas Posey. 
 His vigilant eye, however, let nothing pass without the 
 closest inspection ; and his untiring industry and de- 
 votion were repaid by the order and perfection intro- 
 duced into every department of the army. An exten- 
 sive correspondence devolved upon the general, which 
 was kept up with scrupulous regularity ; and the let- 
 ters written in the hurry of business and in the bustle 
 of a camp, when exposed to the most critical inspec- 
 tion, display extraordinary clearness of mind and fe- 
 licity of expression, strength and soundness of judg- 
 ment, and admirable knowledge of the duties of his 
 profession, of human nature, of the people of the fron- 
 tiers whom he was to defend, and of the foes he was 
 commissioned to subdue. In the extraordinary situa- 
 tion of the world, the conduct of France, Great Bri- 
 tain, and Spain, frequently influencing events in which 
 the army were concerned, called for his animadver- 
 sions, and they will uniformly be found to be those of 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 181 
 
 a statesman of enlarged, liberal, and correct views, 
 breathing throughout the purest patriotism. 
 
 As had been foreseen by Wayne, the negotiations 
 failed of their object; the Indians haughtily and pe- 
 remptorily insisting upon the Ohio to be established as 
 the boundary, on which terms alone they would con- 
 descend to grant peace to the United States. But one 
 course was left. In a letter from Gen. Knox, secre- 
 tary of war, dated Sept. 3, 1793, he says : — " The In- 
 dians have refused to treat. The enclosed has just 
 been received from the commissioners." The secretary 
 proceeds to say : " You are now to judge whether your 
 force will be adequate to make these audacious savages 
 feel our superiority in arms. Every offer has been 
 made to obtain peace by milder terms than the sword ; 
 the efforts have failed, under circumstances which leave 
 nothing for us to expect but war. Let it therefore be 
 again, and for the last time, impressed deeply on your 
 mind, that as little as possible is to be hazarded ; that 
 your force be fully adequate to the object you purpose 
 to effect ; and that a defeat at the present time, and 
 under present circumstances, would be pernicious in 
 the highest degree to the interests of our country. 
 
 " Your arrangements having been prepared for this 
 event, if no unforeseen circumstances should occur to 
 prevent your proceeding, nothing further remains but 
 to commit you, and the troops employed under you, to 
 the protection of the Supreme Being — hoping you and 
 they will have all possible success in the measures 
 you may be about to take, to prevent the murder of 
 helpless women and children." 
 
 Gen. Wayne had previously been informed of the rup- 
 ture of the negotiations, and had taken the most prompt 
 measures to advance into the Indian country. Con- 
 formably to full authority reposed in him, he called for 
 
182 LIFE OF ANTHONV WAYNE. 
 
 one thousand mounted men from Kentucky ; and in a 
 letter dated Head Quarters, Hobson's Choice, near Fort 
 Washington, 5th October, 1793, to the secretary of war, 
 he says : — " I will advance to-morrow, with the force 
 I have, in order to take up a position about six miles 
 in front of Fort Jefferson, so as to keep the enemy in 
 check, by exciting a jealousy and apprehension for the. 
 safety of their women and children, until some favor- 
 able circumstance or opportunity may present, to strike 
 with effect. 
 
 " I pray you not to permit present appearances to 
 cause too much anxiety either in the mind of the Pre- 
 sident or yourself, on account of this army. Knowing 
 the critical situation of our infant nation, and feeling 
 for the honor and reputation of government, (which I 
 will support with my latest breath,) you may rest as- 
 sured that I will not commit the legion unnecessarily ; 
 and unless more powerfully supported than I have 
 reason to expect, I will content myself by taking a 
 strong position in advance of Fort Jefferson, and, by 
 exerting every power, endeavor to protect the frontier, 
 and to secure the posts and army during the winter, or 
 until I am favored with your further orders." 
 
 In the autumn, while at Hobson's Choice, the troops 
 had not only been visited by fevers usual to the season, 
 but the influenza passed through the camp, affecting 
 almost every man, (some severely,) although there 
 were from that disease but few deaths. The small-pox 
 also made its appearance, and tended, in some degree, 
 to diminish his strength. Although the legion, when 
 complete, should have contained 5,120 men, the actual 
 effective force that marched into the wilderness, did 
 not exceed half that number. 
 
 On the 7th October, the army marched from Hob- 
 son's Choice, and, on the 13th, took up a position six 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 183 
 
 miles in advance of Fort Jefferson, and eighty from Fort 
 Washington, on the south-west branch of the Miami. 
 A council of officers being called, it was resolved to 
 fortify the post in the most perfect manner, rendering 
 it impregnable to savage force. Wayne gave it the 
 name of Greene ville, as a mark of respect to his revo- 
 lutionary friend and companion in arms, the deceased 
 Maj. Gen. Greene.* In a letter to the secretary of 
 war, dated from this camp, 23d October, 1793, the 
 general gives an account of an attack on the 17th, upon 
 one of his convoys of provisions, under Lieutenant 
 Lowrey and Ensign Boyd, consisting of ninety men. 
 " These two gallant young gendemen, who promised, 
 at a future day, to be ornaments to their profession, to- 
 gether with thirteen men, non-commissioned officers 
 and privates, bravely fell, after an obstinate resistance 
 against superior numbers, being abandoned by the 
 greater part of the escort upon the first discharge." 
 Such were the terrors the Indians had inspired. In the 
 meantime Gen. Scott, with a party of mounted men, 
 arrived ; but the season was too far advanced, and the 
 force assembled too inadequate to enter upon decisive 
 active operations ; from which prudence effectually dis- 
 suaded, and they were permitted to return home. 
 
 In a letter of Wayne, dated December 4th, he re- 
 marks : — " It is now turned of three months since I have 
 been honored with a single line, or any commands from 
 you ;" which circumstance, probably, as clearly as any 
 other, will show how far into the wilderness, and be- 
 yond the line of ordinary communication, the army 
 was then advanced. On the 23d December, Wayne 
 despatched Maj. Burbeck, with eight companies of foot 
 and a detachment of artillery, with orders to possess 
 
 * Gen. Greene died June 19th, 1786. 
 
184 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 the field of action of the 4th November, 1791, and 
 there to fortify. To this post was given the name of 
 Fort Recovery. 
 
 For the purpose of encouraging the troops who were 
 ordered on this service, as well as for that of superin- 
 tending the contemplated works, Wayne personally ad- 
 vanced to the same point, with a small reinforcement 
 of mounted infantry, accompanied by the officers men- 
 tioned in the following extract from general orders, 
 which gives a brief account of the proceedings on the 
 above mentioned interesting subject: 
 
 " The commander-in-chief returns his most grateful 
 thanks to Major Henry Burbeck, and to every officer, 
 non-commissioned officer, and private, belonging to the 
 detachment under his command, for their soldierly and 
 exemplary good conduct during their late arduous tour 
 of duty, and the cheerfulness with which they sur- 
 mounted every difficulty at this inclement season, 
 in repossessing General St. Clair's field of battle, and 
 erecting thereon Fort Recovery — a work impregnable 
 by savage force ; as also, for piously and carefully col- 
 lecting and interring the bones, and paying the last re- 
 spect and military honors to the remains of the heroes 
 who fell on the 4th of November, 1791, by three 
 times three discharges, from the saine artillery that was 
 lost on that fatal day, but now recovered by this de- 
 tachment of the legion. 
 
 " The commander-in-chief also requests Major Mills, 
 Captains De Butts and Butler, Lieutenant Harrison, 
 and Dr. Scott, to accept of his best thanks for their 
 voluntary aid and services upon this occasion.'' 
 
 More anxious to produce delay, and perhaps, by 
 their flags, to reconnoiter his position with safety, than 
 sincerely desirous of peace, the Indians, immediately 
 after the erection of Fort Recovery, sent a pacific mes- 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 185 
 
 sage to Wayne, and proposed that negotiations for a 
 treaty should be opened, for the adjustment of all dif- 
 ficulties that existed. Being fully empowered by his 
 government upon the subject, and knowing the earnest 
 desire of the administration and people, that the con- 
 test should be brought to a close, Wayne, although he 
 had no faith in their honesty of purpose, but regarded 
 the proposal as a stratagem to further their hostile de- 
 signs, did not feel himself warranted to decline the 
 overture. Determined, however, not to be the victim 
 of their wiles, he met their advance with declarations 
 of satisfaction ; professed his entire readiness to make 
 peace on terms that should be mutually just ; and only 
 required, on their part, the release of the captives in 
 their possession, as a proof of their sincerity. The 
 flag departed, being allowed thirty days to return with 
 the final answer of their chiefs. At this period. Big 
 Tree, a Seneca warrior of eminence, who was with 
 the army, having attached himself to the American 
 cause, committed suicide at Fort Greeneville. " I have 
 lost," said he, " a very dear friend — the friend of my 
 heart — General Richard Butler." He had sworn to 
 sacrifice three enemies to the manes of his departed 
 friend. Exasperated at the thought of peace, he put an 
 end to his existence. 
 
 Upon the approach of spring, affairs assumed an 
 aspect in the highest degree interesting, and called for 
 the full exercise of the vigilance and wisdom of the 
 commander of the army. Officially notified of a com- 
 bination of persons on the Ohio, with a design to in- 
 vade the territories of Spain, to his discretion was com- 
 mitted the authority to arrest the persons concerned, 
 and to prevent its accomplishment. Prompt measures 
 were taken to garrison Fort Massac, thirty-eight miles 
 above the mouth of the Ohio. Having learned that 
 
186 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 Gayaso, the Spanish governor of Louisiana, had 
 crossed the Mississippi, invaded the United States' 
 territory, and fortified a position at the Chickasaw 
 Bluffs, Wayne forthwith despatched a messenger, with 
 a letter, demanding to know by what authority the 
 governor had taken a step so hostile and extraordinary. 
 The conduct and letter of Wayne received from the 
 government expressions of entire approbation. The 
 spoliations upon American commerce, and the gene- 
 rally hostile spirit of the measures of Great Britain, 
 gave strong reasons to fear a war with that nation. The 
 speech of Lord Dorchester to the Indians, the refusal 
 to deliver up the posts, and other unequivocal indica- 
 tions, left no room to doubt but the Indians were stimu- 
 lated to hostilities by the British authorities in Canada ; 
 and a British garrison having been advanced, and fortifi- 
 ed itself within the territory of the United States, at the 
 rapids of the Miami, rendered it probable that the 
 savages would be sustained, in case of a battle, by 
 veteran battalions of their white allies. 
 
 Thus surrounded with difiiculties and dangers, placed 
 in circumstances delicate as they were new and embar- 
 rassing, Wayne rose in proportion to the pressure, and 
 showed that his abilities were equal to the emergency. 
 To sustain and cheer him at this trying moment, a 
 communication from the secretary of war, under date 
 of the 31st March, brought him the explicit approba- 
 tion of the President. Speaking of his " taking post 
 at the batde field of the 4th of November, 1791," and 
 " the manner in which he treated the overtures of the 
 hostile Indians," — of the first, it was declared to be 
 ''highly satisfactory''^ — the last, "exceeding proper ;" 
 and the secretary proceeds to say : — " It is with great 
 pleasure, sir, that I transmit to you the approbation of 
 the President of the United States, of your conduct 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 187 
 
 generally, since you have had the command, and more 
 particularly for the judicious and military formation and 
 discipline of the troops ; the precautions you appear to 
 have taken in your advance, in your fortified camp, 
 and in your arrangement to have full and abundant sup- 
 plies of provisions on hand. Continue, sir, to proceed 
 in this manner, and your success will be certain.*' 
 
 In a subsequent letter, Wayne is authorized, should 
 he deem it proper, to take the British fort on the rapids 
 of the Miami. " If, therefore," said Secretary Knox, 
 " in the course of your operations against the Indian 
 enemy, it should become necessary to dislodge the 
 party at the rapids of the Miami, you are hereby au- 
 thorized, in the name of the President of the United 
 States, to do it." To the discretion of Wayne was, 
 therefore, confided, not only the sole conduct of the In- 
 dian war, but the authority to take a step which must 
 certainly have involved the nation in war with Great 
 Britain. How far these high discretionary powers 
 were wisely reposed, let the issue determine. 
 
 In consequence of authority vested in him, the In- 
 dians having failed to enter into negotiations for peace, 
 and the time for active operations having come, VVayne 
 had called upon the governor of Kentucky for 2000 
 mounted volunteers. 
 
 On the morning of the 30th of June, an escort, con- 
 sisting of ninety riflemen and fifty dragoons, command- 
 ed by Maj. M'Mahon, was attacked by a numerous 
 body of Indians, under the walls of Fort Recovery, fol- 
 lowed by a general assault upon that fort. The ene- 
 my, driven back by a deadly fire, renewed the attack 
 with great spirit, but were finally repulsed, with heavy 
 loss. During the night, the savages were employed in 
 carrying oflf their dead and wounded, but several were 
 found the next morning, close under the guns of the 
 
188 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 fort. Circumstances existed, amounting nearly to posi- 
 tive proof, to show that the Indians were aided by a 
 considerable auxiliary British force. The loss of the 
 enemy could not be ascertained ; but as their number 
 was upwards of 1500, and for some time exposed to 
 the cannon of the fort, as well as rifles and musketry, 
 it must have been considerable. The American loss 
 was twenty-five killed and forty wounded. Among 
 those gallant oflEicers who fell, " were Major M'Mahon, 
 Captain Hartshorne, and Lieutenant Craig, of the rifle 
 corps, and Cornet Torney, of the cavalry ; among the 
 wounded, the intrepid Captain Taylor, of the dragoons 
 and Lieutenant Drake, of the infantry." Wayne ex- 
 pressed himself in high terms of praise of the bravery 
 and good conduct displayed by both officers and men ; 
 acknowledging particular obligation to Captain Alex- 
 der Gibson, who commanded the fort. Thus, on the 
 very ground which was the scene of their proudest 
 victory, the Indians were taught, under the auspices of 
 a new commander, to know the superiority of the 
 American arms. 
 
 It was past the middle of July before the mounted 
 volunteers from Kentucky, under Maj. Gen. Scott, ar- 
 rived at Greeneville. Every preparation which pru- 
 dence could devise and skill execute, having now been 
 completed, and the anxiously looked for aid having join- 
 ed the army, Wayne moved with his main force, and on 
 the 8th of August took up a position about seventy 
 miles in advance of Greeneville, at Grand Glaize, in the 
 very heart of the Indian settlements. So unexpected 
 and rapid was the movement upon this point, that, but 
 for the treachery and desertion of a soldier, the enemy 
 must have suflfered a complete surprise. Wayne hav- 
 ing made such demonstrations as led the Indians to be- 
 lieve the villages on the Miami, forty-eight miles W. 
 
 II 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 189 
 
 S. W. of Grand Glaize, would be the object of attack, 
 entering at once the part of their settlements lying un- 
 der the protection of the garrison of a British fort, was 
 a step equally bold and prudent. " Thus, sir," says 
 Wayne, in his letter of August 1 4th, to Gen. Knox, 
 " we have gained possession of the grand emporium of 
 the hostile Indians in the west, without loss of blood. 
 The very extensive and highly cultivated fields and 
 gardens, show the work of many hands. The margins 
 of those beautiful rivers, the Miamis of the Lake and 
 Au Glaize, appear like one continued village for a num- 
 ber of miles above and below this place ; nor have I 
 ever before beheld such immense fields of corn in any 
 part of America, from Canada to Florida." 
 
 Himself a scientific and practical engineer, Wayne 
 immediately erected a strong fortification at the con- 
 fluence of the Au Glaize and the Miami, to which he 
 gave the name of Fort Defiance. Though now pre- 
 pared to strike a decisive blow, yet always actuated by 
 principles of humanity, the commander of the army, 
 generous as brave, averted the stroke, to make one more 
 and last effort ro restore tranquillity without the further 
 effusion of blood. "I have thought proper," he said, 
 " to offer the enemy a last overture of peace ; and as 
 they have every thing that is dear and interesting at 
 stake, I have reason to expect they will listen to the 
 proposition mentioned in the enclosed copy of an ad- 
 dress, despatched yesterday by a special flag, under 
 circumstances that will insure his safe return, and 
 which may eventually spare the effusion of much hu- 
 man blood. But," he adds, " should war be their 
 choice, that blood be upon their own heads. America 
 shall no longer be insulted with impunity. To an all- 
 powerful and just God, I therefore commit myself and 
 gallant army." 
 
190 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 Stimulated by their British allies, confidently relying 
 on their fortunes, their prowess, and their friends, they 
 resolved to abide the issue of an engagement, and re- 
 jected the proposed offer. 
 
 That engagement almost immediately followed ; and 
 as no pen can describe it so correctly as the command- 
 ing general himself, we copy his letter to the secretary 
 of war entire. 
 
 " Head Quarters, 
 " Grand Glaize, 2Sth August, 1794. 
 
 " Sir — It is with infinite pleasure that I now an- 
 nounce to you the brilliant success of the Federal army 
 under my command, in a general action with the com- 
 bined force of the hostile Indians, and a considerable 
 number of the volunteers and militia of Detroit, on the 
 20th instant, on the banks of the Miamis, in the vici- 
 nity of the British post and garrison, at the foot of the 
 rapids. 
 
 "The army advanced from this place on the 15th 
 instant, and arrived at Roche de Bout on the 18th ; the 
 19th we were employed in making a temporary post 
 for the reception of our stores and baggage, and in re- 
 connoitering the position of the enemy, who were en- 
 camped behind a thick bushy wood and the British fort. 
 
 " At 8 o'clock, on the morning of the 20th, the army 
 again advanced in columns, agreeably to the standing 
 order of march ; the legion on the right flank, covered 
 by the Miamis,— one brigade of mounted volunteers on 
 the left, under Brigadier-General Todd, and the other 
 in the rear, under Brigadier-General Barbee : — a select 
 battalion of mounted volunteers moved in front of the 
 legion, commanded by Major Price, who was directed 
 to keep suflSciently advanced — so as to give timely no- 
 tice for the troops to form, in case of action — it being 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 191 
 
 yet undetermined whether the Indians would decide 
 for peace or war. After advancing about five miles, 
 Major Price's corps received so severe a fire from the 
 enemy, who were secreted in the woods, and high 
 grass, as to compel them to retreat. 
 
 " The legion was immediately formed in two lines, 
 principally in a close, thick wood, which extended for 
 miles on our left ; and for a very considerable distance 
 in front, the ground being covered with old fallen tim- 
 ber, probably occasioned by a tornado, which rendered 
 it impracticable for the cavalry to act with effect ; and 
 afforded the enemy the most favorable covert for their 
 savage mode of warfare : they were formed in three 
 lines, within supporting distance of each other, and ex- 
 tending near two miles, at right angles with the river. 
 
 " I soon discovered, from the weight of the fire, and 
 extent of their lines, that the enemy were in full force 
 in front, in possession of their favorite ground, and en- 
 deavoring to turn our left flank. I therefore gave or- 
 ders for the second line to advance, to support the first, 
 and directed Major-General Scott to gain and turn the 
 right flank of the savages, with the whole of the mount- 
 ed volunteers, by a circuitous route : at the same time 
 I ordered the front line to advance with trailed arms, 
 and rouse the Indians from their coverts, at the point 
 of the bayonet ; and, when up, to deliver a close and 
 well directed fire on their backs, followed by a brisk 
 charge, so as not to give time to load again. I also or- 
 dered Captain Miss Campbell, who commanded the 
 legionary cavalry, to turn the left flank of the enemy 
 next the river, and which afforded a favorable field for 
 that corps to act in. 
 
 " All those orders were obeyed with spirit and 
 promptitude ; but such was the impetuosity of the 
 charge by the first line of infantry, that the Indians and 
 
192 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 Canadian militia and volunteers were driven from all 
 their coverts in so short a time, that although every ex- 
 ertion was used by the officers of the second line of 
 the legion, and by Generals Scott, Todd, and Barbee, 
 of the mounted volunteers, to gain their proper posi- 
 tions, yet but a part of each could get up in season to 
 participate in the action ; the enemy being driven, in 
 the course of one hour, more than two miles, through 
 the thick woods already mentioned, by less than one- 
 half their numbers. 
 
 " From every account, the enemy amounted to 2000 
 combatants ; the troops actually engaged against them, 
 were short of 900. This horde of savages, with their 
 allies, abandoned themselves to flight, and dispersed 
 with terror and dismay ; leaving our victorious army 
 in full and quiet possession of the field of battle, which 
 terminated under the influence of the guns of the British 
 garrison, as you will observe by the enclosed corres- 
 pondence between Major Campbell, the commandant, 
 and myself, upon the occasion. 
 
 " The bravery and conduct of every officer belong- 
 ing to the army, from the generals down to the ensigns, 
 merit my highest approbation. There were, however, 
 some whose rank and situation placed their conduct in 
 a very conspicuous point of view, and which I ob- 
 served with pleasure and the most lively gratitude : 
 among whom I must beg leave to mention Brigadier- 
 General Wilkinson and Colonel Hamtramck, the com- 
 mandants of the right and left wings of the legion, 
 whose brave example inspired the troops ; to these, I 
 must add the names of my faithful and gallant aids-de- 
 camp. Captains De Butts and T. Lewis, and Lieute- 
 nant Harrison, who, with the Adjutant-General, Major 
 Mills, rendered the most essential service by commu- 
 nicating my orders in every direction, and by their con- 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 195 
 
 duct and bravery exciting the troops to press for vic- 
 tory. Lieutenant Covington, upon whom the com- 
 mand of the cavalry now devolved, cut down two sa- 
 vages with his own hand, and Lieutenant Webb one, 
 in turning the enemy's left flank. 
 
 "The wounds received by Captains Slough and 
 Prior, and Lieutenants Campbell, Smith, (an extra aid- 
 de-camp to General Wilkinson,) of the legionary in- 
 fantry, and Captain Van Rensellaer, of the dragoons, 
 and Captain Rawlins, Lieutenant M'Kenney, and En- 
 sign Duncan, of the mounted volunteers, bear honora- 
 ble testimony of their bravery and conduct. 
 
 " Captains H. Lewis and Brock, with their compa- 
 nies of light infantry, had to sustain an unequal fire for 
 some time, which they supported with fortitude. In 
 fact, every ofiicer and soldier who had an opportunity 
 to come into action, displayed that true bravery which 
 will always insure success. 
 
 " And here permit me to declare, that I never dis- 
 covered more true spirit and anxiety for action, than 
 appeared to pervade the whole of the mounted volun- 
 teers ; and I am well persuaded that had the enemy 
 maintained their favorite ground but for one half hour 
 longer, they would have most severely felt the prowess 
 of that corps. 
 
 " But whilst I pay this just tribute to the living, I 
 must not forget the gallant dead ; among whom we 
 have to lament the early death of those worthy and 
 brave officers. Captain Miss Campbell, of the dragoons, 
 and Lieutenant Towles, of the light infantry of the le- 
 igion, who fell in the first charge. 
 
 " Enclosed is a particular return of the killed and 
 
 fwounded. The loss of the enemy was more than 
 
 (double that of the Federal army. The woods were 
 
 strewed, for a considerable distance, with the dead 
 
 17 
 
196 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 bodies of Indians and their white auxiliaries ; the lat- 
 ter armed with British muskets and bayonets. 
 
 " We remained three days and nights on the banks 
 of the Miamis, in front of the field of battle ; during 
 which time all the houses and corn-fields were con- 
 sumed and destroyed for a considerable distance, both 
 above and below Fort Miamis, as well as within pistol- 
 shot of that garrison, who were compelled to remain 
 tacit spectators of this general devastation and confla- 
 gration ; among which were the houses, stores, and 
 property of Colonel M'Kee, the British Indian agent, 
 and principal stimulator of the war now existing be- 
 tween the United States and the savages. 
 
 " The army returned to this place on the 27th, by 
 easy marches, laying waste the villages and corn-fields 
 for about fifty miles on each side of the Miamis. 
 There remains yet a number of villages, and a great 
 quantity of corn, to be consumed or destroyed upon 
 Au Glaize and the Miamis, above this place, which will 
 be effected in the course of a few days. In the interim, 
 we shall improve Fort Defiance, and as soon as the 
 escort returns with the necessary supplies from Greene- 
 ville and Fort Recovery, the army will proceed to the 
 Miami villages, in order to accomplish the object of 
 the campaign. 
 
 " It is, however, not improbable that the enemy may - 
 make one more desperate effort against the army, as 
 it is said that a reinforcement was hourly expected 
 at Fort Miamis, from Niagara, as well as numerous 
 tribes of Indians living on the margins and islands of 
 the lakes. This is a business rather to be wished for 
 than dreaded, whilst the army remains in force. Their 
 numbers will only tend to confuse the savages, and the 
 victory will be the more complete and decisive, and 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 197 
 
 which may eventually insure a permanent and happy 
 peace. 
 
 " Under these impressions, I have the honor to be 
 your most obedient and very humble servant, 
 
 "Anthony Wayne. 
 
 "TTie Hon. Major General Knox, 
 " Secretary of War.''' 
 
 " N. B. I had forgot to mention that I met my flag 
 on the 16th, who was returning with an evasive answer, 
 in order to gain time for the arrival of the reinforce- 
 ment mentioned by the Shawanee Indians, which ac- 
 tually did arrive two days before the action." 
 
 In this decisive action, the whole loss of Wayne's 
 army, in killed and wounded, amounted only to one 
 hundred and seven men. The loss of the enemy was 
 more than double that number. 
 
 A spirited correspondence took place between Wayne 
 and Col. Campbell, who commanded the British fort. 
 The position was carefully reconnoitered within pistol- 
 shot distance, not, perhaps, without a latent wish that 
 such provocation should be given as would justify to 
 the whole world its capture. But the victory of the 
 20th had satisfied the commander that the most pru- 
 dent forbearance would alone insure his safety ; and 
 that cool and deliberate policy of the American gene- 
 ral, which invariably guided . his conduct, induced him 
 on the occasion to repress the ardor of his men, and, 
 indeed, to subdue his own feelings. He therefore con- 
 tented himself with destroying the savage's property, 
 under the very guns of the fort, so as to show them 
 that they could repose no confidence in the protecting 
 power of the British flag. 
 
 After efiectually strengthening Fort Defiance, the 
 army took up its line of march on the 14th Septem- 
 
198 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 ber, and, on the 17th, arrived at the Miami villages ; 
 from whence, having fully accomplished the object of 
 his expedition, the general returned to winter quarters 
 at Greeneville. 
 
 The victory of the 20th of August, so glorious to 
 the American arms, and the subsequent movement of 
 the army, produced the most decisive effects. The lofty 
 spirit of the Indian warriors was subdued. They were 
 taught that no just reliance could be placed on British 
 protection ; and the superior power of the American 
 nation was made so manifest, that the chiefs and war- 
 riors came forward and sued for peace. 
 
 Preliminary articles were entered into on the 1st of 
 January, 1795, ' and hostages were left with Gen. 
 Wayne, for the safe delivery of prisoners in posses- 
 sion of the Indians. Nor was it on the north-western 
 frontier alone that the victory produced important re- 
 sults. The voice of faction, which had risen to such 
 a height as to imbitter the life of Washington, was for 
 a season hushed. The general administration felt it- 
 self strengthened by the redeeming influence of suc- 
 cess, wiping away the stain that repeated defeat had 
 thrown on the American arms. The flame of war 
 which was kindling both among the Six Nations and 
 the southern tribes bordering on Georgia, was extin- 
 guished ; while the near prospect of a happy termina- 
 tion of all the difficulties in the north-west, stimulated 
 the lukewarm and increased the zeal of the active 
 friends of government. The news rapidly crossed the 
 Atlantic, and proved most eflJectual aid to Mr. Jay, in 
 bringing the negotiation with the British government, 
 with which he was charged, to a fortunate conclusion. 
 On the 20th of August, the victory was gained ; and 
 on the 19th of November, ninety days, (just time for 
 the information to reach London and produce its full 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 199 
 
 impression,) the treaty was signed by Mr. Jay and 
 Lord Grenville. Thus the fruits were as happy as 
 the achievement was glorious. 
 
 A commission was forthwith issued by the Presi- 
 dent, appointing Gen. Wayne sole commissioner, with 
 full powers to negotiate and conclude a treaty with all 
 the Indians north and west of the Ohio. 
 
 In the negotiation with the various tribes, whose 
 jealousies and passions were constantly excited by 
 emissaries from the British, who did not wish peace 
 to be concluded with their savage friends until the 
 treaty with Great Britain should be finally ratified, 
 Wayne displayed the consummate wisdom and pru- 
 dence of the statesman. Open, frank, and undissem- 
 bling, he treated the chiefs and warriors with confi- 
 dence and courtesy ; explained to them, in the plainest 
 manner, the just views of the government ; and im- 
 pressed upon their minds the truth, that the United 
 States, while they were fully prepared for war, yet 
 earnestly desired peace with them on equitable terms. 
 By this manly and direct course he gained their con- 
 fidence, and turned it to the best interest of his country, 
 (for he did not abuse it,) and, at the close of the nego- 
 tiation, those proud and fierce sons of the forest che- 
 rished a respect for the American commissioner in 
 council, as sincere as the dread they entertained of the 
 general in the field. 
 
 After a protracted negotiation, the definitive articles 
 of peace were exchanged on the 7th of August, 1795, 
 and the Indians returned to their homes, their aflfections 
 won by the moderation and fairness with which they 
 were treated. A restoration of prisoners took place, 
 and many were the scenes of touching interest pre- 
 sented on the return of sons and daughters to their 
 17* 
 
200 LIFE OF ANTHONiT WAYNE. 
 
 friends, to whom they were given up after a long and 
 hopeless captivity, as victims snatched from the grave. 
 
 The treaty met the entire approbation and prompt 
 ratification of the government ; a treaty which not only 
 secured a long and uninterrupted peace to the western 
 inhabitants, but, by fair and honorable negotiation and 
 purchase, procured a cessation of territory to the Uni- 
 ted States, now estimated at millions. 
 
 As the tidings of the victory of Wayne flew from 
 tow^n to town, and from city to city, they awakened a 
 thrill of inexpressible joy, that told how much more 
 had been accomplished than the most sanguine had 
 dared to expect. Congress, at its meeting, adopted re- 
 solutions unanimously, in the highest degree compli- 
 mentary to Gen. Wayne and his gallant army ; and 
 President Washington again conveyed to him the ex- 
 pression of his warmest approbation and esteem. The 
 confidence of the executive in his wisdom, prudence, 
 and discretion, were unbounded ; and there is reason 
 to suppose that it was contemplated to intrust to his 
 charge the department of war. 
 
 Peace being proclaimed, Wayne, after three years 
 and a half of painful and unremitting service, left the 
 army to visit his family and friends. At every place 
 on his way, he was met by distinguished marks of re- 
 spect ; and his entry into Philadelphia was more grati- 
 fying than a Roman triumph. It was on the 6th of 
 February, 1796. All business was suspended. He 
 was met on his way by the military companies of the 
 city, and passed through the streets amid the ringing 
 of bells, the animating sounds of martial music, and 
 the still dearer heart- felt acclamations of joy and wel- 
 come of a grateful and admiring people.* 
 
 • « On Saturday last, [Feb. 6,] about 5 o'clock in the after- 
 noon, arrived in this city, after an absence of more than three 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 203 
 
 But, during his absence, in the course of the winter, 
 new and dark clouds had been gathering in the west. 
 Party excitement against the British treaty, and espe- 
 cially the strenuous opposition in Congress to making 
 appropriations to carry it into effect, led to the belief 
 that war would yet ensue ; and Canadian emissaries 
 had renewed their machinations to poison the minds 
 of the Indians, and prepare them for hostilities. Other 
 causes of alarm existed in the western country, grow- 
 ing out of the proceedings of the Spanish governor of 
 Louisiana, who had despatched some persons up the 
 Ohio under very suspicious circumstances. 
 
 By the treaty, the British posts at Detroit, Michili- 
 mackinack, Oswego, and Niagara, were immediately 
 to be given up to the United States, and a commis- 
 sioner, in whom the government had full confidence, 
 was deemed necessary to receive them. 
 
 Under these circumstances. Gen. Wayne, charged 
 with extensive discretionary power, returned in June, 
 1796, to the western country. Prompt measures were 
 taken to effect the objects committed to his charge. 
 Some presumed emissaries were arrested, and their 
 views traced. At his approach, the spirit of enmity 
 among the savages entirely disappeared ; they hailed 
 
 years, on an expedition against the western Indians, (in 
 which he proved so happily successful,) Major-General 
 Wayne. Four miles from the city, he was met by three 
 troops of Philadelphia light-horse, and escorted by them to 
 town. On his crossing the Schuylkill, a salute of fifteen 
 cannon was fired from the Centre Square, by a party of artil- 
 lery. He was ushered into the city by the ringing of bells, 
 and other demonstrations of joy, and thousands of citizens 
 crowded to see and welcome the return of their brave gene- 
 ral, whom they attended to the City tavern, where he alighted. 
 In the evening a display of fireworks was exhibited." — Penn- 
 sylvania Gazette, Philadelphia, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 1796. 
 
204 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 his return with the greatest marks of confidence and 
 respect. 
 
 The treaty of peace with Great Britain having been 
 ratified, and appropriation made to carry it into effect, 
 orders had been received to deUver up the posts ; which 
 Wayne, in a letter of September, announced to have 
 received, and corapUments the urbanity and friendly 
 spirit displayed by the British officers and agents whom 
 it was his duty to meet. 
 
 Thus happily terminated the troubles which had so 
 long existed on the north-western frontier ; the effusion 
 of blood was stayed, the murder of women and chil- 
 dren averted, and the foundation of a permanent and 
 lasting peace was laid. Indeed, happier results from 
 the highest bravery and consummate wisdom have 
 been rarely experienced. 
 
 Having put affairs in a proper state to be left, in No- 
 vember, Gen. Wayne sailed from Detroit for Presque 
 Isle, the last post which it was his duty to visit previous 
 to repairing to the seat of government. But Providence 
 did not permit him, his friends and country, that hap- 
 piness. On his passage he was seized (on the 17th 
 November, the day before he landed,) with an attack of 
 the gout, which continued until the 30th, and then 
 seemed to subside ; but, like a subtle enemy that re- 
 tires but to gather strength, it returned with increased 
 force, and made its lodgement in the stomach, from 
 which no skill could expel it ; and, on the 1 5th of De- 
 cember, 1796, he breathed his last, in the full vigor of 
 life, in the noon-tide of glory, and in the midst of use- 
 fulness. 
 
 The patriotism, spirit, and military character of Gen. 
 Wayne are written in every leaf of his country's his- 
 tory from the dawn of the Revolution to the close of 
 his eventful life. If you ask who obeyed the first call 
 
 il 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 205 
 
 of America and urged their way to the Canadian fron- 
 tier at the opening of the war ; do you not find Wayne 
 first upon the battle-ground and the last to retire ? Ask 
 who bore the brunt of the action on the left wing at the 
 battle of Brandywine ? who gallantly led his division 
 to victory on the right wing at the battle of German- 
 town ? who bore the fiercest charge at the battle of 
 Monmouth? who, in the hour of gloom, roused the 
 desponding spirits of the army and nation by the glori- 
 ous storming and capturing of Stony Point? But 
 where was there danger and duty, and it was possible 
 for him to be present, and he was not there ? Virgi- 
 nia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia, were all 
 scenes of his active service, and the latter awarded him 
 special honors. 
 
 During the Revolution, he served his country from 
 the frozen regions of the St. Lawrence to the burning 
 sands of the St. Mary's — possessing the entire confi- 
 dence as well as private friendship of the commander- 
 in-chief. Throughout the greater portion of the war, 
 though holding only the rank and receiving the emolu- 
 ments of a brigadier, he performed the duty, held the 
 command, and incurred the responsibility of a major- 
 general. From his extreme daring at Stony Point, and 
 on every occasion when it was necessary, like Napo- 
 leon at the bridge of Lodi, to put every thing at hazard 
 for his country, an idea was put forth by some who 
 really mistook his character or envied his fame, that 
 courage was his chief and distinguishing attribute. No 
 opinion could be more unjust. We discover that 
 Washington as repeatedly confided on his wisdom in 
 advising, and his prudence in the execution of his plans, 
 as on his valor. In truth, in him the daring and hazard- 
 ous assault or the cautious retreat, avoiding the enemy 
 18 
 
206 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 or meeting him at the bayonet's point, was always the 
 result of high moral duty, and he fashioned his con- 
 duct to the well regulated desire of effecting most for 
 his country, with the means at his command. The 
 idol of his soldiery — if he studied their characters and 
 adapted himself by perfect fearlessness to their predi- 
 lection, we cannot but deem it as an additional proof of 
 his profound knowledge of human nature, and com- 
 mend him for turning it to his country's advantage. A 
 strict disciplinarian, he was firm and decisive in en- 
 forcing obedience, knowing that the safety of the army 
 and the cause itself depended upon subordination and 
 the prompt conformity to orders. But the stem exte- 
 rior of the commander always relaxed, and feelings, 
 humane and tender to an amiable degree were exhibit- 
 ed when the health and comfort of his soldiers were 
 concerned. His letters repeatedly disclose the most 
 pressing instances for necessaries for his men ; provi- 
 sions, clothing, medicines ; and therefore was it that 
 tlieir love for him warmed into the ardor of devotion. 
 
 A gentleman of accomplished and refined manners, 
 no one more delighted to relieve the hardships of war 
 by the courtesies of social intercourse. Much to the 
 injury of his private fortune, he kept a table throughout 
 the greatest portion of the war of the Revolution, which 
 was frequented by respectable strangers who visited the 
 camp, and the intelligent and brave among his compa- 
 nions in arms. In the private walks of life, his virtues 
 were not less conspicuous than his conduct and valor 
 in the field. His letters to Mrs. Wayne and family, 
 kept up the whole time of his absence, breathe the most 
 tender spirit and affectionate heart. 
 
 When a great man, running the race for glory, acts 
 before the public, you do not always read his whole 
 soul, and are not certain that you realize his true cha- 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 207 
 
 racter. In the instance before us, if permission and 
 space were allowed for the publication of the aforesaid 
 letters, it would be truly pleasing to raise the veil and 
 be permitted to enter the domestic sanctuary where, 
 without reserve, the heart is laid open in all the sim- 
 plicity of native character ; and there, the vizor of the 
 warrior taken off, the helmet of the hero laid aside, to 
 find all the amiable traits which adorn the husband, the 
 father, and the friend. Hector, taking leave of Andro- 
 mache, is, if possible, more interesting than in the dire 
 conflict with Patroculus. 
 
 The general, in a letter addressed to his accomplish- 
 ed and amiable daughter, the late Mrs. Margaret Atlee, 
 after speaking of the recent death of her mother in the 
 most affecting manner, adds, " You were both [^mean- 
 ing his only son and daughter] infants when I was first 
 called upon by my country to defend her rights and 
 liberties ; in which hazardous task I spent my prime 
 of life, nor was I sparing of my blood. At the close 
 of the late war, from the vicissitudes of fortune, we 
 were again separated ; and at a period when fortune, 
 tired of her persecution, began to smile upon me, and 
 promised me ease and retirement, I was again called 
 forth to form and lead her legion, which had yet to 
 learn the dreadful trade of death, against a victorious 
 and insulting savage foe. 
 
 " From these causes have we been separated from 
 each other ; and from these causes has an affectionate 
 and an indulgent parent been lost, and almost a stranger 
 to his children and family." 
 
 The camp of Gen. Wayne was a school for young 
 soldiers. The discipline of arms, the courtesy of gen- 
 tlemen, and the prudent conduct of afi'airs, were here 
 acquired and practised ; and Wayne took pleasure in 
 encouraging and advancing merit. The honorable 
 
208 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 William Henry Harrison,* the Hero of Tippecanoe 
 and of the Thames, learned the art of war under Wayne, 
 to whom he was aid in the victory of the Miamis. Ea- 
 ton, who planted the American standard on the walls 
 of a Barbarian capital, in Africa, was a captain in that 
 campaign. Pike and Covington were there, who have 
 evinced their patriotism and spirit by their blood ; as 
 were also Van Rensselaer, Bissel, and many others, 
 who have been since distinguished in life. 
 
 Eaton, who was an observer of men, and an author, 
 has left us the following description and character of 
 his general : 
 
 " He is firm in constitution, as in resolution ; indus- 
 trious, indefatigable, determined and persevering ; fixed 
 in opinion, and unbiassed in judgment ; not over ac- 
 cessible, but studious to reward merit. He is a rock 
 against which the waves of calumny and malice, moved 
 by the gusts of passion natural to envy, have dashed ; 
 have washed its sides : he is still immovable on his base. 
 He is in some degree susceptible of adulation, as is 
 every man who has an honest thirst for military fame. 
 He endures fatigue and hardship with a fortitude uncom- 
 mon for a man of his years. I have seen him, in the 
 most severe night of the winter of 1794, sleep on the 
 ground, like his fellow-soldiers, and walk around the 
 camp at four in the morning, with the vigilance of a 
 sentinel." 
 
 In high party contests, no eminent man who takes a 
 distinguished part in public afllairs, escapes the shafts 
 of calumny — 
 
 " Envy does merit as its shade pursue." 
 
 When Washington was the object of unlicensed at- 
 tack, during the period of his administration, and 
 
 • Late President of the United States ; inaugurated March 
 4th, 1841 ; died April 4th of the same year. 
 
LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 209 
 
 Wayne was commander-in-chief of the army, it would 
 have been no compliment to the latter to have remain- 
 ed free from abuse. But the calumniators, with their 
 calumnies, have gone down to oblivion, while the cha- 
 racter of their intended victim, embalmed with that of 
 Washington, rises in unblemished lustre, on the wings 
 of Time, to immortal fame. 
 
 The remains of Gen. Wayne were temporarily de- 
 posited at Presque Isle, from whence they were re- 
 moved in 1809, by his son, Isaac Wayne, Esq.^ to the 
 cemetery of St. David's church, near Waynesborough 
 farm, which is situated in the county of Chester, Penn- 
 sylvania, the birth-place, and, previously to the Revolu- 
 tionary war, the peaceful and favorite residence of the 
 general. A writer, describing the church of St. David,* 
 which is an old and quaint building, says " As a place 
 of worship, its location is peculiarly happy. But not 
 until you are almost upon it, as you approach it, is the 
 unobtrusive little sanctuary seen, peeping from among 
 the trees which conceal it from view — thus, as it were, 
 shutting out the world and all those cares and objects 
 not in unison with the feeling of holy meditation." The 
 writer further says, " There is, however, in this yard, 
 one at least whose name fills a conspicuous place on 
 the page of his country's history — a monument more 
 durable than brass. The individual alluded to, is the 
 late Major-General Anthony Wayne, whose dust here 
 peacefully reposes with that of his family, teaching the 
 solemn lesson that ' the paths of glory lead but to the 
 grave.' " 
 
 A handsome monument, erected by the Pennsylva- 
 nia State Society of the Cincinnati, his beloved com- 
 panions in arms, attest their affection and his worth. 
 
 * More generally known as Radnor church, founded over 
 a century ago by a colony from Radnorshire in Wales. 
 
210 LIFE OF ANTHONY WAYNE. 
 
 The south front of the Monument exhibits the folio-wing 
 inscription ; / 
 
 In honor of the distinguished ^ t ' 
 
 Military services of « ? </ ^ ' 
 
 Major-General ^'T •/ ^' 
 
 AlTTHONT WaTITE, ^' '( 
 
 And as an affectionate tribute *^' 
 
 Of respect to his memory, P r/"^'^ 
 
 This stone was erected by his "^ ^ 
 Companions in arms, 
 The Pennsylvania State Society of 
 The Cincinnati, 
 July 4th, A. D. 1809, 
 Thirty-fourth anniversary of 
 The Independence of 
 The United States of America ; 
 An event which constitutes 
 The most 
 Appropriate eulogium of an American ^ 
 Soldier and Patriot. 
 
 The north front exhibits the following inscription: 
 
 Major-General 
 
 AwTHoifT Wayne 
 
 Was born at Waynesborough, 
 
 In Chester County, 
 
 State of Pennsylvania, 
 
 A. D. 1745. 
 
 After a life of honor and usefulness, 
 
 He died, in December, 1796, 
 
 At a Military post 
 
 On the shores of Lake Erie, 
 
 Commander-in-chief of the army of 
 
 The United States. 
 
 His military achievements 
 
 Are consecrated 
 
 In the history of his Country, 
 
 And in 
 
 The hearts of his countrymen. 
 
 His remains 
 
 Are here deposited. 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS