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This week's hero is...
Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne was born on January 1, 1745, in the Pennsylvania colony. He grew up training to be a surveyor in the real estate business. Although he quickly excelled in this profession (he helped settle at least 100,000 acres of land in Canada), Wayne eventually found himself answering a call to duty. His answer would be instrumental in securing the future of his country.
When the American Revolution began, Wayne decided to join the Continental Army. He quickly rose to the rank of Brigadier General. He established a reputation as an aggressive and impulsive commander. His aggressive troop movements earned him the nickname, "Mad Anthony". He served with Washington through the New York and New Jersey campaigns and saw combat at Brandywine Creek, Germantown, Paoli, and Monmouth Court House. However, his most impressive feat during the Revolution was a daring night attack he launched in July of 1779.
By this point, the Revolution had been fought to a bitter stalemate. To boost morale among American soldiers, General Washington ordered an assault against a British fortification at Stony Point, New York. Stony Point was a tall rocky outcropping that overlooked the Hudson River. It was surrounded by a swampy terrain of mud and knee-deep water. However, Patriot intelligence revealed that the fort was garrisoned by only 700 British soldiers. Washington decided that the best plan, was to launch a bayonet attack in the dead of night. The man selected to lead this attack was, Mad Anthony Wayne.
With a force of 1,200 light infantry (handpicked from different regiments), Wayne moved into position about a mile from Stony Point. He then ordered all of the Patriots to adorn their hats with white pieces of paper (in order to tell each other apart in the darkness). Wayne that divided his force into three separate columns. What he intended was a three pronged attack on the fort that would divide the British garrison. The element of surprise was crucial. At 11:30 PM on the night of July 15, the Patriots fixed bayonets and began advancing under the cover of darkness.
However, the southern column soon ran into mud that ran up to their waists. Getting through this while cutting their way through the first abatis (defensive obstruction) around Stony Point costed them thirty minutes. During this time the defenders were awakened and began to fire at the advancing Patriots. By now however, all three columns had successfully closed the distance to the fort and they immediately charged.
Due to the thick clouds that blotted out the moonlight, the British found themselves unable to effectively shoot the attackers. In desperation, the British commander (Lt. Col. Henry Johnson) rushed most of the garrison to where the center column was attacking, this left the forts flanks almost completely unguarded. Among the first five Patriots to enter the fort was Pvt. Peter Francisco. After killing three British defenders (despite being stabbed) he ascended the walls and lowered the British flag. He and his four comrades then shouted, "The fort's our own!". Within just 25 minutes, the battle was over and Stony Point was captured.
Epilogue
The American casualties at Stony Point were 15 KIA and 83 wounded (including Anthony Wayne who was shot in the head). The British casualties were 20 KIA, 74 wounded, and more than 500 captured (including Ltc. Johnson). Just two days later however, Washington ordered Stony Point to be abandoned since he doubted that it could be kept from a British counter-attack. Most of the British POWs were later released or exchanged for Patriot POWs. Regardless of this setback, Wayne's successful attack at Stony Point had succeeded in boosting the morale of the Continental Army. The victory inspired thousands of more Americans to enlist in the army and continue fighting for independence.
Anthony Wayne continued to serve in the Continental Army for the rest of the Revolution. He saw combat in several more battles including Washington's final victory at Yorktown. In 1795, Wayne led a successful invasion against a large army of Iroquois, Shawnee, and Huron warriors. In what would become known as the Northwest Indian War, Wayne successfully crushed a force of 1,300 warriors at the battle of Fallen Timbers (present day Maumee, Ohio). He died only a year later on December 15, 1796. Today he is remembered as one of the bravest and most daring generals during the American Revolution. He truly is someone to be held in high regard.
https://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/served/wayne.html
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anthony-Wayne
https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Anthony_Wayne
https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/anthony-wayne/
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