Anthony Wayne

Early life

Wayne was born on January 1, 1745, on his family's 500-acre (200 ha) Waynesborough estate. A member of the landed gentry, he was one of four children born to Isaac Wayne, who had immigrated to Easttown, Pennsylvania, from Ireland, and Elizabeth Iddings Wayne. He was part of a Protestant Anglo-Irish family; his grandfather was a veteran of the Battle of the Boyne, where he fought for the Williamite side.

During his upbringing, Wayne clashed with his father's desires that he become a farmer. As a child, his father served as a captain during the French and Indian War, leaving an impression on Wayne who would mimic stories of battles at the time. He was educated as a surveyor at his uncle's private academy in Philadelphia and at the College of Philadelphia for two years. In 1765, Benjamin Franklin sent him and some associates to work for a year surveying land granted in Nova Scotia, where he surveyed 100,000 acres. He assisted with starting a settlement the following year at The Township of Monckton and was involved with preparing the infrastructure to last through winters.

He married Mary Penrose in 1763, and they had two children. Their daughter, Margretta, was born in 1770, and their son, Isaac Wayne, was born in 1772. Wayne had romantic relationships with other women throughout his life, including Mary Vining, a wealthy woman in Delaware, eventually causing his wife becoming estranged from him. He later became a U.S. representative from Pennsylvania. Wayne was an avid reader and often quoted Caesar and Shakespeare at length while serving in the military.

In 1767, he returned to work in his father's tannery while continuing work as a surveyor. As discontent with the British grew in the Thirteen Colonies, Wayne stepped into the political limelight locally and was elected chairman of the Chester County Committee of Safety and then to the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly.

American Revolution

In 1775, Wayne was nominated to the Pennsylvania Committee of Safety, where he served along with three other Pennsylvania committee members, John Dickinson, Benjamin Franklin, and Robert Morris. Following Parliament's enactment of the Intolerable Acts, Wayne began to support the Patriot cause and by October 1775, his chairman position for the Chester County Committee of Safety was replaced by a Quaker as citizens described him as a "radical", an accusation Wayne denied. On January 3, 1776, Wayne was nominated as colonel of the 4th Pennsylvania Regiment by the Pennsylvania delegation of the Second Continental Congress. The poor supplies and controversies between his regiment and the Pennsylvania assembly would later influence Wayne to support the centralization of government.

American Revolutionary War

Wayne discarded the conventional tactics of line warfare, stating "the only good lines are those nature made", and instead focused on maneuver warfare and strict discipline. He and his regiment were part of the Continental Army's unsuccessful invasion of Quebec where he was sent to aid Benedict Arnold. Wayne commanded a successful rear-guard action at the Battle of Trois-Rivières and then led the forces on Lake Champlain at Fort Ticonderoga and Mount Independence. His service led to his promotion to brigadier general on February 21, 1777. Some historians claim Wayne's nickname "Mad Anthony" came from his military tactics from the Battle of Green Spring in Virginia, which his men barely escaped an outnumbered British force with a bayonet charge. Others claim it was from his quick temper and what historians label "off-color language," specifically during an incident when he severely punished a skilled informant for being drunk.

On September 11, 1777, Wayne commanded the Pennsylvania Line at the Battle of Brandywine, where they held off General Wilhelm von Knyphausen's troops in order to protect the American right flank. The two forces fought for three hours until the American line withdrew and Wayne was ordered to retreat. He was then ordered to harass the British rear in order to slow General William Howe's advance towards Pennsylvania. Wayne's camp was attacked on the night of September 20–21 in the Battle of Paoli. British General Charles Grey had ordered his men to remove their flints and attack with bayonets in order to keep their assault secret. The battle earned Grey the sobriquet of "General Flint", but Wayne's own reputation was tarnished by the significant American losses, and he demanded a formal inquiry in order to clear his name. On October 4, 1777, Wayne again led his forces against Howe's army in the Battle of Germantown. His soldiers pushed ahead of other units, and the British "pushed on with their Bayonets—and took Ample Vengeance" as they retreated according to Wayne's report. Wayne and General John Sullivan advanced too rapidly and became entrapped when they were two miles (3.2 km) ahead of other American units. They retreated as Howe arrived to re-form the British line. Wayne was again ordered to hold off the British and cover the rear of the retreating body.

After winter quarters at Valley Forge, Wayne led the attack at the 1778 Battle of Monmouth, where his forces were abandoned by General Charles Lee and were pinned down by a numerically superior British force. Wayne held out until relieved by reinforcements sent by General George Washington. He then re-formed his troops and continued to fight. The body of British Lt. Colonel Henry Monckton was discovered by the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment, and a legend grew that he had died fighting Wayne. Wayne also set an example for coping with adversity during military operations. In October 1778, Wayne wrote of the brutal cold and lack of appropriate supplies, "During the very severe storm from Christmas to New Year's, whilst our people lay without any cover except their old tents, and when the drifting of snow prevented the green wood from taking fire." Through these tough conditions, Wayne wrote that he sought to keep his soldiers "well and comfortable."

Civilian and political life

Pennsylvania

In 1783, Wayne returned to Pennsylvania and was celebrated as a hero, deciding to enter politics with other conservative friends at the time. Initially a supporter of democracy, Wayne ultimately grew more authoritarian, believing that the United States should be an aristocracy, supporting the idea of a centralized government controlled by the "aristocratick" property owners, that their interests be maintained, and that the United States military would be controlled by the elites. He joined the Federalist Party since he believed he could secure a position among the American elite, aligning himself with the supporters of Washington, and like most federalists, he favored centralization, federalism, modernization, and protectionism. He went on to support Republicanism because Wayne ultimately believed that the United States should have a strong centrally-controlled government, stronger banks, manufacturing, and a standing army and navy.

Eventually Wayne presented himself as a candidate for the Pennsylvania Council of Censors and on election day in October 1783, he gathered troops and approached electoral judges, demanding that they would be allowed to vote. On October 10, 1783, he was promoted to major general. Wayne was elected to serve in the Pennsylvania General Assembly for two years.The Council convened to assess Pennsylvania's governmental operations and ascertain if constitutional reforms were deemed imperative.

Georgia

Wayne, similar to other leaders of the revolutionary period, condoned and participated in owning slaves. He owned enslaved African Americans after the war; he would eventually take over the family farm and tannery business in Chester County. Wayne inherited a 40-year-old male slave named Toby, who was registered in Chester County as a "slave for life." In 1786, he obtained slaves through the confiscated plantations, Richmond and Kew with a total area of 1,134 acres (459 hectares). The 47 slaves were purchased from Adam Tunno, Samuel Potts, and others. He hired a plantation overseer to manage the plantation and direct the actions of his slaves. A record shows 9 boys, 12 girls, 11 women, and 15 men – from Adam Tunno for 3,300 pounds, paying 990 pounds initially and then 2,310 pounds over a five-year period. Wayne also had a personal slave named "Caesar" that he named after his favorite historical figure, Julius Caesar.

The plantations, were confiscated and officially given to Wayne in 1786 along with loans from Dutch bankers for repairs. Wayne quickly fell into debt running the plantations. He is also documented neglecting his business, frequently attending out of state political events, social parties, time with former soldiers, time in Pennsylvania, or traveling. His plantations were ultimately unsuccessful because of neglect and acquiring a large amount of debt. He later begged various acquaintances to assist him with making payments before selling the plantations. His contemporaries criticized him and his overseer for having a "relaxed" hand.

After losing his plantations, Wayne became more political and became a member of the Constitutional Convention. He was a delegate to the state convention that ratified the United States Constitution in 1788 and lost elections to the Senate and the House that same year.

Seeing how Arthur St. Clair served as governor of the Northwest Territory, in 1789, Wayne began a scheme to lead a similar territory he called the "Southern District", saying he would use his position to establish territorial control and combat any existing Native Americans or Spanish. Members of Congress, led by William Maclay, said that the Washington administration manipulated media coverage of hostilities in Georgia, saying it was not as dangerous as newspapers were portraying it to be, resulting with Wayne's plan of controlling a southern territory failing.

Congressman

Following what historian Paul David Nelson called "a campaign marred by horrendous corruption", Wayne was elected into the 2nd United States Congress as a representative of Georgia's 1st congressional district in late 1790. Beginning his brief political career on March 4, 1791, Wayne remained loyal to George Washington while also facing disputes regarding election fraud. While in Congress, Wayne promoted the increased militarization of the United States and warned against future attacks from the British. He supported an act of 5,000 troops entering to secure ceded land in the Northwest Territory.

Wayne's opponent in the election, James Jackson, formally contested the election on November 14, 1791, saying that Wayne's campaign manager, mayor of Savannah Thomas Gibbons, had committed electoral fraud. House investigations found that Gibbons replaced election magistrates with personal friends, that voting lists were falsified with some results having more votes than eligible voters and that Superior Court judge Henry Osborne approved the results while having knowledge of the irregularities. It was also likely that Wayne had knowledge of the electoral fraud being performed in support of his campaign. On March 13, Wayne sent a letter to Washington, asking for assistance with the investigation. After multiple trial delays, a House committee determined on March 16, 1792, that electoral fraud had been committed in the 1790 election, with Gibbons and Osborne being implicated and not Wayne himself. Wayne officially had his congressional seat vacated on March 21, 1792.

A special election was held on July 9, 1792. Wayne attempted to run again, however was disqualified due to failing residency qualifications. John Milledge eventually filled Wayne's vacant seat.

During his time in Georgia, his wife abandoned him after rumors of a relationship between Wayne and General Nathanael Greene's wife Catherine spread. Wayne was at Greene's side when he died from sunstroke in June 1786, having traveled from his nearby plantation. As a civilian, Wayne ultimately found himself bankrupt, abandoned by his wife, and later removed from office.

Later military career

The Northwest Indian War, which had begun in 1786, had been a disaster for the United States, which had suffered two major defeats: the 1790 Harmar campaign and St. Clair's defeat in 1791. The latter defeat was a particularly crushing blow, with an American force of ~1,000 men suffering a 97% casualty rate. St. Clair's defeat proved to be "the most decisive defeat in the history of the American military" and the United States' largest defeat at the hands of Native Americans. Wayne's close friend Major General Richard Butler died during the battle, and Wayne argued the U.S. military's disorganization and political infighting contributed to the American defeat. The defeat led to a public outcry in the United States, and the Washington administration undertook several steps to reorganize the U.S. military.

Interested in helping the U.S. military rebuild, Wayne had written to President Washington in the spring of 1789 asking to "organize & discipline a Legionary Corps," writing that "Dignity, wealth, & Power" in the United States could only be achieved by the military. United States Secretary of War Henry Knox agreed with Wayne, writing in July 1789 that "the sword of the Republic only, is adequate to guard a due administration of Justice, and the preservation of the peace," believing that treaties with Native Americans were worthless.

At a time of his life when Wayne experienced a shameful political and personal status, Washington recalled Wayne from civilian life in 1792 to oversee the reorganization of the United States Army into the Legion of the United States. Washington, who was under congressional investigation, felt his best choice was to recruit Wayne to take on this daunting task despite Wayne's recent past. Injured, with swollen legs and recurring malaria, Wayne quickly accepted command of the Legion of the United States. Washington also allotted an extraordinary budget for Wayne to triple the size of the army, administering $1 million, about 83% of the federal budget, to establish control of the Northwest Territory through 1,280 enlisted soldiers.

In May 1793, Wayne wrote to Knox, "Knowing the critical situation of our infant nation and feeling for the honor and reputation of the government which I shall support with my latest breath, you may rest assured that I will not commit the legion unnecessarily." Samuel W. Pennypacker, a former governor of Pennsylvania and president of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, goes on to elaborate on Wayne's perceived importance of American demonstrations of strength, "Wayne had reached the conclusion that we should never have a permanent peace until the Indians were taught to respect the power of the United States, and until the British were compelled to give up their posts along the shores of the lake." Although the British were reluctant to go to war with the United States, the historian Reginald Horsman wrote that "The Indian Department at Detroit had done all within its power to bolster northwestern Indian resistance to American expansion. The agents had acted as organizers, advisers, and suppliers of the Indians, and they had made it possible for an Indian army to face Wayne."

Command of the Legion of the United States

Upon accepting his new position, Wayne said, "I clearly foresee that it is a command which must inevitably be attended with the most anxious care, fatigue, and difficulty, and from which more may be expected than will be in my power to perform." As the new commanding officer for the Legion of the United States, Wayne was first tasked with increasing the number of soldiers in his force. He expanded Fort Hamilton while he began recruiting in the spring of 1792 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Although recruiting proved to be a difficult effort with the failures of past American expeditions still fresh, Wayne eventually was able to successfully boost the number of soldiers in the Legion. He helped create several infantry regiments that still exist today, one of them being the Third United States Infantry, called 1st Sub-Legion at the time and later named Third Regiment of Infantry.

Wayne then established Fort Lafayette on September 4, 1792, as a frontier settlement from Fort Pitt. Based on earlier failures of American generals, it was vital to train new soldiers and prepare them for new conflicts. Wayne established a basic training facility at Legionville to prepare professional soldiers for the reorganized army, stating that the area near Pittsburgh was "a frontier Gomorrah" that distracted troops. Using the Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States authored by Prussian military officer Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, Wayne began to train his troops. This was the first attempt to provide basic training for regular Army recruits, and Legionville was the first facility established expressly for this purpose. Wayne set up a well-organized structure of sub-legions led by brigadier generals, seen as forerunners of today's brigade combat teams. Wayne was a strict disciplinarian and executed several troops for offenses. Two soldiers were executed for sleeping at their posts. He required his soldiers to adhere to a sharp dress code, with each sub-legion having a distinctive cap and regimental standards with their unit colors. On April 7, 1793, Wayne's troops moved to Fort Washington in Ohio and continued their intense training while also entrenching themselves to repel potential attacks.

Although some experts today are quick to point to the drawbacks of Wayne's severe disciplinary methods, Major John Brooke finds they also helped build confidence among his troops. Each day, he allowed troops to receive half a gill of whiskey with their rations and an extra one for the best shooters. Barrels of rum, whiskey, wine, flour, and rations were stockpiled at various forts and traveled with Wayne's legion. Brooke goes on to write about Wayne's strong relationship with his soldiers, "The winter passed drearily at Greeneville. They were almost in the heart of the Indian country, cut off from communication with the outside world, and surrounded by crafty and treacherous foes. Wayne shared the hardships and privations of his men, and personally saw that discipline and instruction were kept up. The sentinel on post might know when to expect the conventional visit from the officer of the day, but he never knew at what hour he might see the form of the commander-in-chief emerge from the wintry gloom." Wayne's support of his soldiers builds on his earlier experiences with his soldiers during the Revolutionary War.

Betrayal by Wilkinson

When picking a general to lead the Legion of the United States, President Washington considered a few options, most notably Wayne and James Wilkinson. When thinking of his choices, Washington found Wayne to be, "more active and enterprising than Judicious and cautious," and Wilkinson to be lacking experience, "as he was but a short time in the Service." Throughout the campaign, Wayne's second in command, General Wilkinson secretly tried to undermine him. Wilkinson wrote anonymous negative letters to local newspapers about Wayne and spent years writing negative letters to politicians in Washington, D.C. Wayne was unaware as Wilkinson was recorded as being extremely polite to Wayne in person. Wilkinson was also a Spanish spy at the time and even served as an officer. In December 1794, Wilkinson secretly instructed suppliers to delay rations and send just enough to keep the army alive in hopes of preventing progress. Secretary of War Henry Knox eventually alerted Wayne about Wilkinson, and Wayne began an investigation. Eventually, Spanish couriers carrying payments for Wilkinson were intercepted. Wayne's suspicions were confirmed, and he attempted to court-martial Wilkinson for his treachery. However, Wayne developed a stomach ulcer and died on December 15, 1796; there was no court-martial. Instead Wilkinson began his first tenure as Senior Officer of the Army, which lasted for about a year and a half. He continued to pass on intelligence to the Spanish in return for large sums in gold.

Death

Wayne died during a return trip to Pennsylvania from a military post in Detroit. It has been speculated, but never proven, that Wilkinson had him assassinated by poison. Wilkinson is documented secretly undermining him throughout his later career, benefited from his death, and would replace him as commander after his death. Shortly after the Northwest Indian War and Wayne's death, his treaty went into abeyance.

Wayne was buried at Fort Presque Isle, where the modern Wayne Blockhouse stands. His son, Isaac Wayne, disinterred the body in 1809 and had the corpse boiled to remove the remaining flesh from the bones. He then placed the bones into two saddlebags and relocated them to the family plot in the graveyard of St. David's Episcopal Church in Wayne, Pennsylvania. The other remains were reburied but were rediscovered in 1878, giving Wayne two known grave sites.

Legacy

Military service

Wayne's military service legacy is mixed. He is not recognized as a strategist and is primarily seen as a reckless battle tactician. His overhaul of the army and its build up is considered the first attempt by the United States to provide formalized basic training for regular Army troops. His recruits and Legionville were the first facility established expressly for the purpose of a regular army. In Unlikely General, written by historian and author Mary Stockwell, she highlighted his decisive military victories while shedding light on his many personal flaws, being a spendthrift, womanizer, and heavy drinker. He was recognized for his grandiose and luxurious tendencies. Fellow officer Henry Lee III said that Wayne "acquired strength from indulgence". Wayne was considered impulsive, bad-tempered and overly-aggressive as a military leader who advocated the tactics of Julius Caesar and Maurice de Saxe. Nonetheless, later American politicians glorified Wayne. President Theodore Roosevelt later praised Wayne as America's best fighting general. Henry Cabot Lodge mentions with the exception of Washington, and perhaps Greene, that he was the best general the Americans developed in the contest.

Participation in ethnic cleansing and slavery

Along with other American Founding Fathers, Wayne's reputation has more recently been scrutinized for slavery and his actions against Native American tribes. He was recognized as being racist, with Rob Harper, a historian and professor at University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, describing Wayne as holding beliefs of "racial and cultural chauvinism". During the Northwest Indian War, some historians have described Wayne's military leadership as contributing to the displacement of Native American populations in the Ohio Valley, sometimes characterizing these actions as ethnic cleansing.

Historian Jeffrey Ostler, writing about how Native Americans perceived the genocide of their people, noted the Native American description of Wayne as a "Black Snake":

[Wayne] had all the cunning of this animal, who ... hides himself in the grass with his head only above it, watching all around to see where the birds are building their nests, that he may know where to find the young ones when they are hatched

Wayne's victory during the Northwest Indian War set a precedent for the treatment of Native Americans by the federal government of the United States. According to Indian Country Today, "It was General Mad Anthony Wayne who led the first wave" of Indian removal in the United States, writing that the Miami people "maintain that celebrating Wayne glosses over and ignores his role in the genocide of Native Americans".

At a February 2019 city council meeting in Fort Wayne, Indiana, its members voted to approve Anthony Wayne Day, causing controversy due to his participation in ethnic cleansing and slavery. Supporters used text from the Unlikely General by Mary Stockwell to defend Wayne at the time, resulting with Harper criticizing the book saying it was sympathetic towards Wayne and that "the book's blind spots and errors make it a perilous instrument for correcting the historical record."

In popular culture

Wayne has been covered in numerous books, comics, TV shows and articles. In 2017 Wayne was played by Michael J. Burg in the TV series Turn: Washington's Spies. In 2018, Anthony Wayne was featured on PBS series A Taste of History in episode Remember Paoli! Wayne is one of the main characters in Ann Rinaldi's historical novel, A Ride into Morning. Wayne is a character in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. Batman co-creator and writer Bill Finger named Bruce Wayne after him, and later writers established Bruce Wayne as a fictional descendant of Anthony Wayne. Anthony Wayne was depicted in the comic series as Bruce's direct ancestor.

Descendants and relatives

Wayne's notable relatives and descendants include:

Isaac Wayne (1772–1852), Wayne's son, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

William Wayne (1828–1901), great-grandson, member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and member of the Union Army.

William Wayne (1855–1933), great-great-grandson, member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Isaac Wayne Van Leer (1846–1861) enlisted for the Union during the Civil War at age 15 and was documented in several publications for his patriotism.

Blake Ragsdale Van Leer (1893–1956), fifth president of Georgia Tech and leader in desegregation

Blake Wayne Van Leer (1926–1997), a prominent commander and captain in the U.S. Navy and led Seabee program, the nuclear research and power unit at McMurdo Station during Operation Deep Freeze.

Jonwayne (1990–present), a Southern California-based rapper and record producer.

Blake Van Leer III (1982–present), an entrepreneur, film producer and candidate for North Carolina House of Representatives

Memorials and honors

A lunette above the door in the United States Senate room 128, designed originally to house the Senate Committee on Military Affairs and Militia, features a fresco by Constantino Brumidi named "Storming at Stonypoint, General Wayne wounded in the head carried to the fort". On September 14, 1929, the U.S. Post Office issued a stamp honoring Wayne which commemorated the 135th anniversary of the Battle of Fallen Timbers. The post office issued a series of stamps often referred to as the "Two Cent Reds" by collectors, most of them issued to commemorate the 150th anniversaries of the many events that occurred during the American Revolution. The stamp shows Bruce Saville's Battle of Fallen Timbers Monument.

In February 2019, the city council Fort Wayne, Indiana, approved the creation of Anthony Wayne Day by a vote of 6–3. The approval sparked debate, was criticized by other councilmen, reporters, and the Miami tribe. The Miami tribe, who maintain a strong connection with Fort Wayne as part of their ancestral homeland, objected to many of the facts put forward by supporters to champion Wayne. The Miamis were quoted, "In a show of respect for Fort Wayne's own sovereignty, the tribal council came to a decision: It would object to the resolution's historical errors and omissions, but not to the honoring of Wayne himself."

The Wayne National Forest located in southeast Ohio was named in honor of General Wayne. It was established as a National Forest for the public in December 1992.

Several of Wayne's uniforms, ranks, tactics and military legions exist today in the US Army. His legions were renamed regiments. One of them is now known as the Third Regiment of Infantry which is best known for its role in the changing-of-the-guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington National Cemetery.

Locations named after Anthony Wayne

There are also many townships named after Anthony Wayne, including 21 in Ohio alone.