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Wayne, Anthony

Anthony Wayne

Benedict Arnold to Anthony Wayne, November 25, 1776, manuscript letter

Arnold tells Wayne about the fall of Fort Washington in Pennsylvania and Fort Lee in New Jersey, as well as the British troops crossing to the New Jersey shore.

 

Overview

Anthony Wayne was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania and by the time he was a teenager he was sent to Nova Scotia to survey land on behalf of Benjamin Franklin. Wayne’s connections and time in Pennsylvania politics positioned him to raise a militia in 1775 and begin his ascent in the colonial army. Wayne led troops in the invasion of Canada, at Fort Ticonderoga and the Battle of Brandywine, and at the tragic Battle of Paoli among many other events of the war.

Guiding Questions
  • What was Wayne’s relationship with General Washington like?
  • What specific battles was Wayne involved in? What decisions did he make regarding them? What were the results?
  • What motivated Wayne to become a general during the Revolution? What did he do during the rest of his life?
  • How has Wayne been memorialized locally? How accurately are his contributions portrayed?
  • What were Wayne’s strengths and weaknesses as a general?
  • What does Wayne’s war correspondence reveal about him?
  • Why was Wayne nicknamed “Mad Anthony”? To what degree was the moniker appropriate?
Where to Search
West Chester University   ---    WCU Libraries  25 West Rosedale Avenue, West Chester, PA 19383  610-430-4400