75 Facts About Anthony Wayne

Anthony Wayne was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and a Founding Father of the United States.

Anthony Wayne adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military exploits and fiery personality quickly earned him a promotion to brigadier general and the nickname "Mad Anthony".

Anthony Wayne later served as the Senior Officer of the Army on the Ohio Country frontier and led the Legion of the United States.

Anthony Wayne was elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly and helped raise a Pennsylvania militia unit in 1775.

Anthony Wayne was a member of the Society of the Cincinnati of the state of Georgia.

Anthony Wayne's legacy is controversial and debated in the 21st century with his legacy contested, due to his tactics under the Washington administration's policies against Indian tribes during the Northwest Indian War.

Anthony Wayne 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.

Anthony Wayne was educated as a surveyor at his uncle's private academy in Philadelphia and at the College of Philadelphia for two years.

Anthony Wayne assisted with starting a settlement the following year at The Township of Monckton and was involved with preparing the infrastructure to last through winters.

Anthony Wayne married Mary Penrose in 1763, and they had two children.

Anthony 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.

Anthony Wayne was an avid reader and often quoted Caesar and Shakespeare at length while serving in the military.

In 1775, Anthony 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.

Anthony 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.

Anthony Wayne commanded a successful rear-guard action at the Battle of Trois-Rivieres and then led the forces on Lake Champlain at Fort Ticonderoga and Mount Independence.

Anthony Wayne was then ordered to harass the British rear in order to slow General William Howe's advance towards Pennsylvania.

Anthony Wayne was again ordered to hold off the British and cover the rear of the retreating body.

Anthony Wayne held out until relieved by reinforcements sent by General George Washington.

Anthony Wayne then re-formed his troops and continued to fight.

Anthony Wayne set an example for coping with adversity during military operations.

Anthony Wayne was wounded during the attack when an enemy musket ball gashed his scalp.

Anthony Wayne's troops were unable to capture the position, suffering 64 casualties while inflicting 21 casualties on the Loyalist defenders.

Anthony Wayne successfully resolved the mutiny by dismissing about half the line.

Anthony Wayne led a small scouting force of 500 in 1781 at the Battle of Green Spring to determine the location of Cornwallis, and they fell into the trap; only a bold bayonet charge against the numerically overwhelming British enabled his forces to retreat.

Anthony Wayne eventually negotiated peace treaties with both the Creeks and the Cherokees during a bout with malaria, for which Georgia purchased a rice plantation for 4,000 guineas and rewarded it to him.

Anthony Wayne would suffer from complications related to malaria for the remainder of his life.

In 1783, Anthony Wayne returned to Pennsylvania and was celebrated as a war hero, deciding to enter politics with other friends at the time.

Anthony Wayne 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.

Anthony Wayne was elected to serve in the Pennsylvania General Assembly for two years.

Anthony Wayne was a member and took an active part of the Constitutional Convention.

However, like Washington, Anthony Wayne gradually grew to oppose the practice of it.

Anthony Wayne was documented providing refuge for slaves from punishment in Georgia.

Anthony Wayne owned enslaved African Americans after the war, he would eventually take over the family farm and tannery business in Chester County.

Anthony Wayne hired a plantation overseer to manage the plantation and direct the actions of his slaves.

Anthony Wayne had a personal slave named "Caesar" that he named after his favorite historical figure, Julius Caesar.

Anthony Wayne is documented neglecting his business, frequently attending out of state political events, social parties, time with former soldiers, time in Pennsylvania, or traveling.

Anthony Wayne's plantations were ultimately unsuccessful because of neglect and acquiring a large amount of debt.

Anthony Wayne later begged various acquaintances to assist him with making payments before selling the plantations.

Anthony Wayne's contemporaries criticized him and his overseer for having a "relaxed" hand.

Anthony Wayne had a brief career in private business running his tanner business in Pennsylvania and two rice plantations in Georgia.

Anthony Wayne 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.

Anthony Wayne supported an act of 5,000 troops entering to secure ceded land in the Northwest Territory.

Anthony Wayne attempted to run again, however was disqualified due to failing residency qualifications.

Anthony Wayne felt a lack of a well organized military and politics contributed to this defeat.

At a time of his life when Anthony Wayne experienced a shameful political and personal status, President Washington recalled Anthony Wayne from civilian life to lead an expedition in the British-led Northwest Indian War.

Anthony Wayne 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, Anthony Wayne accepted command of the new Legion of the United States in 1792.

Anthony Wayne expanded Fort Hamilton while he began recruiting in the spring of 1792 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Anthony Wayne 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.

Anthony 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.

Anthony Wayne set up a well-organized structure of sub-legions led by brigadier generals, seen as forerunners of today's brigade combat teams.

Anthony Wayne was a strict disciplinarian and executed several troops for offenses.

Anthony Wayne 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.

Anthony Wayne shared the hardships and privations of his men, and personally saw that discicipline and instruction were kept up.

Friendly Native Americans helped Anthony Wayne recover a cannon that the attackers had buried nearby, with its redeployment at the fort.

Anthony Wayne's army continued north, building strategically defensive forts ahead of the main force.

Anthony Wayne then used Fort Deposit as a base of operations because of its proximity to Fort Miami and encamped for three days in sight of Fort Miami.

Anthony Wayne attempted to provoke the fort's commander, Major William Campbell, by destroying McKee's post as well as Native American crops and villages within sight of Fort Miami before withdrawing.

When Campbell asked the meaning of the encampment, Anthony Wayne replied that the answer had already been given by the sound of their muskets.

The next day, Anthony Wayne rode alone to Fort Miami and slowly conducted an inspection of the fort's exterior walls.

Anthony Wayne wanted a strong fort, capable of withstanding a possible attack by British artillery from Fort Detroit.

At the meetings, Anthony Wayne promised the land of "Indiana", the remaining land to the west, to remain Indian forever.

Anthony Wayne supplied food and farming supplies as a good faith gesture.

Anthony Wayne read portions of the Paris Treaty, informing them that the British were encouraging them to fight for land and forts the British already ceded to the United States.

Anthony Wayne's suspicions were confirmed, and he attempted to court-martial Wilkinson for his treachery.

Anthony Wayne continued to pass on intelligence to the Spanish in return for large sums in gold.

Anthony Wayne died during a return trip to Pennsylvania from a military post in Detroit.

Anthony Wayne was buried at Fort Presque Isle, where the modern Anthony Wayne Blockhouse stands.

Anthony Wayne 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 Anthony Wayne two known grave sites.

Shortly after the Northwest Indian War, Anthony Wayne died and his treaty was not enforced.

Anthony 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.

Anthony Wayne was featured in the comic series as Bruce's direct ancestor and a main character from 1930s-2011.

On September 14,1929, the US Post Office issued a stamp honoring Anthony Wayne which commemorated the 135th anniversary of the Battle of Fallen Timbers.