Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 2: A series of pen and pencil sketches of the lives of more than 200 of the most prominent personages in History
History
Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 2: A series of pen and pencil sketches of the lives of more than 200 of the most prominent personages in History
Biography
thanking him "for his brave, prudent, and soldier-like conduct in the
well-conducted attack on Stony Point."
After the treachery of Arnold, in 1780, the charge of the fort at West
Point was committed to General Wayne. He marched his division over the
mountain in a dark night, a distance of sixteen miles, in four hours,
"without a single halt or a man left behind." In January, 1781, owing
to the broken promises of Congress, a large number of the men in the
Pennsylvania line mutinied, an event that threatened serious
consequences to the American Army. This defection was suppressed
peaceably, mainly through the excellent tact of General Wayne. He was
idolized by his soldiers, who knew him as the soul of honor, and who
placed implicit trust in his statements. Washington in a letter
certifies to his "great share in preventing worse extremities" and
thanks him for his exertions. In February, 1781, Wayne was ordered to
join General Greene's Army, then operating in South Carolina, but upon
Lord Cornwallis' rapidly transferring his forces to Virginia, this
order was changed, and Wayne was directed to reinforce Lafayette.
This he did at Fredericksburg in June. The enemy seemed intent upon
destroying all military stores they could reach, and for this purpose
continually sent raiding parties through the State. The efforts of
Wayne were ever put forth to suppress these raids. Believing, on July
6, 1781, that Cornwallis's forces were divided by the James River,
Wayne was sent forward to attack them at Green Springs. He found a
great force of the British Army in his front. Too late to retreat,
Wayne with true soldierly instinct, having faith in the courage and
discipline of his men, boldly charged a force five times as large as
his own, threw them into disorder and safely brought his men away
under cover of the enemy's confusion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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