“Mad Anthony” Wayne takes Stony Point - New York History. Two-hundred and thirty-two years ago, on July 16, 1779, American troops under General “Mad Anthony” Wayne captured Stony Point, New York, with the British losing more than 600 captured or killed. Born in Pennsylvania in 1745, Wayne was educated as a surveyor, served in the state legislature from 1774–1780, and adopted a military career at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War.
His fiery personality earned him the nickname of “Mad Anthony.” He raised a militia unit in 1775 and became a colonel in the 4th Pennsylvania Regiment in 1776, participating in the unsuccessful invasion of Canada, where he aided Benedict Arnold. He led a successful rear-guard action at the Battle of Trois-Rivieres and then the distressed forces at Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York. He was promoted to brigadier general in 1777, and later commanded the Pennsylvania Line at Brandywine, Paoli, and Germantown. The highlight of Wayne's military career was his victory at Stony Point, New York. Americans Capture Stony Point. By the Spring of 1779, the war had settled into a near stalemate.
The British forces were in New York, with Washington's forces outside. The British were too strong for the Americans to attack, and Washington's forces presented no target for the British. The British commander, General Clinton, settled on a strategy of staging raids on American port cities and towns. After a successful raid in Virginia, Clinton turned his fleet toward attacking two American forts guarding the Hudson River; Stoney Point and Fort Lafayette. The two forts quickly fell to superior British forces. It was Clinton’s hope that this would only be a prelude to an attack on West Point. Washington was dismayed by the capture. Stoney Point stood 150 feet above the Hudson, surrounded on three sides by water. In August, American troops, led by Colonel Lee, staged a successful raid on Paulus Point; opposite Manhattan.
Bayonets at Midnight: The Battle of Stony Point. When British troops captured the river fortress at Stony Point, New York, in 1779, George Washington was determined to drive them out with force and fixed bayonets. Powder flashes lit the night as musketry rattled tentatively along the British lines. Then the cannon spoke, and pellets of grapeshot ripped through weeds, water, uniforms and flesh. A bloody night lay ahead No man dared speak as the American soldiers crept grimly toward the enemy-held promontory silhouetted against the midnight sky.
Twenty soldiers, led by a fresh-faced 21-year-old lieutenant from Pennsylvania named George Knox, headed the American column. Knox's volunteers carried heavy axes with which to dismantle the abatis—thick rows of outward-facing sharpened logs the British had built into the double line of earthworks protecting their inner redoubt. Success depended on surprise. Knox's men had been told to expect no more than two feet of water in the marsh. Eager for action though he was, Washington sensed a trap. National Park Service - Colonials and Patriots (Stony Point Battlefield) Survey ofHistoric Sites and Buildings Ownership and Administration (1961). State of New York, administered by Palisades Interstate Park Commission, Bear Mountain. Significance. The small-scale battle at Stony Point, July 16, 1779, was the last military action of importance in the northern theater of war.
It was important as a morale builder for the patriots and as a demonstration of the developing skill of the American Army, and it had other significant consequences. A recent study has noted that "the assault paralyzed Clinton [the British commander] . When his reinforcements failed to show up, he dared not, after his loss of men in Connecticut and at the [Stony] Point, make an offensive move. " [45] By the action at Stony Point, Washington tightened his grip on the Hudson and especially on West Point, "the key to the Continent. " The Battle of Stony Point came after the long period of stalemate in the North that followed the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778. Present Appearance (1961). Revolutionary War - Battle of Stony Point. Revolutionary War Historical Article The Storming of Stony Point By Donald N.
Moran On May 28th, 1779 Sir Henry Clinton, Commander-in-Chief of British Forces in North America, massed 6,000 troops at Kingsbridge, New York, for an apparent attempt to take strategic West Point, known as the "Key to the Continent". The fortifications at West Point controlled the Hudson River and prevented the British from cutting off New England from the rest of the colonies. Sir Henry ordered both American posts taken.
General George Washington moved some of his available troops to counter the anticipated attack on West Point, and wisely decided to go on the offensive. The topography of Stony Point greatly favored the defenders. General Wayne chose the recently formed Light Infantry Brigade, consisting of 1,200 of the best soldiers in the Continental Army, for the assault. These parties were followed by 150 Light Infantry to actually storm the fortifications at bayonet point. Lt. "Dear Gen'l.