Anthony Wayne papers

Table of Contents

Summary Information

Background note

Scope and content note

Administrative Information

Related Materials

Controlled Access Headings

Collection Inventory

Summary Information

Repository

Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Creator

Wayne, Anthony., 1745-1796

Title

Anthony Wayne papers

ID

0699

Date [inclusive]

1765-1941

Extent

14.8 Linear feet ; 8 boxes, 45 volumes

Author

Finding aid prepared by Sara H. Nash.

Language

English

Abstract

Anthony Wayne (1745-1796) was a Revolutionary War general, politician, and businessman from Chester County, Pennsylvania. During the Revolution, his regiment lost 158 men to the British in the Massacre at Paoli, but he is remembered also for his leadership in the Battle of Monmouth and his victory in the Battle of Stony Point. In the last few years of his life, he developed and led the Legion of the United States, the precursor of the Army of the United States, in the Northwest Indian War and oversaw the end of the conflict with the Treaty of Greenville. This collection includes papers related to Anthony Wayne's activities in the Revolutionary War and later, his campaign and treaty negotiations in the Northwest Indian War.

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Background note

Anthony Wayne (1745-1796) was born on 1 January 1745 to Isaac and Elizabeth Wayne in East Town Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Wayne was educated at a private school in Philadelphia and then at the College of Philadelphia. During this time, he trained as a surveyor. After a few years working in the field, he returned to the family farm in Waynesborough and set up a tannery. In 1766, Wayne married Mary Penrose, with whom he had two children, Margretta and Isaac. From 1774 to 1775, he served a term in the Pennsylvania Legislature and also served as chairman of the Chester County Committee of Safety.

In response to the start of the war, Wayne raised a regiment. He was commissioned as a colonel in January 1776 and given command of the 4th Pennsylvania Battalion. He was wounded at the Battle of Three Rivers in Canada and afterward promoted to brigadier general. On 20 September 1777, nine days after the Battle of Brandywine, the British launched an overnight bayonet attack on Wayne’s regiment, killing 158 men. Wayne requested to be court martialed for his role in what came to be called the Paoli Massacre and was subsequently acquitted. General Wayne’s troops fought in the Battles of Monmouth and Stony Point, and George Washington commended his leadership and bravery at Monmouth and his victory at Stony Point. After the Battle of Yorktown in 1781, Washington sent Wayne to deal with the British in Georgia and South Carolina. In 1783, he was promoted to major general, but soon after left active service.

After the war, Wayne returned to politics, serving two years in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. In 1786, he received title to two seized plantations in Georgia and soon became deeply indebted, and the plantations were eventually sold. In 1790, he was elected as a congressional representative for Georgia’s first district, but he lost the seat in 1792 due to election fraud. Wayne himself was not implicated.

In 1792, Washington enlisted Wayne to deal with the ongoing Northwest Indian War, giving him command of the new Legion of the United States. Wayne grew the size of the legion three-fold and instituted training for new recruits. Hostilities continued for several more years, and Wayne freely used scorched earth tactics. The conflict officially ended in August 1795 with the Treaty of Greenville. Wayne died at Fort Presque Isle in December 1796.

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Scope and content note

This collection consists of papers on Anthony Wayne's activities in the Revolutionary War and later, his campaign and treaty negotiations in the Northwest Indian War, such as: Wayne's correspondence with other army officers, with the secretary of war, and with other men active in colonial affairs, 1765-1779; records of courts-martial, 1776-1796; military documents, monthly returns, muster rolls, and department returns, 1777-1794; orderly books, 1781, 1792-1796; the itinerary of the Pennsylvania Line, 1781; journals of proceedings at treaty councils held with Native Americans, 1778-1795; "Instructions to Major General Anthony Wayne to be employed on the Western Frontier," 1792; copy of "Treaty of Greenville," 1795. Wayne family papers include the Wayne farm book, 1784-1820; and miscellaneous manuscripts of Isaac Wayne, 1810-1859. Approximately 100 documents relating to Anthony Wayne were transferred from the Society Collection; the bulk are from 1772-1796 and consist of photostats or copies of correspondence and military documents, most of which are already contained in the Anthony Wayne papers. There are copies of a few letters from Wayne’s children, Margretta Atlee and Isaac Wayne. A few items date from the 19th and 20th centuries and include a Bulletin of the Fort Ticonderoga Museum, a transcription of the epitaph on Anthony Wayne’s tomb, and an extract of an article from  Lippincott’s Magazine, “With Washington and Wayne.”

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Administrative Information

Publication Information

 Historical Society of Pennsylvania , 2023.

Access restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Provenance

Gift of Abram R. Perkins family, 1912.

Gift of Mrs. John M. Wirgman, 1919 (orderly books only).

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Related Materials

Related materials

Anthony Wayne surveys (Am.241)

Anthony Wayne orderly books (Am.6184)

Anthony Wayne orderly book and journal (Am.659)

Isaac Wayne diary (Am.1812)

John Hughes papers (Collection 302)

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Controlled Access Headings

Personal Name(s)

• Wayne, Isaac., 1772-1852

Subject(s)

• Indian Territories--18th century.
• Indian--White Relations--18th century.
• Pennsylvania--History--Revolution, 1775-1783.
• United States Army--History--18th century.
• United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783--Battle of Brandywine.
• United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783--Campaigns.
• United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783--Continental Army.
• United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783--Courts Martial.
• United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783--Military Correspondence.
• United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783.

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Collection Inventory