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Posted on 05/15/2005 9:33:56 PM PDT by SAMWolf
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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Relying on cold steel and the cover of darkness, General Anthony Wayne's elite Light Corps seized British-held Stony Point, New York, in one of the most daring operations of the Revolutionary War.  Anthony Wayne Addressed to the person whom Wayne considered his "best and dearest friend," Sharp Delany, it would await delivery "until the writer is no more." With a desperate combat in the offing, Wayne wanted the world to know that if he fell he had done so willingly "in the defence of his Country and of the rights of mankind." He was a man of ambition and passion, and his adversaries were equally divided between the British and the petty forces of the new Continental government. Speaking as someone who had often battled to obtain clothing and weapons for his men, Wayne used valuable testimonial space to thunder over those Patriots who had lost their lives "owing to the parsimony and neglect of Congress." Wayne's anger flowed into a third paragraph, in which he worried that his commander, General George Washington, would also fall victim to these forces. Coming near the end of this short missive, Wayne asked his friend to watch over his son and daughter, fearing that "their mother will not survive this Stroke." He closed the note with felicitations to the Delany clan and a vow that he would sup the morrow "either within the enemy's lines in triumph or in the other World!" Anthony Wayne signed his note, filed it carefully away, and then prepared himself to carry out one of the boldest and most desperate military actions of the Revolutionary War. Two threads of history crossed this night along the west side of the Hudson River, twelve miles south of West Point. One was the personal odyssey of a civilian-warrior who had found his calling, the other a martial gesture by a mighty power mired in a war where victory lingered tantalizingly close but always out of reach.  Anthony Wayne, representing the third American generation of his family, was born on January 1, 1745, at Waynesborough in Chester County, Pennsylvania. His bloodlines were English and Irish, his sentiments decidedly republican. The road to his maturity was marked by brief detours as farmer, surveyor, land manager, tanner, and politician. Even as he took part in the vigorous debates that were propelling the American colonies to break with England, Wayne learned the art of war by reading every book on the subject he could find. Not content to limit himself to the theoretical, he also began drilling a volunteer regiment and experiencing firsthand the qualities of citizen-soldiers. When force of reason gave way to force of arms, Wayne received command of the 4th Battalion of the Pennsylvania Line as a colonel in the Continental Army. Wayne and his unit passed through New York City in mid-April 1776, long enough for him to meet and impress George Washington, before he and his command left to take part in what proved to be a bitter coda to the Continental effort to bring Canada into its embrace. While the fighting he was engaged in at Trois Rivières was another American defeat in the midst of a failed campaign, Wayne's coolness under fire and his steady presence during the subsequent retreat made him one of the few to emerge from this tragic miscalculation with his reputation enhanced. In the subsequent actions at Brandywine, Germantown, and especially Monmouth, Wayne, in the words of one of his peers, "behaved Exceedingly Brave." Qualities emerged that clearly marked this soldier. He had a talent for organization, an ambition to succeed, and his swearing was legendary. He also understood that the freedom bestowed by a democracy did not extend into the army, where drill, discipline, and obedience were the necessary prerequisites for victory. Wayne also believed deeply (and made himself a regular nuisance on the matter) that soldiers had to look like soldiers.  General Henry Clinton Most important, Anthony Wayne was a fighter. Washington described him as "more active and enterprising than judicious and cautious." Assigned the task of shadowing a strong enemy column in September 1777, Wayne pugnaciously camped so close to the foe that he fell victim to a counterstroke by bayonet-wielding British Regulars in what became widely reported (and exaggerated for propaganda purposes by both sides) as the Paoli Massacre. Some nine months later, at Monmouth, it was Wayne's aggressive troop handling that put the Continental Army in peril and that paradoxically saved it, as he deftly staved off crushing pressure from superior forces until the Americans could rally to hold the field. Following a fall and winter defending his decisions and angling unsuccessfully for a promotion to major general, Wayne took a leave of absence to return to the family homestead at Waynesborough. He was there, chafing at the inaction, when a note arrived from Washington summoning him to come at once to the lower Hudson Valley. "Now for the field of Mars," Wayne wrote. "I believe that sanguine god is rather thirsty for human gore." Although it is seldom mentioned with an importance equaling other regions of the conflict, the lower Hudson was a constant source of concern for Washington and an inviting avenue of opportunity for his opponents. "The importance of the Hudson River in the present Contest, and the necessity of defending it, are Subjects which have been so frequently and fully discussed, and are so well understood, that it is unnecessary to enlarge upon them," declared Washington. Even when a major British army was not moving southward from Canada to link with forces advancing up the river from New York, the stretch of the Hudson between the port city and West Point seethed with military activity throughout the war.  Lord George Germain The spring of 1779 presented the officer commanding British forces in America with some difficult choices. An old enemy, France, had entered the war on the side of the colonists. The strategic planners in faraway London, meanwhile, had concluded that the ever-elusive victory in America would now be found in its southern tier. A significant part of British Commander in Chief Lt. Gen. Sir Henry Clinton's responsibilities became apportioning enough troops and other resources to support a southern campaign while simultaneously utilizing his powerful New York base to keep the northern region under threat. That the rebel General Washington and his army remained close to New York was not lost on Clinton, nor on those in London, where Lord George Germain, the British secretary of state for the American colonies, was monitoring events and offering a steady stream of advice. In a dispatch dated January 23, 1779, Germain observed: "It is most earnestly wished that you may be able to bring Mr. Washington to a general and decisive action at the opening of the Campaign; but if that cannot be effected it is imagined that with an army of about 12,000 Men in the field under your immediate Command, you may force him to seek for safety in the Highlands of New York or the Jerseys, and leave the Inhabitants of the open Country at liberty to follow what the Commissioners represent to be their inclinations and renounce the authority of the Congress, and return to their allegiance to His Majesty."
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The 617 Sqdn RAF Lancaster's are seen in this image attacking the Mohne Dam 17th May, 1943. This legendary raid carried out by 133 men of the newly formed 617 Squadron RAF will always be remembered, not only for the unique weapon that was used, and spectacular results that it achieved, but also for the incredible gallantry shown by the crews, nearly half of which failed to return.
Nice!!
LOL!!
free dixie,sw
QUIZ!
In 1969, the unmanned Soviet spacecraft Venus-5 landed on
the surface of what planet?
I used to guard a BOMARC site jusy outside Duluth. It had these nice big bright lights all around. starting at the end of summer (hypothetically) someone could put saltlicks out for the deer to use and then when deer season started it would be possible to (allegedly) pick off a really nice deer at 2:00am, take into the chowhall for the cooks. Now I never did anything like that (cause that would be wrong), but I heard of some who did this (in theory).
That's my story and I'm stickin with it.
General "Mad" Anthony Wayne
The American Revolutionary War Brigadier General Anthony Wayne, was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, near Paoli, Pa., Jan. 1, 1745, and died Dec. 15, 1796. Privately educated in Philadelphia, General Wayne won major recognition in the American Revolution and in Indian warfare.
A dashing, brave soldier, known as "Mad Anthony," Wayne served in Canada in 1776 and at Brandywine and Germantown in 1777; he encamped at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777-78. At the end of 1778 he was given command of a corps of light infantry. His most successful action was a surprise attack on the British at Stony Point on the Hudson River in July 1779; he continued to see action throughout the war.
In 1776, after the outbreak of the American Revolution, he entered military service as a commander of a Pennsylvania regiment assigned to cover the retreat of American forces from Québec. In 1777, after being promoted to Brigadier General, he was posted to Morristown, New Jersey. The Pennsylvania regiments participated in the maneuvering near New Brunswick during June. After a brief stay at Ramapo in July, Wayne's men marched to defend Philadelphia. At the Battle of Brandywine, Wayne's division was at Chadd's Ford. For three hours Wayne fought to repulse Hessian advances over the river as the American left wing deteriorated. In the retreat to Chester, Wayne inspired his men by his bravery.
As the British converged on Philadelphia, Wayne's 1,500 troops attempted to harass the enemy. Assuming that the American presence was undetected, Wayne camped close to the British lines. What became famous as the "Paoli Massacre" ensued. On September 20-21, in a skillful night attack led by Major General Sir Charles Grey, the British bayonted patriot soldiers. With 300 casualties, Wayne was inevitably subject to criticism. An offical inquiry by five ranking officers held that Wayne was not guilty of misconduct but that he had erred in tactics. Enraged, the tempestuous Wayne demanded a full court-martial. On November 1, a board of 13 ranking officers declared that Wayne had acted with honor. Yet Paoli remained a stigma on his record for the rest of his career.
Wayne participated in the battles of Brandywine and Germantown and in 1778 distinguished himself in the Battle of Monmouth. His greatest achievement was a brilliant victory at Stony Point in 1779. In 1781 he contributed to the British defeat at Yorktown.
Wayne retired to civilian life in 1783. After the Revolution, Arthur St. Clair's defeat by the Indians in 1791--the culmination of a series of American defeats in the Old Northwest--caused Wayne to be given (1792) command of the Northwest army.
After spending more than 2 years training his troops, he led an American army north from the Ohio River and, on Aug. 10, 1794, won a decisive victory at the Battle of Fallen Timbers on the Maumee River near the site of present-day Toledo, Ohio, and the following year he negotiated the Treaty of Greenville with them, opening the Northwest Territory to American settlers. Noted for his bravery and quick temper, Wayne was popularly known as "Mad Anthony." Under provisions of the ensuing Treaty of Greenville (1795), Wayne obtained a large cession from the Indians. After the British had agreed in Jay's Treaty to vacate their posts in the Old Northwest, Wayne led the American force that took possession of the forts in 1796.
Sound like anyone else we know?
Ummm? Venus?
Patton believed in reincarnation, maybe he was Anthony Wayne. ;-)
HISTORY ANSWER:
In 1969, the unmanned Soviet spacecraft Venus-5 landed on
the surface of Venus.
Dead old guy bump!
ROFLMAO!
Hi miss Feather
Spiffy ride you have Sam.
Oo, oo, I know this.
Mercury, right?
Did it , theoretically, taste good?
There ya' go.
Howdy ma'am. Better weather today?
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