"Anthony Wayne's Repulse at Bull's Ferry" Topic

… JULY 21, 1780

"General Anthony Wayne was one of the most capable generals in the Continental Army and is perhaps best remembered for his successful surprise attack that captured the British post at Stony Point, New York, on July 16, 1779. Wayne also suffered his share of reverses, most notably at Paoli, Pennsylvania, on the night of September 20-21, 1777, when his 2,500 troops were soundly defeated after being caught unaware by Gen. Charles Grey with 1,200 British regulars. As painful as this debacle was, Wayne later suffered another stinging defeat on July 21, 1780, when a handful of Loyalist militia holding a blockhouse at Bull's Ferry, New Jersey repulsed Wayne's much larger force of Continentals. Although the battle did not alter the overall strategic situation, it proved embarrassing to the Americans, while the British and Loyalists exulted in their triumph. The event prompted Major John André, Gen. Sir Henry Clinton's aide-de-camp, to compose and publish a lengthy poem, Cow-chace, ridiculing Wayne and other American officers…"

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Armand

As we all well know, Major Andre was a better poet and a playwright than a spy.

(smile)

Armand