Battle of Paoli | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the American Revolutionary War | |||||||
A Dreadful scene of havock, a 1782 portrait depicting the Battle of Paoli | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
United States | Great Britain | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Anthony Wayne | Charles Grey | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
2,500 men
| 1,200 men engaged 600 in support 2 miles away | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
201 killed or wounded [1] 71 captured [1] | 4 killed [2] 7 wounded [2] |
Paoli Battlefield Site and Parade Grounds | |
Location | Roughly bounded by Warren, and Monument Aves. and Sugartown Rd., Malvern, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
---|---|
Coordinates | 40°01′47″N75°31′06″W / 40.02972°N 75.51833°W |
Area | 62.2 acres (25.2 ha) |
Built | 1817, 1877 |
Architect | John T. Windrim, Palmer C. Hughes |
Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Late 19th and 20th century Revivals |
NRHP reference No. | 97001248 [3] |
Added to NRHP | October 23, 1997 |
The Battle of Paoli, also known as the Battle of Paoli Tavern or the Paoli Massacre, was a battle in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought on September 20, 1777, in the area surrounding present-day Malvern, Pennsylvania. Following the Continental Army's retreat in the Battle of Brandywine and the aborted Battle of the Clouds, George Washington left a force behind under the command of Brigadier General Anthony Wayne to monitor and resist the British as they prepared to attack and occupy the revolutionary capital of Philadelphia.
On the evening of September 20, British forces under Major General Charles Grey led a surprise attack on Wayne's encampment near the Paoli Tavern in present-day Malvern, resulting in many American casualties. With inaccurate later claims that the British took no prisoners and granted no quarter, the engagement came to be known as the "Paoli Massacre."
After the American defeat at the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777, General Washington was intent on accomplishing two tasks. He wanted to protect the revolutionary capitol of Philadelphia from British forces under the command of Lieutenant General Sir William Howe and also shield his inland supply depots at Reading, which was 60 miles (97 km) northwest of Philadelphia, and at Lancaster, which was 65 miles (105 km) west of Philadelphia. Washington withdrew across the Schuylkill River on September 12, bypassing Philadelphia and heading northwest to the Falls of Schuylkill in the present-day East Falls section of Philadelphia.
After resting for a full day and refitting, Washington's army again crossed the Schuylkill River at Levering's Ford in present-day Manayunk on September 14 to face the British, who had moved little since Brandywine due to a shortage of wagons to carry their wounded and baggage. [4] After the Battle of the Clouds, an ultimately aborted engagement due to bad weather on September 16, Washington withdrew to Yellow Springs and Reading Furnace in northern Chester County to replenish his ammunition. He left Brigadier General Anthony Wayne's Pennsylvania Division at Yellow Springs in present-day Chester Springs. When the British columns moved towards the Schuylkill River, Wayne followed Washington's orders to harass the British and attempt to capture all or part of their baggage train.
Wayne assumed that his presence was undetected and camped close to the British lines 2 miles (3.2 km) from Paoli Tavern in Paoli. Wayne's division consisted of the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th Pennsylvania Regiments, Hartley's additional Continental Regiment, an attached artillery company and a small force of dragoons. The various regiments and units amounted to approximately 1,500 men. Several miles to the west and moving to join Wayne was William Smallwood's Maryland militia, who had approximately 2,100 inexperienced troops under his command.
The British heard rumors that Wayne was in the area, and Howe dispatched scouts, who reported his location to be near the Paoli Tavern and Warren Tavern in present-day Malvern on September 19. Since his position was just 4 miles (6.4 km) from the British camp in Tredyffrin Township, Howe immediately planned an attack on Wayne's camp.
At 10 p.m. on September 20, British commander Major General Charles Grey marched his forces from the British camp and launched a surprise attack on Wayne's camp above the Warren Tavern in present-day Malvern not far from the General Paoli Tavern. Grey's troops included the 2nd Light Infantry, a composite battalion formed from the light companies of 13 regiments, plus the 42nd Royal Highland Regiment and 44th Regiment of Foot. A dozen troopers of the 16th Queen's Light Dragoons were in the vanguard of the main British column. Altogether, Grey's force numbered approximately 1,200 men.
To ensure that the Americans were not alerted, Grey ordered his troops to advance in silence with muskets unloaded and attack with bayonets alone. In the case that loads could not be drawn from weapons, he ordered that the flints should be removed instead, earning the Grey the epithet "No Flint" Grey. Major John Maitland, commanding officer of the 2nd Light Infantry battalion, was given permission to advance with muskets loaded, giving his personal assurance that his men could be relied on not to fire.
Earlier, Wayne received two warnings of a possible attack and sent out mounted sentries, who spotted the British force two miles from the camp and gave the alarm. Reaching Warren Tavern, the British forced a local blacksmith to guide them and approached the camp silently along heavily wooded roads, where they hit a sentry post. Most of the sentries fired into the dark, exposing their position and were annihilated by the silent British vanguard. In the camp up the hill from the pickets, Wayne's troops were already formed up and armed. Hearing the firing from the picket on the right, the main body of Wayne's force began moving west out of camp in a column through well-fenced fields when a disabled cannon blocked the avenue of escape for several minutes. With loud battle cries, the British stormed into the camp in three waves: the 2nd Light Infantry in the lead, followed by the 44th and the 42nd, and light dragoons sweeping across the camp. Some of Wayne's troops fired in the direction of the British attack, exposing their positions in the dark; the rear of Wayne's column was silhouetted by their campfires. Some fired into each other and the ensuing chaos caused troops in that part of the line to panic and run. Wayne organized a rearguard defense, but many of his troops fled from the camp and were pursued for a mile or two. Near White Horse Tavern, the British encountered William Smallwood's forces and routed it as well.
With only four British killed and seven wounded, [2] the British routed an entire American division. American casualties from the battle are more uncertain. Historian Thomas J. McGuire says that 53 dead Americans were buried on the battlefield but "whether these were all of the American dead or only those found on the campsite-battlefield is uncertain". [1] Local tradition says that eight more American (and some British) soldiers killed in the battle were buried at St. Peter's Church in the Great Valley, an Anglican church. [1] [5] An estimated 71 prisoners were taken by the British, 40 of whom were so badly wounded that they had to be left behind in nearby houses. [6] According to McGuire, a total of 272 men were killed, wounded, or missing from Wayne's division after the battle. [1] McGuire reports that on the day after the battle, 52 dead Americans were buried, and another body was found later. Among the buried, 39 are unnamed. The highest ranking American officer killed was Major Mareen Lamar (sometimes misspelled Marien).
An official inquiry found that Wayne was not guilty of misconduct but that he had made a tactical error. Wayne was enraged and demanded a full court-martial. On November 1, a board of 13 officers declared that Wayne overruled the inquiry's initial report, concluding that Wayne had acted with honor.
The incident gained notoriety partly because of accounts by supposed eyewitnesses, who claimed that the British had bayoneted or mutilated Americans as they were attempting to surrender. Reports included the following:
I with my own Eyes, see them, cut & hack some of our poor Men to pieces after they had fallen in their hands and scarcely shew the least Mercy to any...:— Lt. Col. Adam Hubley, 10th Pennsylvania Regiment [7]
...more than a dozen soldiers had with fixed bayonets formed a cordon round him, and that everyone of them in sport had indulged their brutal ferocity by stabbing him in different parts of his body and limbs...a physician...examining him there was found..46 distinct bayonet wounds...:— William Hutchinson, Pennsylvania Militiaman [8]
The Enemy last Night at twelve o'clock attacked...Our Men just raised from Sleep, moved disorderly — Confusion followed...The Carnage was very great...this is a bloody Month:— Col. Thomas Hartley, 1st Pennsylvania Regiment [9]
The Annals of the Age Cannot Produce such another Scene of Butchery...:— Maj. Samuel Hay, 7th Pennsylvania Regiment [7]
American military historian Mark M. Boatner III refuted these allegations, writing:
American propagandists succeeded in whipping up anti-British sentiment with false accusations that Grey's men had refused quarter and massacred defenseless patriots who tried to surrender...The "no quarter" charge is refuted by the fact that the British took 71 prisoners. The "mangled dead" is explained by the fact that the bayonet is a messy weapon. [6]
Wayne's troops swore revenge and "Remember Paoli!" was used by them as a battle cry at the Battles of Germantown and Stony Point.
To show their defiance, the men of the 2nd Light Infantry dyed their hat feathers red so the Americans would be able to identify them. In 1833, the Light Company of the 46th Regiment of Foot were authorized to wear red cap distinctions instead of the regulation Light Infantry green [10] in commemoration of this gesture.
In 1934, the Royal Berkshire Regiment, which carried on the traditions of the 49th Foot, were authorized to wear a red distinction in their head dress although, misleadingly, this was granted "to commemorate the role of the Light Company at the battle of Brandywine Creek". [11] In the second half of the 20th century, the descendants of both regiments wore red backing to their cap badges and did so until 2006 when The Light Infantry and the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment were absorbed by The Rifles.
In 1877, a granite monument was erected at the site of the battle to replace an 1817 monument that was in poor condition; the Paoli monument inscription replicates the words of the 1817 monument on one side. [12] It stands 22.5 feet (6.9 m) tall and is inscribed on all four sides [13] and is located in a local park in Malvern that was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 as the Paoli Battlefield Site and Parade Grounds. [3]
The battlefield and parade grounds include two contributing buildings, two contributing sites, and five contributing objects on its listing with the National Register of Historic Places, including the Paoli battlefield site, the Paoli parade grounds, the Paoli Massacre Monument (erected in 1817), the Paoli Massacre obelisk (erected in 1877), a World War I monument (erected in 1928), a World War II urn (erected circa 1946), and caretaker's house and garage (built in 1922). [14]
Malvern is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is 19.4 miles (31.2 km) west of Philadelphia. The population was 3,419 at the 2020 census.
Paoli is a census-designated place (CDP) in Chester County near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated in portions of two townships: Tredyffrin and Willistown. At the 2020 census, it had a total population of 6,002.
The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American Continental Army of General George Washington and the British Army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777, as part of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). The forces met near Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. More troops fought at Brandywine than at any other battle of the American Revolution. It was also the second longest single-day battle of the war, after the Battle of Monmouth, with continuous fighting for 11 hours.
The Battle of Germantown was a major engagement in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War. It was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania, between the British Army led by Sir William Howe, and the American Continental Army under George Washington.
The Battle of Bound Brook was a surprise attack conducted by British and Hessian forces against a Continental Army outpost at Bound Brook, New Jersey during the American Revolutionary War. The British objective of capturing the entire garrison was not met, although prisoners were taken. The U.S. commander, Major General Benjamin Lincoln, left in great haste, abandoning papers and personal effects.
The 1st Pennsylvania Regiment - originally mustered as the 1st Pennsylvania Rifles; also known as the 1st Continental Line and 1st Continental Regiment, was raised under the command of Colonel William Thompson for service in the Continental Army.
The 6th Pennsylvania Regiment, first known as the 5th Pennsylvania Battalion, was a unit of the United States of America (U.S.) Army, raised December 9, 1775, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for service with the Continental Army. The regiment would see action during the New York Campaign, Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown, Battle of Monmouth, and Green Spring. The regiment was disbanded on January 1, 1783.
The 8th Pennsylvania Regiment or Mackay's Battalion was an American infantry unit that became part of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Authorized for frontier defense in July 1776, the eight-company unit was originally called Mackay's Battalion after its commander, Colonel Aeneas Mackay. Transferred to the main army in November 1776, the unit was renamed the 8th Pennsylvania Regiment on 1 January 1777. It completed an epic winter march from western Pennsylvania to New Jersey, though Mackay and his second-in-command both died soon afterward. In March 1777 Colonel Daniel Brodhead assumed command. The regiment was engaged at the Battles of Bound Brook, Brandywine, Paoli, and Germantown in 1777. A body of riflemen were detached from the regiment and fought at Saratoga. Assigned to the Western Department in May 1778, the 8th Pennsylvania gained a ninth company before seeing action near Fort Laurens and in the Sullivan Expedition in 1778 and 1779. The regiment consolidated with the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment in January 1781 and ceased to exist.
The 11th Pennsylvania Regiment or Old Eleventh was authorized on 16 September 1776 for service with the Continental Army. On 25 October, Richard Humpton was named colonel. In December 1776, the regiment was assigned to George Washington's main army and was present at Assunpink Creek and fought at Princeton in January 1777. During the spring, the unit assembled at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in a strength of eight companies. The soldiers were recruited from Philadelphia and four nearby counties. On 22 May 1777, the regiment became part of the 2nd Pennsylvania Brigade. The 11th was in the thick of the action at Brandywine, Paoli, and Germantown in 1777. It was present at White Marsh and Monmouth. On 1 July 1778, the unit was consolidated with the 10th Pennsylvania Regiment, and the 11th Regiment ceased to exist. Humpton took command of the reorganized unit.
The 9th Virginia Regiment was authorized in the Virginia State Troops on January 11, 1776. It was subsequently organized between February 5 and March 16, 1776, and comprised seven companies of troops from easternmost Virginia. The unit was adopted into the Continental Army on May 31, 1776. The regiment participated in the Battle of Brandywine and the Battle of Germantown. At Germantown, under the command of Colonel George Mathews, the unit penetrated so deeply into the British lines that it was isolated from the remainder of General Nathanael Greene's division and over 400 men were taken prisoner by the British. Four retreating companies of the 1st British Light Infantry Battalion found themselves in the rear of the Virginians and attacked. Surprised, the 9th was driven farther into the British camp where it was beset by the brigade of Charles Grey, 1st Earl Grey and the 2nd British Light Infantry Battalion. After being attacked on all sides and Mathews wounded, the regiment surrendered near Kelly's Hill together with part of the 6th Virginia Regiment. The unit was consolidated with the 1st Virginia Regiment on May 12, 1779, and the consolidated unit was designated as the 1st Virginia Regiment. The unit was captured on May 12, 1780, by the British Army at the Siege of Charleston and was disbanded on November 15, 1783.
Pennsylvania was the site of many key events associated with the American Revolution and American Revolutionary War. The city of Philadelphia, then capital of the Thirteen Colonies and the largest city in the colonies, was a gathering place for the Founding Fathers who discussed, debated, developed, and ultimately implemented many of the acts, including signing the Declaration of Independence, that inspired and launched the revolution and the quest for independence from the British Empire.
The Battle of White Marsh or Battle of Edge Hill was a battle of the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought December 5–8, 1777, in the area surrounding Whitemarsh Township, Pennsylvania. The battle, which took the form of a series of skirmish actions, was the last major engagement of 1777 between British and American forces.
The Battle of Matson's Ford was a battle in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought on December 11, 1777 in the area surrounding Matson's Ford. In this series of minor skirmish actions, advance patrols of Pennsylvania militia encountered a British foraging expedition and were overrun. The British pushed ahead to Matson's Ford, where units of the Continental Army were making their way across the Schuylkill River. The Americans retreated to the far side, destroying their temporary bridge across the Schuylkill. The British left the area the next day to continue foraging elsewhere; the Continentals crossed the river at Swede's Ford to Bridgeport, Pennsylvania, a few miles upriver from Matson's Ford.
The Brandywine Battlefield Historic Site is a National Historical Landmark. The historic park is owned and operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, on 52 acres (210,000 m2), near Chadds Ford, Delaware County, Pennsylvania in the United States.
The Battle of the Clouds was a failed attempt to delay the British advance on Philadelphia during the American Revolutionary War on September 16, 1777, in the area surrounding present day Malvern, Pennsylvania. After the American defeat at the Battle of Brandywine, the British Army remained encamped near Chadds Ford. When British commander William Howe was informed that the weakened American force was less than ten miles (16 km) away, he decided to press for another decisive victory.
The Battle of Cooch's Bridge, also known as the Battle of Iron Hill, was fought on September 3, 1777, between the Continental Army and American militia and primarily German soldiers serving alongside the British Army during the American Revolutionary War. It was the only significant military action during the war on the soil of Delaware, and it took place about a week before the major Battle of Brandywine. Some traditions claim this as the first battle which saw the U.S. flag.
The following units and commanders fought in the Battle of Paoli during the American Revolutionary War. The Battle of Paoli was part of the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought on September 21, 1777, in the area surrounding present-day Malvern, Pennsylvania.
At the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777 a colonial American army led by General George Washington fought a British-Hessian army commanded by General William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe. Washington drew up his troops in a defensive position behind Brandywine Creek. Howe sent Lieutenant General Wilhelm von Knyphausen's 5,000 troops to demonstrate against the American front at Chadd's Ford. Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis took 10,000 troops on a wide flank march that crossed the creek and got in the rear of the American right wing under Major General John Sullivan. The Americans changed front but Howe's attack broke through.
Walter Stewart was an Irish-born American general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
Hartley's Additional Continental Regiment was an American infantry unit of the Continental Army that served for two years during the American Revolutionary War. The regiment was authorized in January 1777 and Thomas Hartley was appointed its commander. The unit comprised eight companies from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware. When permanent brigades were formed in May 1777, the regiment was transferred to the 1st Pennsylvania Brigade. Hartley's Regiment fought at Brandywine, Paoli, and Germantown in 1777. The unit helped defend the Pennsylvania frontier against indigenous raids in the Summer and early Fall of 1778. In January 1779, following a resolution of the Continental Congress the regiment, along with Patton's Additional Continental Regiment and part of Malcolm's Additional Continental Regiment, were combined to form a complete battalion known as the "New" 11th Pennsylvania Regiment. The 11th participated in the Sullivan Expedition in the summer of that year. In January 1781 the 11th merged with the 3rd Pennsylvania Regiment and ceased to exist.