WAYNE, ANTHONY (1745-1796), American soldier, was born in the township of Easttown, Chester county, (Pa.), on Jan. I, 1745. He first saw service at the head of a Pennsylvania bat talion during the retreat of Benedict Arnold, after the Quebec campaign. In 1777 he was commissioned brigadier-general, as a reward for his distinguished service at Ticonderoga. He took a prominent part in the battles of Brandywine and Germantown, and at Monmouth he turned the fortunes of the day by his stub born and successful resistance. His greatest stroke was the storm ing of Stony Point, where in person he led the midnight attack of his troops over the walls of the British fort. This well-planned enterprise won for Wayne the popular sobriquet of "Mad Anthony." Wayne also did much to counteract the effect of Bene dict Arnold's treason and of the mutiny of the Pennsylvania troops. In 1781 he was sent south to join Gen. Nathaniel Greene, but in Virginia he was deflected to aid Lafayette against Lord Cornwallis. In 1792 Washington appointed him to succeed St. Clair in the command of the western army with the rank of major general. The Government continued its efforts to induce the Indians to allow white settlements beyond the Ohio, but upon the failure of a mission in 1793 Wayne advanced to Greenville, a port on a branch of the Great Miami. In July of 1794 Wayne's regu lars were reinforced by about 1,600 Kentucky militia, and the combined forces advanced to Fort Defiance on the Miami river.
Here Wayne made a final effort to treat with the Indians, and upon being rebuffed, moved forward and decisively defeated them in the battle of Fallen Timbers. This defeat, supplemented by the treaty of Greenville, which he negotiated with the Indians, on Aug. 3, 1795, resulted in opening the north-west to civilization. Wayne retained his position as commander of the army after its reorganization, and he rendered service in quelling the proposed filibustering expeditions from Kentucky against the Spanish dominions, and also took the lead in occupying the lake posts delivered up by the British. While engaged in this service he died at Erie (Pa.) on Dec. 15, 1796.
See J. Munsell, (ed.), Wayne's Orderly Book of the Northern Army at Fort Ticonderoga and Mount Independence (Albany, 1859) ; Boyer, A Journal of Wayne's Campaign (Cincinnati, 1866) ; William Clark, A Journal of Major-General Anthony Wayne's Campaign against the Shawnee Indians (MSS. owned by R. C. Ballard Thruston) ; Charles J. Stille, Major-General Anthony Wayne and the Pennsylvania Line (Philadelphia, 1893) ; J. R. Spears, Anthony Wayne (19o3); Thomas Boyd, Mad Anthony Wayne (1929).