Battle of Paoli

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 21, 1777 in the area surrounding present-day Malvern, Pennsylvania. Following the American retreats at the Battle of Brandywine and the Battle of the Clouds, George Washington left a force under the command of Brigadier General Anthony Wayne behind in order to monitor and harass the British as they prepared to move on the revolutionary capital of Philadelphia. On the evening of September 20, British forces under the command of Major General Charles Grey led a surprise attack on Wayne's encampment near the Paoli Tavern. Although there were relatively few American casualties, claims were made that the British took no prisoners and granted no quarter, and the engagement became known (from an American perspective) as the "Paoli Massacre."

Background

Following the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777, Brigadier General "Mad" Anthony Wayne was forced to retreat with his troops to Chester. British forces continued to advance on Philadelphia, and Wayne's Pennsylvania Division now attempted to harass the enemy. Wayne assumed that their presence was undetected and camped close to the British lines in Paoli. Wayne's division consisted of the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th Pennsylvania Regiments, plus Hartley's Regiment, and an attached artillery company and a small force of dragoons. All told, it was about 1,500 strong. Camped nearby was Smallwood's Maryland Militia, probably another 500 troops. [http://www.ushistory.org/march/phila/paoli.htm]

Battle

At 10 p.m. on September 20, British commander Major General Charles Grey set out to launch a surprise attack on Wayne's Camp, near the General Paoli Tavern, from which the battle takes its name, located near Malvern. Grey's troops consisted of the 2nd Light Infantry, a composite battalion formed from the light companies of 13 regiments, plus the 42nd and 44th Foot. Altogether, his brigade comprised some 1200 men.

To ensure that the Americans were not alerted, Grey had the flints removed from his troop's muskets, earning him the nickname "No Flint" Grey.

The British, led by a local blacksmith forced to act as guide, approached the camp from a wood and were able to achieve complete surprise. They stormed the camp in three waves—the 2nd Light Infantry in the lead followed by the 44th and the 42nd. Completely unprepared, Wayne's troops fled from the camp and were pursued. Near the White Horse Tavern the British encountered Smallwood's force and routed it as well.

With nine casualties, four of them being fatalities, the British had routed an entire American division, killing 53, wounding 113, and capturing 71. [http://www.ushistory.org/march/phila/paoli_1.htm]

Aftermath

An official inquiry found that Wayne was not guilty of misconduct but 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 had acted with honor.

The incident gained some notoriety with rumors that the British had stabbed or burned Americans who tried to surrender, making martyrs out of the casualties and the battle was dubbed, "the Paoli Massacre". Military historian Mark M. Boatner III has this to say on the matter:"“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”." [Boatner, Mark Mayo, Cassell’s Biographical Dictionary of the American War of Independence 1763-1783, Cassell, London, 1966, ISBN 0 304 29296 6, page 829] Nevertheless, some of Wayne's troops swore revenge. To show their defiance, the Light Companies of the 46th and 49th Foot, who were both part of the 2nd Light Infantry, dyed their hat feathers red so the Americans would be able to identify them. The Royal Berkshire Regiment, which carries on the traditions of the 49th Foot, still wears a red backing behind their cap badges to commemorate this.

References

Further reading

*McGuire, Thomas J. "Battle of Paoli". Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2000.

External links

* [http://www.ushistory.org/paoli/ Paoli Battlefield Preservation Fund]
* [http://www.ushistory.org/march/phila/paoli.htm Paoli Massacre page at USHistory.org]