"Men who are Determined to be Free"
During 1779, armies under the command of American General George Washington and British General Sir William Clinton were locked in a strategic stalemate. The entry of the French into the war as American allies had shifted the strategic initiative and caused the British government to order Clinton to dispatch significant forces to the West Indies and southern colonies. The reduction in his available forces hampered Clinton’s efforts to bring Washington to a decisive engagement. Clinton decided to launch an attack north from New York to establish a base of operations that would allow an attack on the American fortress at West Point. In late June 1779 Clinton moved men and materiel into position for his thrust up the Hudson while Washington cautiously responded by moving his army north. Clinton struck on 3 July 1779, capturing the strategic Kings Ferry crossing of the Hudson River along with American forts at Stony Point and Verplank’s Point. Soon after Washington began to develop an audacious plan to recapture the strongpoint and restore American fortunes. After organizing an elite force of light infantry, Washington spent several days observing the British position at Stony Point and collecting intelligence on British defenses. He proposed a nighttime assault. At midnight on 15 July, 1779 Washington directed Brigadier General Anthony Wayne to lead 1,300 men against the British defenders of Stony Point. In little over one hour the American light infantry captured Stony Point With news of the American victory Washington quickly rode to the fort to congratulate Wayne and his men. Recognizing that he had neither the troops nor the resources needed to defend Stony Point against an expected British counterattack Washington ordered all supplies and arms to be removed, prisoners marched into captivity and the fortifications destroyed. Although the British did successfully reoccupy Stony Point several days later, the Americans trumpeted their unexpected victory and a chagrined General Clinton concluded a further offensive up the Hudson River towards West Point would be pointless.
The Assault on Stony Point
The Enterprise in Contemplation
Published on the eve of the 225th anniversary of the battle of Stony Point, The Enterprise in Contemplation recounts one of the most dramatic and least known episodes of the Revolutionary War-the midnight assault of formidable British fortifications by the American Corps of Light Infantry, led by General Anthony Wayne, and armed only with unloaded muskets and fixed bayonets. The book is the first full description of Wayne's attack on the Hudson River stronghold in more than a hundred years, and helps explain, through the use of primary source material, how a garrison of more than 500 experienced troops, protected by fifteen cannon, the Royal Navy, and another fort less than a mile away, was captured in less than thirty minutes. As it relates the story of one of the most daring military exploits in the eight-year struggle that marked the longest conflict ever fought on American soil, The Enterprise in Contemplation explains the American strategy, examines the flawed British defensive plan as well as the actions and locations of the beleaguered defenders, and is rich in detail and documentation. It is a well-told tale of two armies clashing by night, and alive with what has been called the human face of battle-ordinary people reacting to extraordinary circumstances with bravery, valor, and determination.
Men Who Are Determined to Be Free
The 1779 American Revolutionary War campaign leading up to the American assault and capture of Stony Point, New York, led by General Anthony Wayne.
The Assault on Stony Point: By General Anthony Wayne, July 16, 1779: Prepared for the New York Historical Society, and Read at Its Regular Meeting
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