Americans+Capture+British+fort+at+Stony+Point

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= __**Background**__ = The Battle of Stony Point was a battle part of the American Revolutionary War fought on the night of July 15th to July 16th, 1779. A select force of Continental Army infantry made a coordinated surprise attack by night and stormed a fortified position of the British Army on the Hudson River south of West Point, New York. The position was taken in 25 minutes.

Brigadier General Anthony Wayne had been ordered by George Washington to prepare a plan to take Stony Point back from the British. Surprise was essential to a successful attack, as it had been proven to be good luck in past battles. Wayne rejected the idea of a simultaneous attack on Fort LaFayette, as he wanted to take it back after the capture of Stony Point. Washington approved the plan, ordering it take place on July 16th.

General Wayne chose the Light Infantry Brigade, consisting of 1,200 of the best soldiers in the Continental Army, for the assault. Wayne's Light Infantry Brigade moved out of their encampment, near Fort Montgomery, which was about seven miles north of Stony Point. They marched to Springsteel, a mile and a half from the target of Stony Point. Security at Stony Point was extremely tight, and it is known that dogs were killed by the Continental Army to prevent them from barking and alerting the British.

Just before midnight on July 15th, the Continental Army moved forward towards Stony Point. To prevent a musket from accidentally firing or friendly fire incidents, the troops were ordered not to load their weapons, and instead, use only their bayonets.

To encourage the men to fight their hardest, a bounty was offered by General Washington. The first man to enter the fort would be awarded $500.00, the second man $400.00, the third man $300.00, the fourth man $200.00, and the fifth man $100.00.

Wayne's losses were fifteen killed and eighty-three wounded. Five hundred forty-six prisoners were taken, seventy-four of which were wounded. Some Patriot sources say that there were sixty-three British dead, but military historian Mark M. Boatner accepts the official British report of twenty killed. However, the report from Lieutenant Colonel Henry Johnson to Sir Henry Clinton sent on July 24, 1779 also lists 58 missing that were separate from the men killed, wounded, or captured.

**Anthony Wayne - U.S. Army General (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796)** Born on January 1, 1745 in Easttown Township, Pennsylvania, Anthony Wayne, also known as Mad Anthony, was a United States Army general and statesman.

At the beginning of the war in 1775, Wayne raised a unit of militia and, in 1776, he became colonel of the 4th Pennsylvania Regiment. He and his regiment were part of the unsuccessful Continental Army invasion of Canada. His service resulted in a promotion to brigadier general on February 21, 1777.

Later, he commanded the Pennsylvania Line at Brandywine, Paoli, and Germantown. He also led the American attack at the Battle of Monmouth. During this battle, Wayne's forces were pinned down by the British, which had many more troops. However, Wayne held out until relieved by reinforcements sent by Washington.

The highlight of Wayne's service in the Revolutionary War was probably his victory at Stony Point. In July 1779, Washington named Wayne to command the Corps of Light Infantry in a bayonets-only night attack. They were personally led by Wayne towards Stony Point, a cliffside redoubt commanding the southern Hudson River, where they stormed the British fortifications. The success of this operation provided a boost to the morale of an army which had at that time suffered a series of military defeats. He was later awarded a medal by Congress for the victory.

Wayne also led forces in an action at Green Spring, Virginia, where he led a bayonet charge against the British forces after stepping into a trap set by Charles Cornwallis. After the British surrendered at Yorktown, he went further south and severed the British alliance with Native American tribes in Georgia. He then negotiated peace treaties with both the Creek and the Cherokee, for which Georgia rewarded him with a large rice plantation.

Anthony Wayne was promoted to major general on October 10, 1783.

** Rufus Putnam - Colonial Military Officer (April 9, 1738–May 4, 1824) ** Rufus Putnam was a colonial military officer during the French and Indian War, and a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was born in Sutton, Massachusetts. He was related to Israel Putnam, the renowned general during the American Revolution through his grandfather. His father died when he was around 6 or 7, and so he temporarily lived with his grandfather. Putnam's mother then remarried two years later to John Sadler. Rufus lived in an inn with his mother and stepfather in Sutton. Putnam immediately enlisted the same day the shots at The Battle of Lexington were fired on April 19, 1775. He served in one of Massachusetts first revolutionary regiments.

He later enlisted in the Continental Army as a Lieutenant Colonel, serving under the command of David Brewer. David Brewer's regiment first engaged with the British in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Rufus Putnam, using his knowledge and skill from when he was a millwright, constructed the fortifications necessary for obtaining victory. His fortifications played as a key advantage for the Continental Army, securing victories at Sewall's Point, Providence, New Port, Dorchester Heights, Long Island, and West Point. In 1779, Putnam served under Major General Anthony Wayne in the Corps of Light Infantry following the capture of Stony Point as commander of the 4th Regiment. Putnam's remaining military career was rather uneventful. In January 1783 he was commissioned as brigadier general. General Washington later appointed Putnam to be the Chief of Engineers of the Works of New York. Then he was promoted to engineer with the rank of colonel. However, when the Continental Congress rejected his proposition to establish a corp of engineers in December 1776, Putnam resigned from the position.

Life at Stony Point media type="youtube" key="6NlLmSZQegY?rel=0" height="315" width="420" align="center"

Stony Point Cannon Firing Simulation media type="youtube" key="UEw4AY0E2OE?rel=0" height="315" width="560" align="center"