“Issue the orders Sir, and I will storm Hell.” (Mad Anthony Wayne)

The American Revolution is replete with seminal moments that every American learns in school, from the “shot heard ‘round the world” to the Declaration of Independence, but the events that led up to the fighting at Lexington and Concord were borne out of 10 years of division between the British and their American colonies over everything from colonial representation in governments to taxation, the nature of searches, and the quartering of British regulars in private houses. From 1764-1775, a chain of events that included lightning rods like the Townshend Acts led to bloodshed in the form of the Boston Massacre, while the Boston Tea Party became a symbol of nonviolent protest.

One of the most unique aspects of the Revolutionary War is that a number of the most recognizable American heroes of that war hailed from overseas. When the Revolution began, the Continental Army sported numerous volunteers from Ireland, Scotland, virtually every European nation between France and Russia, and men from the northern and southern borders of the European continent. This is understandable, given that at the start of the war, military confrontations between the world powers had become so common that combat was raised to the status of a fine art, consuming a large portion of time for adolescent males in training and comprising a sizable component of the economy. Weaponry was developed to a degree of quality not accessible to most North Americans, and European aristocrats were reared in the mastery of swordsmanship with an emphasis on the saber for military use. Likewise, the cavalry, buoyed by a tradition of expert horsemanship and saddle-based combat, was a fighting force largely beyond reach for colonists, which meant that fighting on horses was an undeveloped practice in the fledgling Continental Army, and the American military did not yet fully comprehend the value of cavalry units. Few sword masters were to find their way to North America in time for the war, and the typical American musket was a fair hunting weapon rather than a military one. Even the foot soldier knew little of European military discipline.

All of this helps explain why, aside from George Washington, many Americans are likely able to name just as many foreign generals on the rebel side as American generals. While names like Lafayette, Pulaski, Kościuszko, and Baron von Steuben are quickly associated with the Revolution, American officers like Nathanael Greene, Anthony Wayne, Horatio Gates, Henry Knox, and Light-Horse Harry Lee are often overlooked.

In fact, Wayne was one of early America’s most important commanders, from his distinguished service in the Revolutionary War to leading soldiers against various Native American bands along the frontier after America secured its independence. Wayne played critical roles in several of the Revolution’s most noteworthy campaigns, from the fateful Quebec invasion of 1775-1776 to the Yorktown campaign that ended the major fighting in 1781, with crucial actions at places like Valley Forge and Stony Point. He had been promoted to major general by the time the war ended, and when he died near the end of the 18th century while still on active duty, few American military officers had left behind as influential legacy as the daring but almost-always successful general.

Mad Anthony Wayne: The Life and Legacy of the Famous Revolutionary War General profiles one of the Revolutionary War’s most famous soldiers. You will learn about Wayne like never before.