On January 1, 1745, 275 years ago today, Fort Wayne’s namesake, General “Mad” Anthony Wayne, was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania. In celebration of Wayne’s 275th birthday, Michael J. F. Sheehan, Senior Historian of the Stony Point Battlefield in Stony Point, New York, has graciously allowed the History Center to share excerpts from his recent study “‘Mad Anthony:’ The Reality Behind the Nickname.”
One sobriquet, “Mad Anthony” for General Anthony Wayne, has stuck on and off in the American consciousness for two centuries. Its origin is not precise and it is not totally clear through which veins it most enduringly entered the public mindset. There is however one unifying theme to nearly each documentable time Wayne is referred to as “mad” prior to the era of the Mexican-American War: it is not endearing, and it generally carries harsh criticism.
A number of Wayne’s biographers attribute the start of the “mad” nickname to a mysterious soldier under his command called Jemmy the Drover/Rover, or sometimes the “Commodore.” The earliest documentable version of this tale appears in 1829 in a Philadelphia magazine called The Casket. Essentially, the story goes that Jemmy, upon being sent to the guardhouse and threatened with flogging for disorderly conduct, was upset to find that these orders and threats were handed down from Wayne himself. An angry Jemmy exclaimed “Anthony is mad- farewell to you- clear the coast for the commodore, mad Anthony’s friend!” The story is difficult to take seriously for a number of reasons and far better documented accounts appear in earlier historical records.
In July 1780, Wayne led a disastrous attack on a blockhouse in New Jersey at Bull’s Ferry. To scoff at Wayne and the whole affair, British Adjutant General Major John Andre wrote a long, mocking poem entitled “The Cow Chace.” One passage that fictionally portrays a nymph or young woman fleeing the battle goes: ‘A nymph, the Refugees had drove, Far from her native tree; Just happen’d to be on the move, when up came Wayne and Lee; She in mad Anthony’s fierce eye, the hero saw pourtray’d; And all in tears, she took him by the bridle of his Jade.’ Wayne, it is implied, then goes on to seduce her, so in this case, the term “mad” is associated with his shortcomings as a gentleman and as an officer, his failing to take the blockhouse.
On July 6, 1781, Wayne fought the Battle of Green Springs in Virginia in which the Americans were seriously outnumbered. A doctor to his troops, Dr. Robert Wharry, wrote that the battle was “another Blockhouse affair-Madness-Mad A[nthon]y, by G[od] I never such a piece of work heard of- about eight hundred troops opposed to five or six thousand Veterans upon their own ground.”
Nearly a dozen years later, in March 1793, a song called the “Parnassian Chronicle” appeared in the Vermont Gazette. Supposedly to the tune of the then popular song “Derry Down,” one verse reads: ‘In the system of war we are rising apace, Mad Anthony’s keeping the Indians in place; With the pomp and parade of a nabob…a Knox, While he stall feeds his men he’s avoiding hard knocks.’ While not particularly critical, it does poke some fun at Wayne’s love of pomp and ceremony, which at times during his career wasn’t far off the mark.
In June 1794, the Gazette of the United States published a scathing editorial against Wayne, the author of which was only identified as a “gentleman from Gen. Wayne’s camp, who may be depended upon,” rumored to be his second in command, General James Wilkinson. In the piece, a number of anecdotes and accusations are delivered, including one where “Wayne…being as mad and sanguinary as ever; and very much bloated with the ideas of his military prowess, wants to be dealing in blood.” A little while later, the gentleman claimed, “mad Anthony began to be alarmed at the prospect of peace,” and so ordered the construction of a new road, ostensibly to coax the Miami into a fight.
General Wayne died at Presque Isle, Pennsylvania on December 15, 1796; however his nickname continued to appear for decades, such as in 1821 when the Long-Island Star reported: “Gen. Wayne, often called mad Anthony from the impetuosity of his attacks.” There are other early 19th century references, each telling a military tale of his, and some that aren’t stories at all. A cannon on the USS Chesapeake in 1812, a fighting cock in Charleston in 1822 and a racehorse in New Orleans in 1838 all claimed “Mad Anthony” as their namesake.
In 1845, Horatio N. Moore published the first official biography of Wayne with the help of the General’s son, Isaac, at the time in his seventies. The book includes the Jemmy the Drover tale, (much of the book is taken from the pieces on Wayne in The Casket) and so perhaps for the first time, the “mad” moniker reached a national audience, as opposed to local newspapers, though it is evident that the idea of the name being associated with Wayne was already present.
General Anthony Wayne statue at Freimann Square shown in Street View photo from Google map which has over 200 photos of the statue and various events at Freimann Square over the years
Today, we congratulate General “Mad” Anthony Wayne (1745-1796), and his bride, Mary “Polly” Penrose (1746-1793), on the occasion of the couple’s 257th Anniversary of their wedding. The couple met at a military ball in Philadelphia, and they were married on March 25, 1776 at Christ’s Church, Pennsylvania. The couple settled on Wayne’s family estate in Eastown, located in Chester County, PA. They remained married for 17 years until Mary’s death at the age of 47, three years before the General’s death at the age of 51. The couple had two children, Margaretta Wayne Atlee (1770-1810); and, Isaac Wayne (1772-1852). The remains of both Anthony Wayne and Mary Penrose Wayne rest in peace at St. David’s Episcopal Church, Radnor Township, Delaware County, PA.
Interestingly, the Allen County Public LibraryGenealogy Center has an artifact of that marriage, being the Anthony and Mary (Penrose) Wayne Family Bible. It was published in 1788, and presented by Wayne’s wife, Mary, to their son, Isaac Wayne. It is believed that this occurred relatively soon after the book was published, and it contains Mary Wayne’s inscription to Isaac. The family’s events were recorded in the Bible, with more than sixty years of family information contained in it. The Bible was acquired approximately twenty years ago, at auction, to the chagrin of other Wayne fans around the country.
Our friend, Curt B. Witcher, Director of Special Collections at the Genealogy Center, Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, IN, showed General “Mad” Anthony Wayne (living historian David Rousculp) the Wayne Family Bible on Friday, March 24, 2023 at the library, and they're both seen in the photo on this post.
“We think that it is both notable and significant that the actual Wayne Family Bible, being such an important item in history, is located at the public library in the city named for General Wayne”, Rousculp stated. “It creates a physical bond with the namesake of our city that cannot be denied.”
Spent some time with mad Anthony Wayne today at the library where his wife's family Bible is located. It was printed in 1788. Given to son Isaac Wayne in the 1800s by Mary Penrose it is stored safely in a vault for preservation...at the Allen County Fort Wayne Public Library. You can view it by giving advance notification.
Message written by Mary to her son may be read also.
Curt Witcher the director of Special Collections kindly greeted Mad Anthony and myself.
Map of Fort Wayne said to have been made on July 18, 1795, for General Anthony Wayne is at the Library of Congress. "Fort Wayne ... the first American post, built in 1794 and named for Anthony Wayne after his victory at Fallen Timbers, was located across the St. Marys from the old Miami village of Kekionga and the remains of old Fort Miami, at the present intersection of Clay and Berry streets"--Ency. of Historic Forts, p. 281-282.
General Wayne's Camp Bed on page 141 in The pictorial history of Fort Wayne, Indiana : a review of two centuries of occupation of the region about the head of the Maumee River by Griswold, B. J. (Bert Joseph), 1873-1927; Taylor, Samuel R., Mrs, Publication date 1917, on Archive.org. General Anthony Wayne's Field Bed is still on permanent exhibit at the The History Center. Wayne used this camp bed during the Revolutionary War and in the Northwest Territory from 1792-1796. Folding camp beds were used by military officers such as Anthony Wayne and George Washington in the eighteenth century. Copied from page 141 above: Probably the most Interesting and valuable Item in the exhibit of historic mementos in the relic room of the Allen county court house, is the camp bed used by General Wayne during his western campaign. The bed, which is made of walnut and hinged in such manner as to permit It to be folded and placed in a small box, has an interesting history. After his Revolutionary war service, Wayne, who had used the bed during his campaigns, took it to his farm home near Waynesboro. In 1792, he brought it on his western expedition and used it until the time of his departure from Greenville where the famous treaty was effected. He then gave the bed to Major Ambrose Whitlock, who had served through Wayne's western campaign and had assisted in the building of the fort. After the death of Major Whitlock at Crawfordsville, Indiana, in 1863, the bed remained in the home until some time after the death of the widow, Elizabeth Whitlock, when it came into the possession of the nephew of the widow, James W. Binford. then living at Paris, Illinois. In 1890, Mr. Binford removed with his daughters to Washington. D. C. Two years later, Mrs. Amy R. Seavey, of Fort Wayne, while in Washington, learned of the relic and visited the Binfords. This resulted in the loan of the bed to the local Sons of the American Revolution for exhibition purposes during the centennial celebration in Fort Wayne, in 1895. Again, in 1902, through the efforts of the members of the Mary Penrose Wayne chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the daughters of the late James W. Binford loaned the relic, with the understanding that It should remain on exhibition in Fort Wayne until such time as a proper place could be made for it in the National Museum In Washington. It is considered a permanent feature of the Fort Wayne historical exhibit.
“Anthony Wayne Slept Here” could first be proclaimed at the Confluence of the Three Rivers 225 years ago today when General Wayne and his Legion of the United States occupied Kekionga on September 17, 1794. The Legion arrived that day on orders from President George Washington to construct a permanent military fortification that would one day bear the name Fort Wayne. Wayne used this folding camp bed, also known as a field bed, during the Revolutionary War and later during his campaigns in the Northwest Territory from 1792–1796. Camp beds of this type were commonly used by military officers such as Anthony Wayne and George Washington in the eighteenth century. The bed supported a canvas mattress and a canopy hung on the upper frame to keep out mosquitoes and drafts. The removable canopy structure and hinges on the legs and bed frame made it quite portable. The bed collapses to 42” x 23” x 11,” which is about the size of a large suitcase, for easy transportation. When Wayne completed his work in the Northwest and was preparing to return home, he gave the bed to his friend and aid Ambrose Whitlock. It was borrowed from a descendant of Whitlock for the Fort Wayne Centennial celebration in October 1895, and again by the Mary Penrose Wayne Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution for the “Relic Room” display during the dedication of the Allen County Courthouse on September 23, 1902. It remained in possession of the DAR and was subsequently donated to the Historical Society in 1933. From the Relic Room to the Society’s Swinney House and Old City Building Hall, General Anthony Wayne’s field bed has remained an important feature of our organization’s permanent exhibitions. More recently, the bed was used in 2013 as a model by Colonial Williamsburg to recreate a replica of George Washington’s own field bed for a display entitled “The First Oval Office” and was also one of three exceptionally significant artifacts loaned to the Indiana State Museum during its “Indiana in 200 Objects” temporary exhibit during the state bicentennial celebrations of 2016. #sociallyhistory
Mad Anthony Wayne posted Jan 3, 2015 by Decater Collins on YouTube
Part of the Quitting The Grave series of documentaries on American frontier history. Special Thanks to Walter Font and the Fort Wayne History Center. Please visit their website here: fwhistorycenter.com Shot and Edited by Decater Orlando Collins.
After the Revolutionary War, our nation organized a new military force known as the Legion of the United States, the precursor to the modern-day U.S. Army. Its first commander was Brig. General Anthony Wayne. In honor of General Wayne, and those who fought under his command, our Organization each year bestows the "Legion of the United States Award", primarily for community service. Previous Winners include Robert "Bob" Jones; and Dr. Jerome Adams. The 2023 winner will receive the award on Sunday, July 16, during a ceremony beginning at 3:00 p.m. at Freimann Square. Stay tuned for the announcement of the winner later today. (Pictured: GMAWO past-president Michael Skeens; 2022 recipient Dr. Jerome Adams; reenactor David "Mad Anthony Wayne" Rousculp.)
March 25, 2019The History Centerposted a statement on Facebook: STATEMENT ON MAD ANTHONY WAYNE DAY For 98 years, the community has entrusted the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society (The History Center) with serving present and future generations by collecting, preserving and sharing artifacts, documents and images that describe the people, places and events that define Fort Wayne and Allen County history. The organization adheres to a rigorous code of professional standards and ethics that requires historical interpretations to reflect thorough research, sound scholarship, temporal context and cultural inclusiveness. The History Center was not consulted in the creation of the “Mad Anthony Wayne Day” resolution; however, if City Council wishes to address the concerns regarding the accuracy of the history included in R-19-02-12, the organization would eagerly consider such a request.
Historical fiction Resolution perpetuates long-debunked Native American stereotypes by Stephen Warren published April 26, 2019 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.
"Anthony Wayne, son of Isaac, looming up before us to day, was born January 1, 1745, and grew to young manhood upon his father's plantation of over five hundred acres, and about the tannery, traces of which still remain. He had the benefit of a somewhat desultory education received from an uncle living in the country, and he spent two years in Philadelphia at the academy out of which arose the University of Pennsylvania. The bent of his mind even in boyhood was to mathematics rather than to literature. At the time of the French and Indian war, wherein his father had served as a captain, he was at an age when startling events make their strongest and most lasting impressions, and in his sport he discarded balls and marbles to construct intrenchments and engage in mimic battles. At the academy he studied surveying and determined to make that occupation the pursuit of his life.”
From: Anthony Wayne by Samuel Pennypacker, published in 1908
Sources says not in copyright
Image: Major-General Anthony Wayne by James Peale c. 1795, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain
So where, exactly, is General "Mad" Anthony Wayne buried?
Haunted Places in Erie Pa. Mad Anthony Wayne posted Nov 14, 2019 by David DiCola on YouTube Erie News Now produced a three part series on Haunted Urban Legends in and around Erie Pa. We learned about Revolutionary War soldier Anthony Wayne and how his spirit still haunts Route 322 every New Years Day.
Following the dedication of our first American fort on October 22, 1794, the namesake of our city, General Anthony Wayne, never again graced the land of three rivers. Wayne died from complications of gout on December 15, 1796 and was buried at Fort Presque Isle (present-day Erie, Pennsylvania). His son Isaac Wayne disinterred the body in 1809, relocating it to the family plot at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Radnor, Pennsylvania. These decayed remnants are from the original coffin that held General Wayne’s body while buried at Fort Presque Isle. Come and glimpse these objects and much more during Fright Night!
Outside, the weather is turning crisp, the leaves are beginning to change color, and the days are getting shorter. When that happens, it seems inevitable that our thoughts begin to turn in a more eerie direction. In this part of the country, perhaps no figure dominates the landscape quite like “Mad” Anthony Wayne. Wayne’s life is well known, but what do you know about his death? Did you know that he was buried in not one but two graves?
Certainly, the character of “Mad” Anthony Wayne seems to be an odd choice for a ghostly afterlife. His actual life was dramatic enough. A towering figure of the American Revolution, Wayne was noted for his aggression upon the battlefield. When asked if he could take the fortress of Stony Point, New York, Wayne replied “Issue the order, and I’ll storm Hell!” The General was not called on to do that, but he did serve ably throughout the war. This was not the end of his service though. Wayne would command the Legion of the United States and defeat the Northwest Indian Confederacy, opening the modern American Midwest to settlement.
Shortly after his great victory at Fallen Timbers (1794), Wayne took ill. A lifetime of hard living had taken its toll on the man. He suffered from gout, a disease that sprouted up from too much alcohol and red meat. Wayne shuffled off this mortal coil on December 15, 1796 aged just fifty-one. He was buried underneath the floor, next to the flagpole, of a fort blockhouse in modern day Erie, Pennsylvania. That seemed to be the end of old “Mad” Anthony, yet that was not the case.
For thirteen years, his body rested underneath that fort. Such an ignominious grave seemed inappropriate for a prominent war hero. In 1809, his children, Isaac and Margaretta, decided to return his body home. Isaac journeyed to Fort Presque Isle and had his father’s body disinterred. The remains of “Mad Anthony” were uniquely well preserved for being underground for over a decade.
Isaac Wayne realized he could not transport his father’s body back home to stately Waynesborough Manor across the rugged paths that passed for roads at the time. He solved the problem in a distinctly grisly manner. He had “Mad” Anthony boiled in a large iron pot, separating the remaining tissue from the bones. The parts were then separated. Embalming had only just arrived and was not available. While this method seems gruesome to us today, this form of preservation was not uncommon, especially for bodies that were located far away from their eventual burying place. Onlookers made the scene more ghoulish by snipping off locks of the General’s hair. One particular witness grabbed a boot off of Wayne’s foot. He then had a companion boot made for the other foot and proceeded to wear them until they fell apart.
Isaac loaded up his father’s bones for the long journey across Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, it seems the casket carrying the precious load was not fully secure. Along the rough wagon roads, bumps and knocks were the order of the day. It seems that some bones were knocked out of the wagon on the long trip home.
They say that every January 1, Wayne’s birthday, you can see his ghost riding on horseback between Erie and Philadelphia, looking for his lost bones. His route supposedly traces U.S. Route 322 that runs southwest through the Keystone State. People have seen him going both east and west along the road which would make sense. After all, if he didn’t find his bones the first time, then another sweep makes sense.
When he is not riding the highways, Wayne’s bones today rest at Old Saint David’s Church Cemetery, just outside Philadelphia. The fleshy bits remained underneath what is now called the Wayne Blockhouse back in Erie, Pennsylvania. They still keep the iron boiling pot at the Hagen History Center, not too far from the blockhouse. So, if you happen to be out late, keep an eye out. Who knows what you might see? Happy Halloween!
The Strange Story of Anthony Wayne’s Graves, by Joyce DeYoung
Easttown is fortunate to have preserved Historic Waynesborough, birthplace and home of Major General “Mad” Anthony Wayne. He was a dedicated, courageous Revolutionary War officer, but the macabre story of what happened to his earthly remains has overshadowed his war exploits.
In late 1796, 51 years old and burdened with gout and war injuries, Wayne lay dying at Fort Presque Isle, now site of the city of Erie. On December 15th he died and was interred according to his wishes, at the base of the garrison’s flagpole. This portrait dates from about the time of his death.
There the general rested for 13 years until the summer of 1809. That year his son, Isaac Wayne, at the behest of his sister, traveled from Waynesborough to his burial site. Isaac wanted to disinter his father and rebury him in the family plot at St David’s Churchyard in Radnor. Expecting to find only a skeleton when the grave was opened, those present were greatly surprised to find a well-preserved corpse, the only decomposition being the lower leg which had been afflicted with gout.
How to move a fleshed corpse by horse and cart 380 miles over primitive roads in summer, roughly along the route of US 322, a journey that would take several weeks? Surely decomposition would begin. Isaac called for Dr. John Wallace, the same physician Wayne had requested to attend him. A decision was made to render the corpse to remove the flesh from bone so the clean skeleton could be transported. Wayne’s clothing was cut away as was his ponytail. Then Dr. Wallace dismembered the corpse. The pieces were put into a large cauldron of boiling water. After the flesh sloughed off, the bones were cleaned and put into an ossuary box for travel back to Easttown. The remaining parts of Anthony Wayne along with the dismembering implements were put back in the coffin and reinterred in the original grave. The bones were buried, as the family wanted, in St. David’s Churchyard. The marker is shown nearby.
By 1853 the long abandoned fort was leveled. The location of the grave was lost until 1878 during construction of the Pennsylvania Soldiers and Sailors Home. Again his coffin was dug up. This time little but the lid and dissection tools remained. A replica of the original blockhouse was constructed on the spot in 1880 and once again what little remained of Anthony Wayne was buried in a tomb inside. The blockhouse (shown here) and grave can be visited on the grounds of the Soldiers and Sailors Home near the waterfront in Erie.
The general's wife preceded him in death by several years. When he died, his life and death information were engraved onto her tombstone. Therefore he has three grave markers for two graves. However, not ALL of him rests in a grave; this photograph shows his ponytail as displayed in a glass case at Historic Waynesborough.
Maybe even that’s not all. There is a legend that some bones were lost on the trip from Erie, and that every January 1, Wayne’s birthday, his ghost and that of his horse Nancy ride between Radnor and Erie looking for his lost bones.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Sources:
History Matters: The Strange Story of Anthony Wayne’s Graves, by Joyce DeYoung
Friends of Historic Waynesborough. Special thanks to Eric Williams and Michelle Bradley.
Waynesborough Home of Revolutionary War’s General “Mad” Anthony Wayne on Philadelphia and The Countryside states Wayne is buried in two graves. Thirteen years after Wayne’s death and burial in Erie, PA, at the family’s request, his son Isaac brought back the General’s bones for another burial in the family’s plot in Radnor, PA.
Mad Anthony Wayne’s Bones published October 30, 2014 by Jamestown Settlement & American Revolution Museum at Yorktown blog now on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine states: There is a strong oral tradition in Pennsylvania that all of Mad Anthony’s bones did not make it back home. As the story goes, the bones had not been properly packed, and many of them were lost on the long overland trek from Erie to Radnor. This circumstance gave rise to one of the best ghost stories about a Revolutionary War hero. Every year on January 1, the General’s birthday, Mad Anthony Wayne goes out searching for his lost bones. His ghost rides along U.S. Route 322 in Pennsylvania, a road that follows the path along which the bones were scattered, and seeks to recover them. Understandably, the General is mad that he is buried in Erie, in Radnor, and at several locations in-between.
Revolutionary War General "Mad Anthony" Wayne has the unique distinction of being the only Pennsylvanian known to have two separate graves, with body parts in both. Legend holds that his ghost rises every New Year's morning to make the 400-mile journey from Valley Forge to Erie along 322, searching for his missing body parts. Learn the full story in this #hauntedLancaster tale. The Ghost of General ‘Mad Anthony’ Wayne and his Missing Bones
Sketch of the Life of General Anthony Wayne starting on page IIX of History of Fort Wayne, from the earliest known accounts of this point, to the present period. Embracing an extended view of the aboriginal tribes of the Northwest, including, more especially, the Miamies ... with a sketch of the life of General Anthony Wayne; including also a lengthy biography of ... pioneer settlers of Fort Wayne. Also an account of the manufacturing, mercantile, and railroad interests of Fort Wayne and vicinity by Brice, Wallace A, 1868, on Archive.org.
The storming of Stony Point by Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society, 1953 on Archive.org
This sketch was published in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette on July 9, 1879.
A little known actor named Marion Robert Morrison was originally given the stage name Anthony Wayne, but Fox Studios change it to John Wayne who became a leading man in 142 of his 153 movies a Hollywood record.
