View source for Battle of Paoli

{{Short description|Battle of the American Revolutionary War}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict   = Battle of Paoli
| partof     = the [[American Revolutionary War]]
| image      = A Dreadful scene of havock.jpg
| caption    = ''A Dreadful scene of havock'' <br /> [[Xavier della Gatta]], 1782
| date       = September 20, 1777
| place      = [[Willistown Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania|Willistown Township]] and [[Malvern, Pennsylvania|Malvern]], Pennsylvania, U.S.
| result     = British victory
| combatant1 = {{flag|United States|1777}}
| combatant2 = {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Great Britain}}
| commander1 = {{flagicon|United States|1777}} [[Anthony Wayne]]
| commander2 = {{flagicon|Kingdom of Great Britain}} [[Charles Grey, 1st Earl Grey|Charles Grey]]
| strength1  = 2,500 men<br />
*1,500 regulars
*1,000 militia
| strength2   = 1,200 men engaged<br />600 in support 2 miles away
| casualties1 = 201 killed or wounded<ref name="McGuire p.146">McGuire p.146</ref><br/>71 captured <ref name="McGuire p.146">McGuire p.146</ref>
| casualties2 = 4 killed<ref name="McGuire p.132">McGuire p.132</ref><br/>7 wounded<ref name="McGuire p.132">McGuire p.132</ref>
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox American Revolutionary War: Philadelphia}}
}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Paoli Battlefield Site and Parade Grounds
| nrhp_type =
| image = Paoli Massacre.JPG
| caption = The Battle of Paoli monument in present-day [[Malvern, Pennsylvania]]
| location = Roughly bounded by Warren, and Monument Aves. and Sugartown Rd., [[Malvern, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| coordinates = {{coord|40|01|47|N|75|31|06|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = Pennsylvania#USA
| built = 1817, 1877
| architect = John T. Windrim, Palmer C. Hughes
| architecture = Colonial Revival, Late 19th and 20th century Revivals
| added = October 23, 1997
| area = {{convert|62.2|acre}}
| refnum = 97001248<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
}}

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 20, 1777, in the area surrounding present-day [[Malvern, Pennsylvania]]. Following the [[Continental Army]]'s retreat in the [[Battle of Brandywine]] and the aborted [[Battle of the Clouds]], [[George Washington]] left a force behind under the command of Brigadier General [[Anthony Wayne]] to monitor and resist the [[British Army during the American Revolutionary War|British]] as they prepared to attack and occupy the [[American Revolution|revolutionary]] capital of [[Philadelphia]].  

On the evening of September 20, British forces under Major General [[Charles Grey, 1st Earl Grey|Charles Grey]] led a surprise attack on Wayne's encampment near the Paoli Tavern in present-day [[Malvern, Pennsylvania|Malvern]], resulting in many American casualties. With inaccurate later claims that the British took no prisoners and granted no quarter, the engagement came to be known as the "Paoli Massacre."

==Background==
{{main|Philadelphia campaign}}
After the American defeat at the [[Battle of Brandywine]] on September 11, 1777, [[George Washington|General Washington]] was intent on accomplishing two tasks. He wanted to protect the [[American Revolution|revolutionary]] capitol of [[Philadelphia]] from British forces under the command of Lieutenant General [[William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe|Sir William Howe]] and also shield his inland supply depots at [[Reading, Pennsylvania|Reading]], which was {{convert|60|mi|km}} northwest of Philadelphia, and at [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania|Lancaster]], which was {{convert|65|mi|km}} west of Philadelphia. Washington withdrew across the [[Schuylkill River]] on September 12, bypassing Philadelphia and heading northwest to the Falls of Schuylkill in the present-day [[East Falls, Philadelphia|East Falls]] section of Philadelphia. 

After resting for a full day and refitting, Washington's army again crossed the Schuylkill River at Levering's Ford in present-day [[Manayunk, Pennsylvania|Manayunk]] on September 14 to face the British, who had moved little since Brandywine due to a shortage of wagons to carry their wounded and baggage.<ref>McGuire, p. 30</ref>  After the [[Battle of the Clouds]], an ultimately aborted engagement due to bad weather on September 16, Washington withdrew to [[Yellow Springs, Chester County, Pennsylvania|Yellow Springs]] and [[Reading Furnace Historic District|Reading Furnace]] in northern [[Chester County, Pennsylvania|Chester County]] to replenish his ammunition. He left Brigadier General [[Anthony Wayne]]'s Pennsylvania Division at Yellow Springs in present-day [[Chester Springs, Pennsylvania|Chester Springs]].  When the British columns moved towards the Schuylkill River, Wayne followed Washington's orders to harass the British and attempt to capture all or part of their baggage train.

Wayne assumed that his presence was undetected and camped close to the British lines {{convert|2|mi|km}} from Paoli Tavern in [[Paoli, Pennsylvania|Paoli]]. Wayne's division consisted of the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th Pennsylvania Regiments, Hartley's additional Continental Regiment, an attached artillery company and a small force of [[dragoon]]s.  The various regiments and units amounted to approximately 1,500 men. Several miles to the west and moving to join Wayne was [[William Smallwood]]'s Maryland militia, who had approximately 2,100 inexperienced troops under his command.

The British heard rumors that Wayne was in the area, and Howe dispatched scouts, who reported his location to be near the Paoli Tavern and Warren Tavern in present-day [[Malvern, Pennsylvania|Malvern]] on September 19.  Since his position was just {{convert|4|mi|km}} from the British camp in [[Tredyffrin Township, Pennsylvania|Tredyffrin Township]], Howe immediately planned an attack on Wayne's camp.

==Battle==
{{Further|Battle of Paoli order of battle}}
At 10 p.m. on September 20, British commander Major General [[Charles Grey, 1st Earl Grey|Charles Grey]] marched his forces from the British camp and launched a surprise attack on Wayne's camp above the Warren Tavern in present-day [[Malvern, Pennsylvania|Malvern]] not far from the General Paoli Tavern. Grey's troops included the 2nd Light Infantry, a composite battalion formed from the light companies of 13 regiments, plus the 42nd Royal Highland Regiment and 44th Regiment of Foot. A dozen troopers of the 16th Queen's Light Dragoons were in the vanguard of the main British column. Altogether, Grey's force numbered approximately 1,200 men.

To ensure that the Americans were not alerted, Grey ordered his troops to advance in silence with muskets unloaded and attack with bayonets alone. In the case that loads could not be drawn from weapons, he ordered that the flints should be removed instead, earning the Grey the epithet "No Flint" Grey. Major [[John Maitland (British Army officer)|John Maitland]], commanding officer of the 2nd Light Infantry battalion, was given permission to advance with muskets loaded, giving his personal assurance that his men could be relied on not to fire.

Earlier, Wayne received two warnings of a possible attack and sent out mounted [[Picket (military)|sentries]], who spotted the British force two miles from the camp and gave the alarm. Reaching Warren Tavern, the British forced a local blacksmith to guide them and approached the camp silently along heavily wooded roads, where they hit a sentry post. Most of the sentries fired into the dark, exposing their position and were annihilated by the silent British vanguard. In the camp up the hill from the pickets, Wayne's troops were already formed up and armed. Hearing the firing from the picket on the right, the main body of Wayne's force began moving west out of camp in a column through well-fenced fields when a disabled cannon blocked the avenue of escape for several minutes. With loud battle cries, the British stormed into the camp in three waves: the 2nd Light Infantry in the lead, followed by the 44th and the 42nd, and light dragoons sweeping across the camp. Some of Wayne's troops fired in the direction of the British attack, exposing their positions in the dark; the rear of Wayne's column was silhouetted by their campfires. Some fired into each other and the ensuing chaos caused troops in that part of the line to panic and run. Wayne organized a rearguard defense, but many of his troops fled from the camp and were pursued for a mile or two. Near White Horse Tavern, the British encountered [[William Smallwood]]'s forces and routed it as well.

With only four British killed and seven wounded,<ref name="McGuire p.132">McGuire p.132</ref> the British routed an entire American division. American casualties from the battle are more uncertain. Historian Thomas J. McGuire says that 53 dead Americans were buried on the battlefield but "whether these were all of the American dead or only those found on the campsite-battlefield is uncertain".<ref name="McGuire p.146">McGuire p.146</ref> Local tradition says that eight more American (and some British) soldiers killed in the battle were buried at [[St. Peter's Church in the Great Valley]], an [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] church.<ref name="McGuire p.146">McGuire p.146</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20141128214527/http://stpetersgv.org/About%20Us/historic-burials-at-st-peters.html See also]</ref> An estimated 71 prisoners were taken by the British, 40 of whom were so badly wounded that they had to be left behind in nearby houses.<ref name="Boatner p.829">Boatner p. 829</ref> According to McGuire, a total of 272 men were killed, wounded, or missing from Wayne's division after the battle.<ref name="McGuire p.146">McGuire p.146</ref>
McGuire reports that on the day after the battle, 52 dead Americans were buried, and another body was found later. Among the buried, 39 are unnamed. The highest ranking American officer killed was Major Mareen Lamar (sometimes misspelled Marien).

==Aftermath==
[[File:Graves_of_British_and_American_soldiers_killed_at_the_Battle_of_Paoli_in_1777.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|The common gravesite of [[British Army during the American Revolutionary War|British]] and [[Continental Army|American]] soldiers killed in the Battle of Paoli in the churchyard of [[St. Peter's Church in the Great Valley]]]]
An official inquiry found that [[Anthony Wayne|Wayne]] was not guilty of misconduct but that he 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 overruled the inquiry's initial report, concluding that Wayne had acted with honor.

The incident gained notoriety partly because of accounts by supposed eyewitnesses, who claimed that the British had bayoneted or mutilated Americans as they were attempting to surrender. Reports included the following:

<blockquote>I with my own Eyes, see them, cut & hack some of our poor Men to pieces after they had fallen in their hands and scarcely shew the least Mercy to any...:— Lt. Col. Adam Hubley, [[10th Pennsylvania Regiment]]<ref name="McGuire p.125">McGuire p. 125</ref></blockquote>
<blockquote>...more than a dozen soldiers had with fixed bayonets formed a cordon round him, and that everyone of them in sport had indulged their brutal ferocity by stabbing him in different parts of his body and limbs...a physician...examining him there was found..46 distinct bayonet wounds...:— William Hutchinson, Pennsylvania Militiaman<ref name="McGuire p.130">McGuire p. 130</ref></blockquote>
<blockquote>The Enemy last Night at twelve o'clock attacked...Our Men just raised from Sleep, moved disorderly — Confusion followed...The Carnage was very great...this is a bloody Month:— Col. Thomas Hartley, [[1st Pennsylvania Regiment]]<ref name="McGuire p.109">McGuire p. 109</ref></blockquote>
<blockquote>The Annals of the Age Cannot Produce such another Scene of Butchery...:— Maj. Samuel Hay, [[7th Pennsylvania Regiment]]<ref name="McGuire p.125"/></blockquote>
American military historian [[Mark M. Boatner III]] refuted these allegations, writing:
<blockquote>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.<ref name="Boatner p.829"/></blockquote>

Wayne's troops swore revenge and "Remember Paoli!" was used by them as a battle cry at the Battles of [[Battle of Germantown|Germantown]] and [[Battle of Stony Point|Stony Point]].

To show their defiance, the men of the 2nd Light Infantry dyed their hat feathers red so the Americans would be able to identify them. In 1833, the Light Company of the [[46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot|46th Regiment of Foot]] were authorized to wear red cap distinctions instead of the regulation Light Infantry green<ref>War Office WO 3/440</ref> in commemoration of this gesture. 

In 1934, the [[Royal Berkshire Regiment]], which carried on the traditions of the 49th Foot, were authorized to wear a red distinction in their head dress although, misleadingly, this was granted "to commemorate the role of the Light Company at the battle of Brandywine Creek".<ref>War Office letter No 54/OFFICERS/30 Ya (MGO.Yb); ''China Dragon'', No 94. July 1934</ref> In the second half of the 20th century, the descendants of both regiments wore red backing to their cap badges and did so until 2006 when [[The Light Infantry]] and the [[Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment]] were absorbed by [[The Rifles]].

==Monument==
In 1877, a granite monument was erected at the site of the battle to replace an 1817 monument that was in poor condition; the Paoli monument inscription replicates the words of the 1817 monument on one side.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://pbpfinc.org/1877-monument/|title=1877 Monument}}</ref> It stands {{convert|22.5|ft|m}} tall and is inscribed on all four sides<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ushistory.org/Paoli/history/monument.htm |title=1877 Paoli Monument |work=ushistory.org |publisher=[[Independence Hall Association]] |access-date=November 22, 2009}}</ref>  and is located in a local park in [[Malvern, Pennsylvania|Malvern]] that was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1997 as the '''Paoli Battlefield Site and Parade Grounds'''.<ref name="nris"/>  

The battlefield and parade grounds include two contributing buildings, two contributing sites, and five contributing objects on its listing with the National Register of Historic Places, including the Paoli battlefield site, the Paoli parade grounds, the Paoli Massacre Monument (erected in 1817), the Paoli Massacre obelisk (erected in 1877), a [[World War I]] monument (erected in 1928), a [[World War II]] urn (erected circa 1946), and caretaker's house and garage (built in 1922).<ref name="arch">{{cite web| url = https://www.dot7.state.pa.us/ce/SelectWelcome.asp| title = National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania| publisher = CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System| format = Searchable database| access-date = 2012-11-01| archive-date = 2007-07-21| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070721014609/https://www.dot7.state.pa.us/ce/SelectWelcome.asp| url-status = dead}} ''Note:'' This includes {{cite web| url = {{NRHP-PA|H079481_01H.pdf}}| title = National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Paoli Battlefield Site and Parade Grounds| access-date = 2012-10-30| author = Jane L. S. Davidson and Thomas J. McGuire| format = PDF| date = May 1997}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[American Revolutionary War#British northern strategy fails|American Revolutionary War § British northern strategy fails]], which places the Battle of Paoli in overall sequence and strategic context within the [[American Revolutionary War]].

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* Boatner, Mark Mayo, ''Cassell's Biographical Dictionary of the American War of Independence 1763–1783'', Cassell, London, 1966, {{ISBN|0-304-29296-6}}.
* McGuire, Thomas J. ''Battle of Paoli''. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2000, {{ISBN|0-8117-0198-0}}.
* {{cite web |url=http://www.ushistory.org/Paoli/history/monument.htm |title=1877 Paoli Monument |work=ushistory.org |publisher=[[Independence Hall Association]] |access-date=November 22, 2009}}
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZBUvAAAAYAAJ&dq=Killed+at+Paoli+1777&pg=PA41 ''Proceedings on the occasion of the dedication of the monument on the One Hundred Anniversary of the Paoli Massacre in Chester Co PA'', September 20, 1877]

==External links==
{{Sister project links}}
*[https://www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/paoli "Paoli Massacre"] at [[American Battlefield Trust]]
*[https://www.amrevmuseum.org/read-the-revolution/battle-of-paoli "Battle of Paoli"] at [[Museum of the American Revolution]]
*[https://www.chesco.org/DocumentCenter/View/17421/PaoliTechReport?bidId= "Battle of Paoli"] at [[Chester County, Pennsylvania]]

{{Pennsylvania during the American Revolutionary War}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle of Paoli}}

[[Category:1777 in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:American Revolutionary War monuments and memorials]]
[[Category:American Revolution on the National Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:Battles of the American Revolutionary War involving Great Britain]]
[[Category:Battles of the American Revolutionary War involving the United States]]
[[Category:Battles of the American Revolutionary War in Pennsylvania|Paoli]]
[[Category:Battles of the Philadelphia Campaign|Paoli]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1777]]
[[Category:Conflict sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:History of Chester County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Chester County, Pennsylvania]]