Valley Forge Salutes Anthony Wayne

Anthony Wayne Monument at Valley Forge National Historic Park.

The Anthony Wayne Monument at Valley Forge faces Wayne’s home in Chester County.  In addition to his military career,  the pedestal lists the many roles that Wayne filled during his lifetime. During 1774, Wayne was the chairman of the Chester County Committee and the deputy of the Provincial Convention. In 1787 he was a member of the Pennsylvania Convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution. The north side of the monument includes his dates of birth and death (January 1, 1745 to December 15, 1796). Another plaque on the south side of the monument quotes the Congressional resolution honoring Wayne’s victory at the Battle of Stony Point in 1779:

Resolved unanimously, that the thanks of Congress be presented to Brig. General Anthony Wayne for his brave, prudent and soldierly conduct in the spirited and well conducted attack on Stony Point; that a gold medal emblematical of this action be struck and presented to Brig Anthony Wayne.

During the encampment at Valley Forge, George Washington relied heavily on Wayne’s leadership, saying, “In Wayne the spark of daring might flame into rashness, but it was better to have such a leader and occasionally to cool him to caution than forever to be heating the valor of men who feared they would singe their plooms in battle.” Wayne’s duties included recruiting replacement soldiers and providing clothing for the men of the Pennsylvania line.

The monument is a duplicate of the Anthony Wayne statue at Stony Brook, NY.

Sculptor was Henry K. Bush-Brown (1857-1935). The monument was dedicated on Saturday, June 20, 1908.