St. Clair and Wayne 91 



when he had pushed close to the enemy, with his 

 usual fearless self -confidence, he was surprised in 

 a night attack by the equally daring British general 

 Grey, and his brigade was severely punished with 

 the bayonet. It was a lesson he never forgot; it 

 did not in any way abate his self-reliance or his 

 fiery ardor, but it taught him the necessity of fore- 

 thought, of thorough preparation, and of ceaseless 

 watchfulness. A few days later he led the assault 

 at Germantown, driving the Hessians before him 

 with the bayonet. This was always his favorite 

 weapon ; he had the utmost faith in coming to close 

 quarters, and he trained his soldiers to trust the 

 steel. At Monmouth he turned the fortunes of the 

 day by his stubborn and successful resistance to the 

 repeated bayonet charges of the Guards and Gren- 

 adiers. His greatest stroke was the storming of 

 Stony Point, where in person he led the midnight 

 rush of his troops over the walls of the British fort. 

 He fought with his usual hardihood against Corn- 

 wallis; and at the close of the Revolutionary War 

 he made a successful campaign against the Creeks 

 in Georgia. During this campaign the Creeks one 

 night tried to surprise his camp, and attacked with 

 resolute ferocity, putting to flight some of the 

 troops; but Wayne rallied them and sword in hand 

 he led them against the savages, who were over- 

 thrown and driven from the field. In one of the 

 charges he cut down an Indian chief; and the dying 

 man, as he fell, killed Wayne's horse with a pistol 

 shot. 



