His favorite weapon was the bayonet, and he drilled his troops in the use of it until they were able to withstand the shock of the renowned British infantry, who have always prided themselves on their prowess with cold steel.  His first service was with Arnold in Canada; he was with Washington at the Brandywine; and at Germantown, hurling his troops upon the Hessians, he drove them back at the point of the bayonet, and retreated only under orders when the general attack failed.  At Monmouth, it was he and his men who, standing firm as a rock, repulsed the first fierce bayonet charge of the British guards and grenadiers.

So it is not remarkable that, when Washington found an unusually hazardous piece of work in hand, he should have selected Wayne to carry it through.  The British held a strong fort called Stony Point, which commanded the Hudson and which Washington was anxious to capture.  It was impossible to besiege it, since British frigates held the river, and it was so strong that an open assault could never carry it.  It stood on a rocky promontory, surrounded on three sides by water and connected with the land only by a narrow, swampy neck.  The only chance to take the place was by a night attack, and Wayne eagerly welcomed the opportunity to try it.

On the afternoon of July 15, 1779, Wayne, at the head of about thirteen hundred men, started for the fort.  He arrived near it after nightfall, and dividing his force into three columns, moved forward to the attack.  He relied wholly upon the bayonet, and not a musket was loaded.  The advance was soon discovered by the British sentries, and a heavy fire opened upon the Americans, but they pressed forward, swarmed up the long, sloping embankment of the fort, and in a moment were over the walls.

A bullet struck Wayne in the head, and he staggered and fell.  Two of his officers caught him up and started to take him to the rear, but he struggled to his feet.

“No, no,” he cried, “I’m going in at the head of my men!  Take me in at the head of my men!”

And at the head of his men he was carried into the fort.

For a few moments, the bayonets flashed and played, then the British broke and ran, and the fort was won.  No night attack was ever delivered with greater skill and boldness.

Wayne soon recovered from his wound, and took an active part in driving Cornwallis into the trap at Yorktown.  Then he had retired from the army, expecting to spend the remainder of his life in peace; but Washington, remembering the man, knew that he was the one above all others to teach the Ohio Indians a lesson, and called him to the work.  Wayne accepted the task, and five thousand men were placed under his command and started westward over the mountains.