Anthony Wayne Quotes
Upon the whole it was a Glorious day-Our men are in the Spirits-and I am confident we shall give them a total defeat the next Action; which is at no great distance.
Wayne, Anthony. Letter to Mary Wayne. 6 Oct. 1777. Major-General Anthony Wayne and the Pennsylvania Line in the Continental Army, by Charles J. Stillé, J. B. Lippincott Company, 1893, p. 94.
During the presidential debates George W. Bush stated that he would be very hesitant to use the military for nation building around the world. Less than a year later, the Bush administration, faced with the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, launched a massive attack on the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. After fighting and winning the war, the military soon realized that they would in fact be involved in nation building. However, with the assistance of the United Nations much of the humanitarian burden was lifted from the U.S. military.
Note that even then, De Gaulle’s nationalist ego focused not only on glory but glory that need not be shared. It was always a great strength and a great weakness for him. He and many French officers were so fixed on the glory of beating the Germans, that they did not focus on their ½ million casualties and were not prepared for the German countermeasures that turned the battle from a French victory to a long standoff and stalemate of the “Western Front” where neither side could advance much. Note also that De Gaulle failed to mention the British Expeditionary Force that twice saved the French from being overrun. Denial for the honor of France was always one of De Gaulle’s characteristics. See {642233} for the English commander’s view of the outcome of the Battle of the Marne.
Anthony Wayne was an American soldier, officer and statesman of Irish descent. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military exploits and fiery personality quickly earned him promotion to brigadier general and the nickname "Mad Anthony". He later served as the Senior Officer of the Army on the Ohio Country frontier and led the Legion of the United States.
