Battle of Paoli

About

The Battle of Paoli (also known as the Battle of Paoli Tavern or the Paoli Massacre) was fought on September 20, 1777, near present-day Malvern, Pennsylvania as part of the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War. Following the Continental Army's retreat due to the Battle of Brandywine and the aborted Battle of the Clouds, General George Washington left a force of 1,500 regulars and 1,000 militia behind under Brigadier General Anthony Wayne to monitor and resist advancing British forces as they prepared to attack the American capital of Philadelphia.

On the evening of September 20, 1,200 British regulars under Major-general Charles Grey led a surprise attack on Wayne's encampment, which was located near a tavern known as the Paoli Tavern. Approaching the encampment silently, the British quietly eliminated American sentries before charging into the camp in three waves. The Americans were caught off guard and suffered heavy casualties while retreating. Due to the British giving no quarter to Wayne's troops, the engagement also came to be known among Americans as the "Paoli Massacre".

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