Battle of Paoli 1777
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 20 September 1777 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1777 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | Early modern (1500–1799) | derived from year |
| Location | United States | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | North America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | American Revolutionary War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Kingdom of Great Britain, United States | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 40.0283, -75.5194 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
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".
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Paoli (revision 1380601031), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of the Clouds 1777 · 5 km
- Battle of Brandywine 1777 · 18 km
- Battle of Matson's Ford 1777 · 18 km
- Battle of Barren Hill 1778 · 24 km
- Battle of White Marsh 1777 · 27 km
- Battle of Germantown 1777 · 31 km
Other battles of the American Revolutionary War
- Battle of Valcour Island 1776
- Battle of White Plains 1776
- Battle of the Rice Boats 1776
- Fortification of Dorchester Heights 1776
- Landing at Kip's Bay 1776
- Battle of Bennington 1777
- Battle of Bound Brook 1777
- Battle of Brandywine 1777
- Battle of Cooch's Bridge 1777
- Battle of Fort Anne 1777
All 190 battles of the American Revolutionary War →
Browse more: battles in United States · North America · Early modern battles