The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | May 2017
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The British attacked General‘ Mad’ Anthony Wayne at Paoli, in the dead of night, in stealth mode if you like, having removed their flints from their rifles and attached bayonets on the instructions of Major General Charles Grey.‘ In the upmost confusion that followed, the British light infantry bayonetted every man that came out and the cries of the wounded formed together one of the most dreadful scenes that I have every beheld in warfare.’
Wayne escaped to fight another day, however. Despite this being one of the smallest battles in the Revolutionary War, it had far-reaching implications, as within a week the British will march into Philadelphia with their drums beating, pipes playing, ceremoniously in full regalia right along the centre of the city. The capital of the nation had fallen to the British on September 25 th 1777. Had it ended there, I would have been pretty pleased, but it did not.
Either way, the defeat at Paoli was yet another black mark for General George Washington in a string of defeats that stretch from New York all the way to Philadelphia, including the Battle of Brandywine and Battle of the Clouds. However, the ruthless fight at Paoli was not soon forgotten by the Americans; indeed it became a rallying cry“ Remember Paoli” that cemented the resolve of the Americans, making martyrs of those who died. Indeed General Wayne later went on to lead a bayonet charge at night against the British some 4 years later at Green Spring, on that occasion with some degree of success.
So what does this have to do with present day leadership? Firstly, it’ s important to note that George Washington suffered many setbacks, on the road to independence, yet continued with his mission and vision. General Wayne learned from his mistakes at Paoli, and put them into practice for himself at a later date. As we are all professional, we should also learn that we can become complacent occasionally, and let our guard down, cut corners, just like Wayne. Complacency on the battlefield breeds defeat.
We can also learn here about“ unintended consequences of our actions”. General Grey’ s attack at Paoli, albeit a minor skirmish in the grand scheme of things, woke a giant within the Americans that raised morale to a level that proved impossible to defeat, and victory in the campaign was not far behind. Morale in any unit is the best indicator that the unit is being led well.
So we moved on to Valley Forge. Although no battle was fought here, Valley Forge saw the very antecedents of the American Army, forged in this very spot from the embers of the Continental Army. The lesson here comes from the very challenges faced at the encampment, such as limited finances, limited logistics, numerous nationals and languages, morale, and political interference are all amongst those challenges faced by General George Washington. I am sure we all have political issues tugging at our sleeves all day long. Washington’ s troops, camped at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777 through to the summer of 1778, thousands of personnel suffering low morale from a number of defeats( including the Capital being taken by the British – did I already mention that?). As leaders, we lead men and women for whom we are responsible, no different to George Washington.
He successfully kept a fledgling army who had never worked together in the field for so long under difficult circumstances, at the front line of the battle, that it became a premise on which the US won its independence. His leadership made the difference. His presence made a difference. He was visible, accessible and familiar.
The final lesson at Valley Forge came from Inspector Major General Friedrich Wilhelm Barron von Steuben, who initiated training exercises on the plains of Valley Forge; specifically he orchestrated bayonet drills. The Continental Army had not really been trained in close fighting, despite bayonet charges deciding the outcome of most battles of the 18 th Century.
Steuben taught first the continental armies, and then Washington’ s, and is credited with starting grand parades, drilling mass brigades and training for the military, which has continued to this day.
The final day of the Police Executive Institute, for which I was regrettably unable to stay, featured my colleague from the UK, Chief Inspector Dean O’ Connor( Dorset Police), who outlined some of the issues experienced in the UK from a Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear( CBRN) commander’ s perspective, including counter-terrorism issues linking this work to leadership lessons learned throughout the week-long Police Executive Institute. Focussing upon strategic objectives, planning, and contingencies, this was a CBRN masterclass made easy. Participants were exposed to new ideas in this field. I know Gordon Graham would have endorsed this as one of his rules, alongside Steuben( above) is that constant learning, training and new ideas are paramount in a healthy organisation.
The main point to come from this presentation was the fact that the Gold Commander should always give the team some‘ Actions’, otherwise there will be no successful command and control. The actions should be reviewed regularly, and only change
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