tack down Germantown Avenue that rescued
British soldiers trapped in Chew House. The
Americans then drew off for a miserable win-
ter at Valley Forge, while the British enjoyed
the relative comfort of Philadelphia. During
his stay, Grey occupied the former dwelling of
noted scientist Benjamin Franklin. He also
criticized Howe for being too circumspect in
his treatment of the rebels. Grey firmly be-
lieved that only through the direct and severe
application of military force could the rebel-
lion be crushed.
In the spring of 1778, Howe was replaced
by Gen. Henry Clinton, who declined to re-
main in Philadelphia. Fearful of being trapped
there by the French fleet, he directed an over-
land withdrawal back to New York City that
was intercepted by Washington at Monmouth
in June 1778. Grey saw little action in this, the
last major engagement of the war in the north,
and was subsequently posted at Bedford,
Long Island. That September his brigade was
committed to a series of raids along the New
England coastline. During September 6–8,
Grey’s command hit and ravaged their objec-
tives, burning 70 vessels, destroying upward
of $300,000 worth of property, and seizing
10,000 sheep on Martha’s Vineyard alone. At
the end of the month, while operating under
Gen. Charles Cornwallis, Grey marched
north into the New York highlands on a forag-
ing raid. A cavalry force under Col. George
Baylor continually shadowed their move-
ments, and Cornwallis tasked Grey with elimi-
nating them.
On the night of September 28, Grey took
his light infantry, the Second Grenadiers, the
33rd and 44th Regiments, and about 50 dra-
goons toward Old Tappan, New Jersey. Bay-
lor’s command consisted of 103 men from his
Third Continental Dragoons. As at Paoli, se-
curity was somewhat lax, and Grey’s men
swooped upon the unsuspecting Americans
before they could rally. The Third Dragoons
were literally wiped out to a man, and Baylor
was fatally wounded and captured. The Amer-
ican later claimed that no quarter had been
granted to prisoners; as proof of Grey’s ex-
cesses, the rampaging British even bayoneted
70 horses to death! In retrospect, the charges
originated from being on the receiving end of
a viciously efficient bayonet attack. “No Flint”
Grey had again confirmed his reputation as a
peerless tactician.
In the fall of 1778 Grey was recalled to En-
gland, where, four years later, he became a
knight of the Order of Bath and a lieutenant
general. He also received an appointment as
commander in chief of North America, but the
war ended before he could arrive to take
charge. Historians pale to think of the out-
come of events had a man of Grey’s single-
minded ferocity been in charge at the onset of
hostilities. He subsequently soldiered on dur-
ing the wars against revolutionary France in
the 1790s and led a successful expedition to
relieve Nieupoort, Holland, in 1793. After sim-
ilar success in the West Indies, Grey returned
to England in 1794, where he obtained the
rank of general and privy councilor.
He continued in service by commanding
the defenses of England’s southernmost dis-
tricts before retiring in 1799. In 1801, he was
awarded the title Baron Grey de Howick, and
five years later he became Viscount Howick
and the first Earl Grey. This resolute and
highly capable soldier finally mustered out of
life at Howick on November 14, 1807. In terms
of formulation of strategy, tactical prepara-
tion, and battlefield execution, “No Flint”
Grey was perhaps the greatest warrior of the
American Revolution.Bibliography
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1980; Houlding, J. A. Fit for Service: The Training of
the British Army, 1715–1795.New York: Oxford
University Press, 1999; Jackson, John W. With the
British Army in Philadelphia.San Rafael, CA: Pre-
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GREY, CHARLES