Towns

NY, USA

Stony Point

Lesson plans and classroom materials.

The Midnight Assault: Planning, Discipline, and Military Risk

6-8 · 2 class periods

What you'll get

  • 5 primary sources with analysis prompts
  • Quiz with answer key (5 questions)
  • 3 printable handouts
Print full packet
6-82 class periodsCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sourcesCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7: Integrate visual information with other information in print and digital textsD2.His.1.6-8: Analyze connections among events and developments in broader historical contexts

Learning Objectives

  1. Explain why Wayne chose a bayonet-only assault and analyze the tactical logic of the silence order
  2. Identify the function of forlorn hope units and how they changed the main assault's risk profile
  3. Construct a basic risk-mitigation analysis using Stony Point as a model
  4. Evaluate the relationship between training, discipline, and mission success using primary accounts

Essential Questions

  • How do military commanders identify and reduce risk? What did Wayne do that conventional commanders did not?
  • What does military "discipline" mean, and how does training create it? What evidence do we have from Stony Point?

Procedure

Primary Sources

Stony Point Battlefield State Historic Site

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation · INSTITUTIONAL · Tier 1 — Primary/Academic

View source

Anthony Wayne's After-Action Report to George Washington

Papers of George Washington, Library of Congress · PRIMARY · Tier 1 — Primary/Academic

Washington's Orders for the Stony Point Assault

Papers of George Washington, University of Virginia Press · PRIMARY · Tier 1 — Primary/Academic

Anthony Wayne: Soldier of the Early Republic

Indiana University Press (Paul David Nelson) · SECONDARY · Tier 1 — Primary/Academic

Sir Henry Clinton Papers: Stony Point Intelligence

William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan · PRIMARY · Tier 1 — Primary/Academic

Handouts & Materials

Stony Point Event Timeline

timeline

Students place key events in chronological order and add details

Primary Source Analysis

graphic organizer

Structured analysis of Revolutionary-era documents

Key Figures Profile

worksheet

Research template for Revolutionary figures

Stony Point in the American Revolution

Answer the following questions based on our study of Revolutionary history.

1.

What makes Stony Point significant in Revolutionary history?

AIt was the site of important Revolutionary events
BIt had no connection to the Revolution
CIt was founded after the Revolution
DIt was a British stronghold throughout the war
2.

Primary sources are documents or objects created during the time period being studied.

TTrue
FFalse
3.

Name one event that occurred in Stony Point during the Revolutionary period and explain its significance.

4.

Why is it important to consider multiple perspectives when studying history?

ADifferent people experienced events differently
BIt makes history more confusing
COnly one perspective is ever correct
DPerspectives don't matter in history
5.

Describe one connection between this town and another Revolutionary-era town we discussed.