Editing Anthony Wayne (section)

===Betrayal by Wilkinson===

When picking a general to lead the Legion of the United States, President Washington considered a few options, most notably Wayne and [[James Wilkinson]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jones |first=Landon |title=William Clark and the Shaping of the West |publisher=Hill and Wang |year=2004}}</ref> When thinking of his choices, Washington found Wayne to be, "more active and enterprising than Judicious and cautious," and Wilkinson to be lacking experience, "as he was but a short time in the Service."<ref name="Gaff-2008">{{Cite book |last=Gaff |first=Alan D. |title=Bayonets in the wilderness: Anthony Wayne's legion in the Old Northwest |date=2008 |publisher=Univ. of Oklahoma Press |pages=22–24 |oclc=914618152}}</ref> Throughout the campaign, Wayne's second in command, General Wilkinson secretly tried to undermine him. Wilkinson wrote anonymous negative letters to local newspapers about Wayne and spent years writing negative letters to politicians in Washington, D.C. Wayne was unaware as Wilkinson was recorded as being extremely polite to Wayne in person. Wilkinson was also a Spanish spy at the time and even served as an officer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-plot-against-anthony-wayne|title=This Day in History: The Secret Plot Against General Mad Anthony Wayne|date=January 25, 2019|website=Taraross}}</ref> In December 1794, Wilkinson secretly instructed suppliers to delay rations and send just enough to keep the army alive in hopes of preventing progress.<ref name="Stockwell 2018 88–236"/> Secretary of War [[Henry Knox]] eventually alerted Wayne about Wilkinson, and Wayne began an investigation. Eventually, Spanish couriers carrying payments for Wilkinson were intercepted. Wayne's suspicions were confirmed, and he attempted to [[court-martial]] Wilkinson for his treachery. However, Wayne developed a stomach ulcer and died on December 15, 1796; there was no court-martial. Instead Wilkinson began his first tenure as [[Commanding General of the United States Army|Senior Officer of the Army]], which lasted for about a year and a half. He continued to pass on intelligence to the Spanish in return for large sums in gold.<ref name="Nelson, 1999">Nelson, 1999</ref>