09/16/2025
DID YOU KNOW that there's a connection between our beloved Johnny Appleseed and our beloved General Anthony Wayne?
John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, is the son of Captain Nathaniel Chapman. Captain Chapman and General Anthony Wayne both served in the Continental Army under General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War.
In the winter of 1777-1778, all men were encamped at Valley Forge. Although Chapman and Wayne both served under Washington, Chapman never served under Wayne. While both Chapman and Wayne served in the same Army, both were assigned to different units and different military campaigns.
Captain Chapman was a Minuteman who served in the Bunker Hill event of June 17, 1775, nearly a year before the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776.
Bunker Hill was a significant milestone and turning point on America's journey towards Independence from Great Britain. Although the battle was technically won by the British, British troops suffered 1,000 more casualties than American troops. This meant British troops suffered twice the losses of the American troops. To Americans, this event gave way to American pride, patriotic commitment, and strengthen colonial resolve.
In contrast to Chapman, General Wayne was entrusted with leading troops in several major Revolutionary War battles, including: the Battle of Brandywine, the Battle of Monmouth, the Battle of Stony Point, and more.
After the Revolutionary War, Captain Chapman retired from military service and returned home. General Wayne continued his military service and was reassigned to post-Revolutionary War tasks that included and supported westward expansion. Wayne helped clear the pathway that made it possible for settlers, pioneers, trappers and traders to travel west, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River and beyond.
John Chapman was one such pioneer. He was known to travel behind General Wayne's westward expansion campaigns, planting apple trees along the way.
Below is John "Johnny Appleseed" Chapman (left) pictures beside Nathaniel Chapman, colonial frontiersman and Continental Army Minuteman, as portrayed by Lion David Burgess.
