Nathanael Greene

Portrait of Nathanael Greene, by Charles Willson Peale, 1783

Nathanael Greene, Jr. (1742-1786) was a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Although lacking in experience, he became one of George Washington's most trusted aides. He also served as Quartermaster General and as the commander of the southern army.

Early Life

Nathanael Greene was born in Rhode Island into a prosperous, Quaker family. His formal education was limited to basic math and reading, as his father believed that secular learning would lead to temptation and sin. His reading material was restricted to the Bible and Quaker texts written by George Fox and Richard Barclay. While these provided for Greene's moral beliefs, he had a thirst for knowledge that could not be satisfied. When he would take business trips to Newport, he would to seek out educated men that he could learn from. One such scholar that he met was Ezra Stiles, the future president of Yale University. Stiles proved to be a powerful influence on Greene's reading habits, exposing him to authors such as John Locke, Sir William Blackstone, and Johnathan Swift.

In November of 1770, Greene's father passed away and the family business was split amongst his brothers, with Nathanael running the newly built foundry in Coventry. He had cause to spend more time in Newport which allowed him to experience the growing unrest in reaction to British policies toward the colonies. As his self education continued to develop, he became fascinated by military texts such as Instructions to His Generals by Frederick the Great and Mes Reveries by Maurice de Saxe.

The event that pushed Greene toward the revolutionary cause occurred in 1772 when the merchant vessel Fortune, a ship working for the Greenes, was seized by the British. The HMS Gaspee, under the command of William Dudington, boarded the boat while it was anchored in Narragansett Bay. Discovering a large supply of rum and sugar, Dudington declared the ship a smuggling vessel and had it towed to Boston. Greene was outraged and began a fierce writing campaign, including filing a court case against Dudington in Rhode Island. The Gaspee would continue it's raids off the coast of Rhode Island until it ran ashore pursuing another merchant vessel. A group of Rhode Islanders arrested Dudington and his crew, and burnt the Gaspee. Greene was not a part of this group, however, he was able to take him to court after his arrest.

In 1774, Greene would marry Catherine "Caty" Littlefield, niece of Catherine Ray Greene who was married to William Greene and longtime friend of Benjamin Franklin. Soon after the marriage Greene began his military career by joining a local militia. In October, the militia was incorporated into the Kentish Guard and Greene held the rank of private. He aspired to become an officer, but he walked with a limp in his right leg and was told by his fellow militiamen that an officer with a limp would be an embarrassment. Greene, a man always sensitive to criticism, was deeply wounded by these comments. Following the battles at Lexington and Concord, however, the Rhode Island legislature decided to form an army, which they dubbed the "Army of Observation", and on May 8, 1775 they appointed Greene, a man with no military experience, as it's commanding officer.

American Revolution - The early years in the north

Siege of Boston

Greene's army reached Boston on May 23, 1775 to aide in the siege of Boston, which was controlled by British forces under the command of General Thomas Gage. Greene quickly gained the reputation of being a disciplinarian, as he made his troops focus on training rather than drinking and gambling. In an effort to secure more supplies for his troops, Greene returned to Providence in early June. In doing so, he would miss the Battle of Bunker Hill. The British were successful in taking the hill, however they took significant casualties. The lesson was not lost on Greene, who realized that although the British may take the field at the end of the day, the Americans stood a chance as long as they could inflict significant losses.

The Second Continental Congress realized that they needed to formally organize the army and on June 14, 1775 the Continental Army was formed. Command was given to George Washington of Virginia who had proven himself as capable during the French and Indian War. Greene was appointed to the rank of brigadier general. When Washington arrived outside of Boston, he assigned Greene and his troops to defend Prospect Hill, under the command of Major General Charles Lee. As December neared, the army faced the problem of expiring enlistments. As 1776 was ushered in, Greene’s troops dwindled to a mere 700 men. Washington was growing impatient and when Henry Knox arrived in January with 59 cannons taken from Fort Ticonderoga, a plan was devised to force the hand of British General William Howe. Under the cover of night and artillery shelling, the American troops took and fortified the Dorchester Heights, giving their artillery a commanding view of Boston. Greene was assigned to defend the hill if the British attempted to dislodge the Americans, but that would never happen as Howe, fearing a second Bunker Hill, evacuated Boston. On March 18, as the Americans entered Boston, Washington appointed Greene as the commander of the city.

Defense of New York

Greene’s command of Boston was short lived, as Washington ordered him to take five regiments and march towards New York, the likely target of the recently departed British army. Demonstrating his growing confidence in the young general, Washington placed him in charge of Long Island bolstering the defenses that Charles Lee had established earlier. Greene supervised the construction of five new forts, one of which was named after him. On June 29th, the British Navy arrived in the harbor, and shortly after British troops landed on Staten Island to prepare for the invasion. On August 9, Greene was promoted to the rank of Major General. Shortly afterward, as the British were about to proceed, Greene became seriously ill and was bedridden. Command of Long Island was passed on to Major General Israel Putnam, who while being an able commander was not familiar with Greene's strategies and preparation. The Battle of Long Island would be disastrous for the Americans, as they were forced to withdraw from the strategically important island. Greene would suggest that the Continental Army should retreat and burn the city. Congress would forbid the burning, but the army would eventually retreat. During this retreat, Greene would experience his first direct combat at the Battle of Harlem Heights, in which Greene forced a small advancing British unit to retreat.

Fort Washington

The following day, Washington ordered Greene to New Jersey, to begin defending against a probable British advance toward Philadelphia. Green chose to defend Fort Washington and hoped to lure the British into a second Bunker Hill scenario. On November 5, the guns of Fort Washington attacked three British warships attempting to sail up the Hudson River. The ships were not stopped, leading Washington to question the value of defending the fort and suggested that Greene abandon it. Greene did not heed Washington's advice. On November 16, General Howe ordered ten thousand of his troops to attack Fort Washington. The British took the fort in a matter of hours, although Greene was able to escape to Fort Lee along with Washington and Putnam. Greene was rightfully blamed for this disaster and became the target of widespread criticism from both Congress and his colleagues. Washington, however, chose not to remove Greene from his duties as general, which would later prove to be a wise decision. On November 20, British General Richard Cornwallis landed in New Jersey to finish off the Americans. Greene and the Americans would make a disheartening retreat to the Delaware River. It was on this trek that one of Greene's soldier, Thomas Paine, would write the famous words, "These are the times that try men's souls." in his patriotic pamphlet The Crisis.

Battles of Trenton and Princeton

On Christmas Eve, with expiring enlistments looming, Washington's generals met at Greene's quarters to plan a surprise attack on Trenton, which was controlled by Hessian mercenaries. Greene commanded one of two main invading columns. The army crossed the ice covered Delaware River under the cover of night, and succeeded in surprising and defeating the Hessians. On January 1, Cornwallis began marching from Princeton with orders to crush the Americans where they camped on the Delaware. The Americans managed to avoid the British troops and captured Princeton, while the British withdrew to New Brunswick. During his command of Fort Lee, Greene had sent troops to secure Morristown in case of a retreat from New York was needed, and his foresight provided a place for the Americans to set up camp.

Battles of Brandywine and Germantown

Greene's next encounter with the British would be at the Battle of Brandywine in September 1777. General Howe had sent a decoy attack on Chadd's Ford, the most logical place to cross the Brandywine. Greene, in command of the reserve troops, was sent to defend against the main attack on their right flank. Greene arrived in time to prevent retreating General John Sullivan's troops from being routed. While the Americans suffered heavy casualties, Greene's heroics prevented a fatal blow. The British would continue on to take Philadelphia on September 26.

General Howe and most of his troops were camped just north of Philadelphia in Germantown. On October 4, the Battle of Germantown began at dawn with another surprise attack. Greene commanded 5,000 men, over half of the American force, in attacking the right flank. In their nighttime march toward Germantown, Greene's troops got lost, delaying their arrival and costing them the advantage of surprise. In lieu of the botched plan, Greene's troops performed well, however at the end of the day they were forced to retreat. Their recent lack of success had earned Greene numerous detractors, accusing him of manipulating Washington with bad advice.

Quartermaster General

The army would make camp at Valley Forge for the winter, exhausted and under supplied. Washington reluctantly gave the order to forage and take what they could from the locals. Greene was put in charge of this operation. His success in this operation led Washington and Congress to name him Quartermaster General on March 2, 1778. Washington stressed to him that his knowledge of soldier's needs in the field as well as his experience running the family business made him an ideal choice. He was not excited about the prospect of leaving the field, but was always eager to impress Washington. He accepted with the caveats that he could remain at Washington's side and appoint two of his friends as his assistants. His service would prove invaluable to the American cause. He established a series of supply depots in strategic locations in order to facilitate quicker movement and would constantly scout ahead to find adequate places for the army to camp.

On top of his new duties, Greene remained a commander in several more battles. The British, now under the command of General Henry Clinton, had decided to vacate Philadelphia after learning that the French had signed a treaty to aid the Americans. On June 19, Greene joined the troops in leaving Valley forge in pursuit. In a meeting with his generals, Washington was advised that instead of a significant engagement of the British, he should wait for French reinforcements. Greene was convinced that they should offer a more significant attack at Battle of Monmouth, and sent a private letter to Washington. Washington heeded his advice, and Greene commanded troops that battled the British to a stalemate. In August, Washington granted him a brief respite from his quartermaster duties and allowed him to participate in what was to be the first Franco-American joint attack of the war, which was an unsuccessful attempt to recapture Newport, Rhode Island. The relationship between France and America had come into jeopardy when French Admiral d'Estaing called off the attack to repair his ships. This had caused ill-advised heated words from the American commander, John Sullivan. Greene, with the aide of the Marquis de Lafayette, were able to calm the French reaction and preserve the alliance.

Towards the end of 1779, Greene began to go frustrated with the lack of support for the Quartermaster's office. Congress had decided to remove itself from the supply business and placed the responsibility on the individual states to provide supplies within their boundaries. Supplies were running low and Greene blamed Congress for it's multiple commissions and reorganizations of his office. He wrote a highly critical letter to Congress on July 26 demanding his resignation and condemning their behavior. There was even talk of removing him from the army altogether, to which Washington objected. He was officially replaced on August 5, 1980.

References

• Field, Edward, and Gardiner, Asa Bird. The Remains of Major-General Nathanael Greene (E. L. Freeman & Sons, 1903) online edition
• Golway, Terry. Washington's General: Nathanael Greene and the Triumph of the American Revolution (New York:Henry Holt and Company, 2005)
• Mierka, Gregg A. Nathanael Greene: The General Who Saved the Revolution" (Stockton, NJ:OTTN, 2007)
• Thayer, Theodore. Nathanael Greene: Strategist of the American Revolution (1960) online edition

External Links

• The Papers of General Nathanael Greene, Selected Writings (1/19/1781-2/15/1781)
• The Nathanael Greene Papers, at the American Philosophical Society
• General Greene Biography and Resources
• Gen. Nathanael Greene Homestead Museum, at Spell Hall, Coventry, Rhode Island