Greene, Nathanael
Greene, Nathanael (1742–1786), Continental army general.Nathanael Greene was born into a Warwick, Rhode Island, family of anchorsmiths and millowners. Raised a Quaker, Greene nevertheless developed a youthful fascination for military history. In 1775 Private Greene joined patriots besieging Boston. His intelligence, knowledge of military affairs, and managerial skills, led Congress to appoint him a brigadier general and placed him in charge of Boston when the British left.
Greene was one of George Washington's favorite lieutenants. An amateur, Greene initially made by‐the‐book mistakes; learning war through war, however, he grew as a leader. Promoted to major‐general, Greene fought the Battles of Trenton and Princeton (1776–77), Brandywine (1777), Germantown (1777), Monmouth (1778), and Newport (1778), and often commanded in Washington's absence. Appointed quartermaster general (1778), his business experience aided him immeasurably. Resuming field duty, Greene fought at Springfield (1780) before accepting command of the Southern Department in December 1780.
In the South, Greene's position appeared hopeless. Georgia and South Carolina had fallen, North Carolina and Virginia lay exposed to British invasion, and his small detachment of the Continental army was ill‐clothed, starving, and demoralized. Greene quickly restored discipline and morale. Next, he boldly divided his force, detaching Daniel Morgan into South Carolina's backcountry and Henry Lee's cavalry to join Francis Marion's coastal guerrillas. It was a stroke of genius. With one order, Greene recaptured the strategic initiative. After Morgan's victory at the Battle of Cowpens (1781), Greene concentrated his forces and led British Gen. Charles Cornwallis deep into North Carolina. At the Battle of Guilford Courthouse (1781) they fought a bitter engagement, with Cornwallis winning a Pyrrhic victory. Lord Cornwallis retired to Virginia to meet ultimate defeat by Washington at the Battle of Yorktown.
Greene returned south. Combining guerrillas, militia, and regulars as integral parts of his operational strategy, he fought several battles (Ninety‐Six, Hobkirk's Hill, Eutaw Springs). The British won all of them, but at high cost. By October 1781, except for Charleston and Savannah, the South was under American control. A brilliant, innovative leader practicing in guerrilla warfare, Greene left the army in 1783. Soon after (1786), he died of sunstroke in Georgia.
[See also Revolutionary War: Military and Diplomatic Course; Yorktown, Battle of.]
Greene was one of George Washington's favorite lieutenants. An amateur, Greene initially made by‐the‐book mistakes; learning war through war, however, he grew as a leader. Promoted to major‐general, Greene fought the Battles of Trenton and Princeton (1776–77), Brandywine (1777), Germantown (1777), Monmouth (1778), and Newport (1778), and often commanded in Washington's absence. Appointed quartermaster general (1778), his business experience aided him immeasurably. Resuming field duty, Greene fought at Springfield (1780) before accepting command of the Southern Department in December 1780.
In the South, Greene's position appeared hopeless. Georgia and South Carolina had fallen, North Carolina and Virginia lay exposed to British invasion, and his small detachment of the Continental army was ill‐clothed, starving, and demoralized. Greene quickly restored discipline and morale. Next, he boldly divided his force, detaching Daniel Morgan into South Carolina's backcountry and Henry Lee's cavalry to join Francis Marion's coastal guerrillas. It was a stroke of genius. With one order, Greene recaptured the strategic initiative. After Morgan's victory at the Battle of Cowpens (1781), Greene concentrated his forces and led British Gen. Charles Cornwallis deep into North Carolina. At the Battle of Guilford Courthouse (1781) they fought a bitter engagement, with Cornwallis winning a Pyrrhic victory. Lord Cornwallis retired to Virginia to meet ultimate defeat by Washington at the Battle of Yorktown.
Greene returned south. Combining guerrillas, militia, and regulars as integral parts of his operational strategy, he fought several battles (Ninety‐Six, Hobkirk's Hill, Eutaw Springs). The British won all of them, but at high cost. By October 1781, except for Charleston and Savannah, the South was under American control. A brilliant, innovative leader practicing in guerrilla warfare, Greene left the army in 1783. Soon after (1786), he died of sunstroke in Georgia.
[See also Revolutionary War: Military and Diplomatic Course; Yorktown, Battle of.]
Bibliography
Theodore Thayer , Nathanael Greene: Strategist of the Revolution, 1960.
Morgan Dederer , Making Bricks Without Straw: Nathanael Greene's Southern Campaigns and Mao Tse‐Tung's Mobile War, 1983.
John Morgan Dederer
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Greene, Nathanael