Wandering Lizard

Biographical Notes

Nathanael Greene

On December 25, 1776, Washington recrossed the Delaware River and attacked a Hessian force guarding Trenton, New Jersey. Greene was one of his combat leaders and he again performed well. After Trenton, Washington again reorganized his army and gave Greene command of a division composed of four under strength brigades. After the turn of the year General Charles Cornwallis marched north out of Princeton, New Jersey, to attack Washington at Trenton. Washington, with Greene at his side, evaded Cornwallis and successfully attacked Princeton before moving on to winter quarters in Morristown, New Jersey. In March 1777, Washington sent Greene to liaise with the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. It was his first trip to the capital. He met with many of the leaders and spent many hours discussing various subjects related to the support that he and Washington felt was critical to their success in the field. He left frustrated with politics and disappointed in the little concrete support that he managed to obtain. In the spring he engaged in an exchange of letters with John Adams concerning the proper relationship between civil and military authorities and another that related to a commission that had been offered to a French officer. Relations between the two men became strained and eventually led to Greene's publicly offering to resign his commission. Generals Henry Knox and John Sullivan also offered their resignations. Many in Congress were furious and directed Washington to admonish all three. Congress also passed a resolution indicating a willingness to accept their offers of resignation. Nobody apologized and nobody resigned. The tempest blew over, but Adams and Greene's budding friendship was badly eroded.

In September 1777 Washington and Greene were joined by Major General Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, better known as the Marquis de Lafayette. Lafayette, a teenager at the time, quickly adopted Greene as a mentor and the two got along well even though Greene was opposed to foreigners receiving commissions in the Continental Army. On September 11 the Battle of Brandywine Creek took place. The British won the affair but Greene played an important role in supporting the retreat and denying Generals Howe and Cornwallis a more decisive victory. The Marquis de Lafayette was wounded during the battle. On September 26 the British marched into Philadelphia without opposition. In October, the Battle of Germantown was once again a British victory and a growing number of people had doubts about Washington's military capability. These same people were critical of Greene and believed that one of Washington's problems was that he depended too heavily on Greene's advice and counsel. Several days after Germantown, General Horatio Gates northern army defeated the British at Bemis Heights near Saratoga, New York. Washington's critics began agitating for him to be replaced by Gates. In late October the British attacked two American forts on the Delaware River in an effort to secure their lines of supply to Philadelphia. In mid-November they took Forts Mercer and Mifflin before Greene could arrive to reinforce them. In December the Continental Army went into winter quarters in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and the criticism of Washington and Greene intensified. The winter of 1778 was severe, the military supply system was ineffective. In February, Washington put Greene in charge of foraging operations to feed the army. In March, Greene was named Quartermaster-General of the Army with the understanding that he could be assigned line command in future engagements.

In the spring of 1778 word arrived that France had signed a treaty of alliance with the United States and that the British were replacing General Howe with General Henry Clinton. During the previous winter, Baron von Steuben had significantly improved training and Greene's efforts were beginning to improve the supply system. Morale within the Continental Army improved and when it was discovered that the British were pulling out of Philadelphia, Washington ordered an attack. The resultant battle at Monmouth was fought to a draw and Greene performed well as a division commander facing some of the very best British units led by General Cornwallis. General Clinton retired to New York City and Washington concentrated his army at White Plains in order to prevent the British from gaining control of the Hudson River and thus dividing the colonies. From White Plains Washington decided to attack Newport, Rhode Island, with support from French Admiral Charles d'Estaing. It was to be the first joint French-American military operation. General John Sullivan would be in command and both Greene and Lafayette were to have major commands in the attack. Coordination with the French fleet broke down and the attack did not take place. General Sullivan criticized Admiral d'Estaing and an international incident resulted. Greene and Lafayette worked together to minimize the damage to the French-American alliance. At the end of August a reduced American force attacked Newport and the battle was fought to a draw. Sullivan again criticized d'Estaing's absence and Greene again worked to sooth the admiral's feelings. During the remainder of the year Greene worked at improving the Continental Army's supply system. Part of his compensation was a small percentage of his purchases. These proceeds he invested in outfitting privateers and in land acquisitions. He complained of the quartermaster position, but admitted that he profited from it.

Late in 1778 the Continental Army settled into winter quarters at Middlebrook, New Jersey. In December, both Washington and Greene went to Philadelphia to meet with the Continental Congress. In May 1779 Washington moved the army to New Windsor, New York, and a bit later back to Moriristown, New Jersey. In October 1779, the British captured Savanah, Georgia, and a few months later Clinton and Cornwallis moved south to concentrate their efforts at the subjugation of Georgia and the Carolinas. In December 1779, following months of squabbling with Congress over the army's lack of support, Greene resigned as Quartermaster General. Congress refused to acknowledge his resignation, but in January 1780 created a committee to reorganize the Quartermaster Department. At the end of May, the British took Charleston, North Carolina, and captured the entire southern army together with it's commander, General Benjamin Lincoln. Congress chose Horatio Gates to replace Lincoln with orders to reform the southern army. On June 23, 1780, the British attacked a smaller force under Greene's command at Springfield. Greene maneuvered his units well and achieved a limited victory. In July Congress announced its reorganization of the Quartermaster Department and Greene once again resigned. He was replaced by Colonel Timothy Pickering. On August 16, 1780, Gates was defeated by Cornwallis in the battle of Camden, South Carolina, and suffered two thousand casualties in the process. On September 17 Washington turned command of the army over to Greene while he traveled to Hartford, Connecticut, to confer with French General Jean Rochambeau and French Admiral Charles Ternay. On September 25, Greene learned that Benedict Arnold had deserted to the British. Greene presided at the court-martial and execution of Arnold's accomplice, Captain John Andre, on October 2. On October 14, 1780, on Washington's recommendation, Greene was appointed Commander of the Southern Department of the Continental Army replacing the disgraced Horatio Gates.

Greene's new command consisted of a couple of thousand poorly supported regular and militia troops. His opponent, General Cornwallis, had more troops that were better trained and better supported. The political situation in Georgia and the Carolinas was also unfavorable. The British had destroyed local government and civil unrest was rampant with Tory irregulars fighting on the side of the British throughout the region. Greene decided on a strategy of guerrilla warfare and Washington concurred. Greene's deputy, Baron von Steuben, was left in Virginia and Greene moved on to be with his army in Charlotte, North Carolina. His principal lieutenants included Lighthorse Harry Lee, Francis Marion, Thomas Sumter, Andrew Pickens, Daniel Morgan, William Washington, and Thaddeus Kosciuszko, a Polish engineering officer. He named Colonel Edward Carrington to be his quartermaster. On December 16, 1780, Greene divided his force. He took the bulk of his army southeast to Cheraw Hill on the Pee Dee River in South Carolina. A smaller force under Daniel Morgan was sent southwest to harass Cornwall's left flank. In early January 1781, Benedict Arnold led a British attack on Greene's rear in Virginia. Lafayette reinforced von Steuben. On January 17, Cornwallis' cavalry commander, Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton, attacked Morgan's weaker force at Cowpens, North Carolina. Morgan won decisively. An infuriated Cornwallis personally took the field to avenge Cowpens and destroy Greene's army. Greene retreated just out of reach north toward Virginia. Cornwallis followed, but Greene escaped into Virginia. Cornwallis returned to North Carolina and declared victory. On February 22 Greene returned to North Carolina. On March 15, Greene was defeated at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, but Cornwall's losses exceeded those of Greene. After Guilford Courthouse, Cornwallis retreated to Wilmington, North Carolina. On April 24 he moved to Yorktown leaving the British position in the Carolinas to his deputy, Lord Rawdon. On April 25 Greene was defeated by Rawdon in the Battle of Camden, but following the engagement Rawdon abandoned Camden and retreated to Charleston. Greene described his strategy at the time: " We fight, get beat, rise and fight again."

During May 1781, Greene's troops captured a string of outlying British positions in the interior of the Carolinas before going into camp in the High Hills of Santee in South Carolina. On August 21 Washington, accompanied by Rochambeau marched south from New York toward Virginia. In the Carolinas Rawdon was replaced by Alexander Stewart. On September 8 Stewart and Greene met in the Battle of Eutaw Springs. Greene claimed victory, but at best it was a bloody draw. It was also the last major battle of the revolution. On October 19 Lord Cornwallis surrendered his army at Yorktown. Congress awarded Greene a gold medal for his victory at Eutaw Springs. The British still held New York, Savannah, and Charleston. Congress reorganized the government in 1781 and offered Greene the position of Secretary of War. He declined. On March 22, 1782, the Marquis of Rockingham succeeded Lord North as Prime Minister of Great Britain with the understanding that the new government would end the war with the United States. In July the British evacuated Savannah. On December 14 they left Charleston. Greene was a national hero. On April 11, 1783, Congress declared an end to the war. On June 21 Greene dismissed his troops. On August 11 he departed Charleston on a trip through the states to Rhode Island. On the way he resigned his commission as a major general. In March 1784 at Washington's request, he attended the inaugural meeting of the Society of the Cincinnati. The governments of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, all deeded land to Greene in appreciation of his wartime service. In the late summer of 1785 Greene established his new home in Mulberry Grove Plantation in Georgia, one of the tracks of land given to him after the war. He purchased slaves to operate the plantation and set about trying to clear debt that had accumulated during the revolution. On June 12, 1786, while visiting a friend and wartime colleague, Nathaniel Pendleton, in Savannah he was stricken with sunstroke. He died on June 19, 1786.

Previous...