Nathanael Greene: A Brief Biography

Nathanael Greene was born on August 7, 1742 in Potowomut, Rhode Island, into a Quaker community. He quickly became an avid reader and fell in love with military science (Nathanael, 2004). Since Quakers are pacifists and very against the idea of war, his interests concerned his family and the community deeply. So much so that after he attended a military parade in 1773, when he was 31, he was expelled from his church, never to return. He soon gave up his religion all together to pursue his military interests (Saba, 2004). America is very lucky he decided to abandon his faith, because within the following ten years, Greene became “second to no one in enterprise, in resource, in sound judgement, promptitude of decision, and every other military
In October of 1774, Greene helped form the Kentish Guards, a militia unit. Although he requested commission, Nathanael served as a private due to a slight limp he had since birth (Saba, 2004). He wasn’t a Private for long though. In May of 1775, when 1600 men were called to service, Greene was promoted to Brigadier General. He and his men immediately marched to Cambridge to take part in the siege of Boston in 1775, where all of his military study paid off (Nathanael, 2004). His incredible leadership skills impressed General George Washington. Due to his respect for Greene, General Washington then appointed him to the rank of Major General and became the youngest Major of his time, at the age of 34 (Marquis de Lafayette came four months later) (Saba, 2004). He fought in the later engagements of the battle of Long Island, Fort Washington, Trenton, Brandywine, and Germantown. His participation at Brandywine and Germantown kept small defeats from becoming devastating. (Nathanael,
He was placed in command of West Point while Arnold was on trial. While Nathanael was in command of West Point, the South was invaded by the British for the third time (Heathcote, 2006). He was then put in charge of the Southern Theater of war. He wasted no time in reforming his men. They were soon to be up against Lord Cornwallis, one of the most superior British generals. Greene divided up his forces and used Geurilla tactics to exhaust and lure his enemy away from their supplies. (Saba, 2004) Cornwallis, said “Greene is as dangerous as Washington. I never feel secure when encamped in his neighborhood. He is vigilant, enterprising, and full of resources.” (Hayball, 2006). Cornwallis and Greene raced to the Dan River, and fought in the battles of Hobkirk’s Hill, Siege of Ninety-Six, and Eutaw Springs. Shortly after the battle of Eutaw Springs, Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown. Although the war was considered to be over, Greene held his troops until 1783, when the Treaty of Paris was signed. The young country was finally free of the