Nathanael Greene

Nathanael Greene (August 7, 1742 (N.S.) – June 19, 1786), was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. When the war began, Greene was a militia private; he emerged from the war with a reputation as George Washington's most gifted and dependable officer.

Before the war

The son of a Quaker farmer and smith, he was born at Potowomut in the township of Warwick, Rhode Island, on July 27, 1742 (old style)/August 7, 1742 new style. Though his father's sect discouraged "literary accomplishments," Greene educated himself, with a special study of mathematics, history and law. Upon his father's death in 1770, Greene moved to Coventry, R.I., to take charge of the family-owned forge. There, he was the first to urge the establishment of a public school and in the same year he was chosen a member of the legislature of Rhode Island, to which he was re-elected in 1771, 1772 and 1775. He sympathized strongly with the "Whig," or Patriot, element among the colonists, and in 1774 joined the local militia. At this time he began to acquire many expensive volumes on military tactics, and began to teach himself the art of war. In December 1774 he was on a committee appointed by the assembly to revise the militia laws. His zeal in attending to military duty led to his expulsion from the Quakers (the Society of Friends).

Related Topics:
Quaker - Potowomut - Warwick, Rhode Island - July 27 - 1742 - Old style - August 7 - 1770 - Coventry, R.I. - Legislature - Rhode Island - 1771 - 1772 - 1775 - Patriot - 1774

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~