Revolutionary war hero Nathanael Greene was...
born on August 7, 1742, in Potowomut, Rhode Island. Appointed to the rank of major general in 1776, Greene is best known for his astuteness as commander in chief of the southern army, a position he assumed in 1778. Prior to the Revolution, Greene managed his father's iron foundry and served in Rhode Island's colonial legislature. He was elected commander in chief of the Rhode Island army in 1775 and served with George Washington during the siege of Boston in 1775 and 1776.
In January of 1781, Greene contributed to the defeat of British General Lord Cornwallis at Cowpens, South Carolina. Greene forced Cornwallis, whose forces far outnumbered the Americans, to divide his troops and defend his territory on two fronts. The British subsequently retreated to Charleston, where they remained until Cornwallis surrendered to Washington at Yorktown, Virginia on October 19, 1781.
Greene and Washington remained close friends after the Revolutionary War. Upon Greene's death in 1786, Washington expressed his deep admiration and affection for Greene by offering to raise his son, George Washington Greene:
I would fain hope . . . that upon a final settlement of his affairs there will be a handsome competency for Mrs. Greene and the Children. But should the case be otherwise, and Mrs. Greene, yourself, and Mr. Rutlidge would think proper to entrust my namesake G: Washington Greene to my care, I will give him as good an education as this Country (I mean the United States) will afford and will bring him up to either of the genteel professions that his frds. may chuse, or his own inclination shall lead him to pursue, at my own cost and expence.
Letter from George Washington to Jeremiah Wadsworth , October 22, 1786.
George Washington Papers, 1741-1799.
- Read more of Washington's correspondence with and about Nathanael Greene. Search the George Washington Papers, 1741-1799 on Nathanael Greene.
- Search the Today in History Archive on Revolutionary War to read more about events in America's fight for independence.
- Visit the timeline America during the Age of Revolution, 1764-1775 featured in the American Memory collection Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789.
