Nathanael Greene

Nathanael Greene, Jr. (1742-1786) was a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Although lacking in experience, he became one of George Washington's most trusted aides. He also served as Quartermaster General and as the commander of the southern army.

Early Life

Nathanael Greene was born in Rhode Island into a pacifist Quaker family. Early in his lifetime he developed a limp in his right leg that would be with him for the rest of his life. The Greene family was prosperous, owning a farm, iron forge, and sawmill. Greene received little formal education as a youth outside of learning to read, as his father believed that secular learning would lead to temptation and sin. His reading material was restricted to the Bible and Quaker texts written by George Fox and Richard Barclay. While these provided for Greene's moral beliefs, his thirst for knowledge was not satisfied. When he began to visit Newport on family business, he made it a point to seek out educated men that he could learn from. In this manner he was introduced to Ezra Stiles, the future president of Yale University. Stiles proved to be a powerful influence on Greene's reading habits, exposing him to authors such as John Locke, Sir William Blackstone, and Johnathan Swift.

In November 1770, Greene's father passed away and the family business was split amongst his brothers,with Nathanael running the newly build foundry in Coventry. He began spending more time in Newport experiencing the growing unrest toward British policies toward the colonies. He also developed an interest in military texts such as Instructions to His Generals by Frederick the Great and Mes Reveries by Maurice de Saxe.

References

• Golway, Terry. Washington's General (New York:Henry Holt and Company, 2005)

External Links

• The Papers of General Nathanael Greene, Selected Writings (1/19/1781-2/15/1781)
• The Nathanael Greene Papers, at the American Philosophical Society