The Greene Family Tree. The river was too high to cross without boats, and every boat was on the farther shore. The second line, situated 300 yards behind, was composed of the Virginia militia with Generals Stevens and Lawson in command. Under pressure from Washington, Greene reluctantly agreed to accept the post. Unfortunately for Greene, this was only the beginning of his trouble with Congress, for during the July of 1777, there was talk of placing a French officer in a command higher than Greene’s. (Furneaux 333), Greene situated his men in the Cowpens manner with three battle lines stretching over the hill. The Rev. He was the general in whom Washington most confided. During November, the bulk of the American Army had been evacuated to New Jersey, yet Greene felt that Fort Washington should be held not only to prevent the British from launching a drive into New Jersey, but also to prevent Charles Lee’s forces in Westchester County from being threatened. These actions helped force the British to the coast. His early death was attributed to a sunstroke suffered while viewing, bald headed, the extensive rice plantation of a friend. On the day after he received a copy of the resolution, he wrote to Nathanael Greene at West Point, "It is my wish to appoint You." He wrote to Chevalier de la Luzerne, a French envoy to Congress: "We fight, get beat, rise and fight again." On August 9, 1776, he was promoted to be one of the four new major generals and was put in command of the Continental Army troops on Long Island; he chose the place for fortifications, and built the redoubts and entrenchments of Fort Putnam (the site of current day Fort Greene Park) east of Brooklyn Heights. (Mitchell 167) However, it must be noted that although there was no recognizable American field army, there was still partisan guerrilla bands, led most notably by Francis Marion, Thomas Sumter, and Andrew Pickens, who constantly harassed the now dispersed British outposts throughout the state. Above all, the main army had to remain intact, and from the start he knew that it was better to lose the battle then to not rise and fight again. Col. Lee's Legion and 60 Virginia Riflemen making in their whole 700 men which will be ordered with the Militia to harass the enemy in their advance, check their progress and if possible give us opportunity to retire without general action." However, Greene himself played an active role, though not in combat, for he was appointed to a committee assembling on April 22 consulting with the Connecticut Assembly concerning the common defense of the New England Colonies. Nathanael Greene married Mary Mott and had 11 children. Greene then wrote to Huger to direct his troop movement from Guilford Courthouse. In 1770, he was elected to the General Assembly of Rhode Island. Dennis M. Conrad, Project Director and Editor, The Papers of General Nathanael Greene In a letter to General John Butler, Greene writes "I have some expectation of collecting a force sufficient in this County to enable me to act offensively and in turn race Lord Cornwallis as he has done me." His father, also named Nathanael, was a respected minister among the Society of Friends, as well as the owner of a series of forge, grist and saw mills. On their flanks were William Washington on the right and Harry Lee on the left. It is my wish to appoint you…I have only to add that I wish your earliest arrival, that there be no circumstances to retard your preceding southward." Greene's generalship and judgment were again conspicuously illustrated in the next few weeks, in which he allowed Cornwallis to march north to Virginia and himself turned swiftly to the reconquest of the inner country of South Carolina. Er arbeitete als Gehilfe seines Vaters auf einer Farm und in einer Schmiede. His mother, Mary Mott, was his father's second wife. During the campaign that summer, Greene often combined the functions of Quartermaster General with the duties of a field commander. With the right holding firm, the chance of victory was gone, and Stuart had already rallied his men and given support to Majoribanks. Starting with the success of the great and heroic Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780 under then Colonel William Campbell (he would later be appointed as a Brigadier General in 1781) the entire war changed. Starting with the success of the great and heroic Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780 under then Colonel William Campbell (he would later be appointed as a Brigadier General in 1781) the entire war changed. With over 800 prisoners Morgan began a strategic retreat, moving north towards Salisbury where he was joined by Greene at Cowan's Ford on the Catawba River where a force of Patriot Militia fought a small engagement against Cornwallis's forces. In the fall of 1780, when Congress suspended General Gates from his command after his crushing defeat at Camden, South Carolina., and asked Washington to name a successor, he promptly chose Greene. The courthouse was situated atop a hill which sloped down gradually for about a half mile. It was at this point that Greene may have been able to attain a complete victory, but knowing that all hope of recovering the south rested with his army alone, he held his hand, knowing the importance of living to fight another day. Greene was presented with no easy task as Quartermaster, and he had to deal with scarcity of funds and supplies and the lack of an effective transportation system. However, he was defeated in every pitched battle he fought against the British during his time as southern commander. With bayonets the Virginians charged, causing the British to retreat. (Abbazia 12) Apparently, his sense of duty to restore an army in shambles compelled him to accept, and Congress officially appointed him on March 2. NATHANAEL GREENE of Potowomut (Jabez, James ,John ') was born November 4, 1707. Nathanael Greene and Catherine Littlefield were married in the "best parlor" at Greene Farm, East Greenwich, R.I. where a framed invitation to their wedding hangs on the back wall to this day (2010). His army was grouped into three lines of battle. (Thane 275), Unfortunately, Greene’s life was cut short on June 19, 1786 at the young age of 45. Research devoted solely to this person has either not yet taken place or it is currently in progress. (Thane 2) He worked at his father’s iron foundary in Potowomut until 1770, when his father purchased a forge at the town of Coventry and put him in charge there at the age of 27. Greene commanded a total of 4,360 men, consisting of 1,600 continentals, 2,600 militia and 160 cavalrymen. Plus, both Morgan’s and Greene’s divisions were still relatively unscathed, and they still held a very serious threat to all British cities, including New York and Charleston. (Abbazia 16), It was at this point that Greene decided to divide his men and organize them into a "flying army." Although gaining the hill at a high cost, Cornwallis soon withdrew soon afterward as well, making a hasty retreat with a struggling force into Wilmington, North Carolina until ultimately marching to Virginia to establish communications there. The entire British force was captured or killed (100% of all opposing forces) in an unbelievable battle of astounding magnitude. Shortly after Nathanael had moved to Coventry, his father died in the November of the same year. Greene had vehemently argued with Congress over how to supply the Continental Army. Also saying "I called a Council, who unanimously advised to avoid an action, and to retire beyond the Roanoke immediately. Historical records and family trees related to Greene Greene. Arriving on February 9 at Guilford, Greene summoned his field officers to a council of war of his chief officers and put forward the question of whether the army should give battle. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. (RGA 571) Quartermastering also gave him a valuable experience in the vital role of an army’s supply line and mobility, another facet which he will use to his advantage in his triumph in the south. (Ketchum 335) The sheer numbers of Stuart’s men made Greene weary of any assault, but when he was joined by Marion and his men he decided to go forward with the attack. As with all family trees on this website, the sources for each ancestor are listed on the family group pages so that you can personally judge the reliability of the information. (Maltbie). ", "In all probability you will find me on the North side of Dan River. There was also the Navy's USS Nathanael Greene, a James Madison-class nuclear submarine (decommissioned in 1986). Washington assigned Greene the command of the city of Boston after it was evacuated by Howe in March 1776. Letters of October 1775 and January 1776 to Samuel Ward, then a delegate from Rhode Island to the Continental Congress, favored a declaration of independence. North and South Carolina and Georgia voted Greene liberal grants of lands and money, including an estate, "Boone's Barony," south of Edisto in Bamberg County. Breaking his usual policy of guerrilla and regular formation, Greene incorporated Marion’s men into formal lines of battle. Greene decided to divide his own troops, thus forcing the division of the British as well, and creating the possibility of a strategic interplay of forces. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathanael_Greene. Famous Birthdays. Deceased in October 1768 - Warwick, Kent Co., RI,aged 60 years old. Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful. He led Cornwallis further away from his base, forcing him to pillage for food and supplies. On June 28, 1778, he commanded the right division in the Battle of Monmouth, which was the first time the Americans held a field against a sizable British army. His statue, with that of Roger Williams, represents the state of Rhode Island in the National Hall of Statuary in the Capitol at Washington; in the same city there is a bronze equestrian statue of him by Henry Kirke Brown at the center of Stanton Park. Born 4 November 1707 - Warwick, Kent Co., RI. In 1777, he married Catherine Littlefield Greene of Block Island. Brig. Privacy Policy | Contact Me© 2010-2021 FamousKin.com. This he sold to meet bills for the rations of his Southern army. Both Greene and John Jay favored the idea of evacuating New York and burning the city, but Congress, for the sake of appearances, disliked the prospect and left the final decision to their commander-in-chief. Greene was now much more cautious and he realized the importance of fighting a war of attrition and the necessity of being able to rally an army again, relatively unscathed, after a engaging in battle. The Marquis de Malmedy, accompanied with Marion and Pickens, brought up the center of the assault while Lee, Henderson and Hampton covered the flanks. Gen. Isaac Huger of the South Carolina Continentals was appointed his second in command. He died at 43 years old on the estate on June 19, 1786, of sunstroke. I never feel secure when encamped in his neighborhood." Greene had won the race. At the Battle of Brandywine, Greene commanded the reserve. Herreshoff. Three days after this battle, Cornwallis withdrew toward Wilmington, North Carolina. (Morris 84). (Furneaux 333) Cornwallis quickly began his pursuit of the army that had so effectively evaded them, and the two men vied for a superior position for the next ten days. (Aaron) Along with Huger came Light-Horse Harry Lee, the father of Robert E. Lee, who arrived with an elite group of cavalry and infantry specializing in guerrilla warfare. Soon, Armstrong, Lee, and Greene’s whole army were in pursuit. Greene Surname (Source: Find A Grave) Greene gravestones Gravestone Photographic Resource Many places in the United States are named for him. After Morgan crossed the Catawba, Greene himself joined him with only a few escorts to discuss strategy, with Cornwallis only twelve miles behind. In a letter to George Washington on February 9, he described the "light army" he had formed under Williams as composed of: "cavalry of the 1st and 3rd Regiments and the Legion amounting to 240, a detachment of 280 Infantry under Lieut. The Congress approved the appointment, gave Greene command over all troops from Delaware to Georgia with extraordinarily full powers, "subject to the control of the Commander-in-Chief". (RGA 570). (Morris 83) To Greene, Washington wrote: "It has been [Congress%E2%80%99] pleasure to appoint an officer to command [the southern theater.] and you might be surprised at the answer. Born in Warwick in 1742, his family had already lived in Rhode Island for more than 100 years, originally colonizing the state with Roger Williams and a handful of others. Her father was Deputy from Portsmouth, R. I., 1705-9, and her grandfather, Jacob Mott, senior, served as Deputy in 1674. Meanwhile, Francis Marion and Light-Horse Harry were faring well, taking Fort Watson with ingenious siege tactics and later taking Fort Motte. He was one of the dependable leaders in the state. The same as our Uncle Leander. After the evacuation of Fort Lee four days later, Green played a prominent role in the retreat across New Jersey and led the left wing during the Battle of Trenton on December 26, 1776. Many of the same forces who were at King's Mountain also came to Cowpens. There are conflicting sources as to who was to blame for the failure at Fort Washington. He was an avid reader and saved his money to buy books (he eventually bought his own library!) She was the mother of Major-General Nathanael Greene of the Revolutionary army. This defeat effectively ended the American Southern Army as a cohesive fighting force. In the face of this British assault, the third line discharged when the British were within a hundred feet and charged with bayonets, causing the British to retreat and then later rally. Greene and the main army re-crossed the Dan River into North Carolina on the 22nd. Col. Howard, the Infantry of Lieut. Greene at this same time formed a special light corps to be commanded by Col. Otho Williams to cover the main army’s retreat. Col. Edward Carrington joined the command, with the report that boats had been secured, and secreted along the Dan River in Virginia, so as to be collected on a few hours' warning. Born Nathanael GREENE. 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