A Quaker boy with little schooling and a noticeable limp does not fit the typical description of a future General of the American Revolution, yet that is exactly how Nathanael Greene’s story begins. Nathanael Greene is an interesting person to investigate because he was George Washington’s most trusted and respected advisor during the Revolution. Since George Washington is such an esteemed figure from the formative period of American history, his most respected General is a suitable subject for study. If historians can gain insight into what made Nathanael Greene so special in Washington’s eyes, conclusions can be made about Washington himself, and, in turn, about the values of the country in its infantile stage. Based on my recent study of this historical figure, I feel that his independent thinking, strong moral compass, determination, and charisma are what made him a great leader and what set him apart in the eyes of his contemporaries.
Nathanael Greene’s penchant for independent thinking put him at odds with his Quaker faith, whose teachings he disagreed with on a fundamental level. The Greene family was among the earliest settlers in Rhode Island and helped establish the colony. John Greene was the founder of the family in the new colony, and an influential member of the Quaker community.[1] One of Nathanael’s greatest dissatisfaction’s with the Quaker community, even as a child, was the lack of importance placed on formal education. In the Quaker community, a practical education was the only option. Greene wrote, “When I should have been in pursuit of knowledge, I was digging into the Bowels of the earth after wealth.”[2] Greene’s lack of a formal education was an embarrassment to him, and so he sought to learn as much as he could on his own through reading (which he funded by selling trinkets to other boys) and listening earnestly to the conversations of educated adults.[3]
Nathanael’s father was a role model for him in many ways, but he felt that although his father “had great piety, humility, and benevolence, [he] was prejudiced against learning.”[4] Because his father believed that secular learning led to sin and temptation, his formal education was limited to basic math (intended for use in business) and reading. While his father felt that Nathanael’s education should be comprised of his basic education coupled with experiences in the real world, Nathanael was highly interested in book-learning, especially on the subject of law. An observer noted, “Nathanael came [to Boston Commons] to listen to the barristers and learn some practical lessons in law.”[5] Through frequent business trips to Newport for his father’s business, Nathanael slowly built his own library, purchasing a book or two on each trip. “He collected a sizable library of more than 200 volumes… there were works on history, government, philosophy, literature, law and religion. Books on science and navigation also occupied a prominent place on his bookshelves.”[6]
Greene, writing to his friend Samuel Ward, expresses his dissatisfaction with the Quaker methods of education:
“I lament the want of liberal education. I feel the mist of ignorance to surround me… I was educated a Quaker, and amongst the most superstitious sort; and that of itself is enough to cramp the best of geniuses, much more mine. This constrained manner of educating their youth has proved a fine nursery of ignorance and superstition instead of piety, and has laid a foundation for farce instead of worship.”[7]
Theodore Thayer, author of one of the definitive biographies on Greene, states that “his educational background was so limited that only a youth of exceptional talents could have risen above it.”[8] Based on the historical evidence that is available today, it seems that Nathanael Greene was exceptionally talented and intellectually gifted.
In addition to the contrasting views on education, Greene also viewed popular culture differently than his Quaker brethren. He failed to see the necessity in the strict rules of conduct that were a part of the Quaker faith, and he (like General Washington) enjoyed the arts tremendously.
When the ‘Unhappy Orphan,’ the first stage play to be enacted by local talent, was presented in Providence in May, 1773, it aroused no qualms in the heart of Nathanael Greene, unlike his Quaker contemporaries. Quite on the contrary, his only regret was that he has been too busy to attend.[9]
In fact, Nathanael’s love of entertainment first surfaces back in his early adolescence, when he was fascinated with dancing. He lamented his father’s disapproval of the young peoples’ dances held on summer nights. “Greene family legend has it that on dance nights, Nathanael went off to bed like a good boy, only to sneak out a window when the coast was clear. He climbed down his second-story room and dashed off into the darkness, sneaking back into his room hours later with nobody the wiser.”[10] On several occasions, however, Nathanael was caught by his father, who greeted the naughty boy with his bullwhip.[11]
Despite their willingness to utilize force as a means to discipline naughty children, Quakers are pacifists. Pacifism is a belief in opposition to war or violence as a means of resolving disputes between nations or groups of any kind.[12] Nathanael, though raised in the Quaker faith– and thus imbued with pacifist ideals– throughout his childhood, felt that pacifism was a lofty concept that would not work in the real world. “Pacifism, though a lofty ideal, he had come to look upon as altogether impractical in this kind of world.”[13] As with his view on education, Nathanael was an independent thinker, even when his beliefs were in conflict with his religion. Like other young Quakers during this time in history, “Greene [ultimately] chose to turn his back on the teachings of the Society of Friends and go to war believing it to be the only course if the ‘constitutional liberties’ of America were to be preserved.”[14]
Although Nathanael eventually did split from the Quaker faith, the transition from Quaker to Major General was a gradual one. During his early adulthood, Greene struggled to make sense of what his role in society would ultimately be. “With all his enterprise and thirst for knowledge, young Nathanael never seemed to have the least thought of becoming anything other than a learned blacksmith and iron master.”[15] Though he ended up ascending through the ranks from private to Major General at a brisk pace, “Greene was past thirty when he finally broke with the faith to become a soldier.”[16]
Even though he disagreed with several key Quaker teachings on a fundamental level, Greene’s background and Quaker upbringing helped to form him into the morally-conscious leader he would become. His intense studies of the Bible, the essential text for all children of pious colonial families, gave young Nathanael a moral and literary framework that would serve him well into adulthood.[17] Nathanael believed that a strong moral compass was the result of a strong liberal education. “‘A liberal education,’ he wrote, helped to develop ‘virtuous manners’ in an individual which were foundations of a good society.”[18]
One of Greene’s moral beliefs was that Greene men should make a concerted effort to help others in whatever way they are best able, even if doing so does not seem to be in their immediate interest. “A man,” Nathanael Greene wrote, “was of little account who spent his days in idleness instead of improving himself and using his powers for advancing human welfare.”[19] He felt that this belief translated into an obligation to assist in the war effort, either as soldier or as a supporter in whatever way possible. He wrote to his young friend Samuel Ward, “We are soldiers who must devote ourselves to arms not for the invasion of other countries but for the defense of our own and the land of our countrymen, not for the gratification of our own private interest, but for the public security.”[20] Although Nathanael applauded the involvement of colonists in the war effort, he felt that, overall, men in his time were not leading their lives according to the “rules for virtuous manners” to which he believed all men were subject. Time seems to have erased any evidence of what Greene’s rules for virtuous manners were exactly, but historians suspect that they were a mixture of Quaker moral codes and his own personal perspective.[21]
During the war, Nathanael Greene’s moral inclinations remained as strong as ever, and he expressed deep concern for the behavior of his soldiers. “While Greene was making steady progress of his defenses and training program, he found that some of the soldiers did not measure up to his Quaker standards for deportment.”[22] Over time, Greene felt that the moral state of the troops was a serious problem, and he was not shy about directly expressing this feeling to his men. In his orders on August 3, 1776, Greene wrote: “Where is the Modesty, Virtue & Sobriety of the New England People for which they have been so remarkable in the past? Our Enemies have sought to fix a stigma upon New England as being rude and barbarous in their manners and undisciplined in their Conduct-for Heaven’s Sake don’t let your behavior serve as an example to confirm their observations.”[23]
Even though Nathanael eventually did split from the Quaker faith, his interest in moral questions later in life reflected his Quaker upbringing. “His piety and ideology remained that of a Quaker throughout his life in spite of being cut off from the influence of the Society of Friends after he became a soldier.”[24]
In addition to enabling him to climb the ranks and overcome the disadvantages he faced early in life, Nathanael Greene’s determination enabled him to lead a successful military career during the war. “Full grown, Nathanael Greene stood five feet ten. His shoulders broad, his chest full, and his limbs strong,” but he had noticeable physical defects to overcome.[25] Nathanael had asthma, a spot in his eye from a smallpox inoculation, and “chronic stiffness in his right knee which caused him to walk with a limp or halting gait.”[26]
People attributed his limp to his duties at the forge, where for hours he was required to stand on one foot while working the trip hammer with the other. A more possible explanation, however, may be that the injury resulted from some boyhood accident, quite possibly a fall he was said to have suffered while climbing down the roof to go to a dance.[27]
If it were not for Greene’s determination, he may never have become a solider in the first place, let alone a Major General. Greene’s limp prohibited him from gaining an officer’s appointment in the Kentish Guards, despite his instrumental role in organizing the unit.[28] He was told that it would be an embarrassment to the force to have a limping officer, and he was mortified. In a letter to a friend, Greene wrote: “I confess it was the first stroke of
mortification that I ever felt from being considered, either in private or public life, a blemish to those with whom I associated.”[29]
Despite this set back and the serious blow to Greene’s self-esteem, he decided that he was not willing to walk away from this experience. Greene enlisted as a private. Although those who were aware of prominence of Nathanael’s family and his hunger for learning were angered that Nathanael was denied an officer position, it seems unlikely that they were surprised when Nathanael decided to enlist as a private. Greene’s ‘never give up’ attitude was well-known by those close to him. It was observed that he “plunged into paroxysm of anxiety when confronted by seemingly insoluble situations.”[30] He also had a “tendency to be impetuous and headstrong on occasions when his skills were put to the test.”[31] He was determined to work his way up the ranks by simply being better qualified for promotion than any of his peers. To this end, Nathanael began studying British warfare strategies. In Boston “with keen interest he watched the morning and evening parading of the British on Boston Common and before long he had mastered the art of drilling.”[32]
As is evident in retrospect, Greene’s determination paid off. After a fast-paced ascension through the ranks, Greene received the recognition he deserved. By 1776 he had been appointed Major General of the Continental Army.[33] Greene’s new obstacles, however, required more determination than any of the ones he had already faced.
Soon after his promotion, Greene fell ill with a “raging fever,” and he was not well enough to lead his troops when General Howe attacked a month later. This was the first significant set-back Greene faced as Major General. Washington felt that Greene was sorely missed at the Battle of Long Island, and he was glad when Greene was able to resume his post. During his illness, Greene had advised that retreating from New York and burning the city (lest it fall into the hands of the British) was the only option, but his advice was not followed. Soon after, Greene was placed in command of Fort Lee on the Hudson River, and Fort Washington across the river. Washington ordered Greene to defend Fort Washington at all costs, and a resolution from Congress on October 11, 1776 reiterated this command. [34] Although Washington had issued the command that Greene defend Fort Washington no matter what, and Congress had echoed this order, Greene was widely blamed for the subsequent losses of Forts Washington and Lee.[35] Many felt that it was Greene’s failure to adapt to the changing situation and evacuate Fort Washington when Manhattan became endangered by the enemy that enabled the British to capture the fort and take 2,800 American prisoners.[36]
This second setback dealt a major blow to Nathanael Greene’s confidence in his ability as a leader, but he remained as determined to succeed as he had ever been, and he resolved to make better choices in the future. Ultimately, Greene redeemed himself in December when he helped Washington plan and execute the retreat across New Jersey and the successful attack on Trenton[37]. Through this trying ordeal, Greene learned that, for a Commander and his Generals to work well together, they must remain confident in each others’ abilities in the face of even the worst circumstances. Greene never lost faith in Washington’s abilities, and Washington, in turn, held a great deal of respect for his determined Major General.[38]
In fact, Washington was so confident in Greene’s ability to succeed in difficult situations that he appointed Greene to the office of Quartermaster General on March 2, 1778. The Quartermaster Department, responsible for the logistical operations of the war, was in shambles prior to Greene’s appointment. Nathanael Greene felt that this appointment was derogatory, meant to reassign him from the battlefield to an office of inaction. His reaction to his new assignment is bestsummed up with the statement,”No body ever heard of a Quarter Master in History.”[39] However, when Greene assumed this position, he realized the utility of improving the flow of supplies to the Continentals, and he applied himself to the task as earnestly as he had to his position in the field. The persistent Greene had to labor long hours just to keep the Army operating, and he continued to advise Washington on matters of strategy and tactics, and he participated in all councils of war.[40]
As if the enormous obstacles he faced in this newly-created position were not enough, Greene and his assistants were charged with profiteering because inflation required them to pay outrageous prices for goods.[41] Though the charges against him were eventually dropped, and the source behind the implication was found to be an individual who harbored resentment for Greene’s success, it took a great deal of determination for Greene to persist in his position in the face of such animosity.[42]
Nathanael Greene resigned as Quartermaster General on July 16, 1780 because he did not agree with Congress’s new policy of requisitioning supplies from the individual states. He felt that supporting the Continental Army was the duty of the colonies as a whole, not only the individual colonies in which conflict arose. Greene wrote, “It will be necessary to realize that the struggle is national in character and scope and not local or provincial.”[43] Soon after returning to the field, Washington gave Greene command of West Point. When Major General Horatio Gates was defeated by the British Army at the Battle of Camden (August 1780), Washington appointed Greene the new Southern Commander.
In only twenty months, Greene succeeded in capturing all of the British posts taking 3,500 prisoners and splitting the British Army in half, bottling them up in Charleston and Wilmington. He also played a vital role in the re-establishment of civil government in the South.[44]
Although Greene wanted to be on the battlefield and he certainly flourished there, he was also able to make the best out of his appointment as Quartermaster General, and he greatly increased the flow of supplies to the Continental Army during his time in that office. Greene possessed a great deal of determination, which enabled him to prevail in even the worst situations. [45]
While Greene’s determination facilitated his successes in various circumstances, determination alone is not enough to make a great leader. As I see it, a great leader is not only highly determined, but he or she must also have an engaging personality in order to earn the respect and recognition of his or her subordinates. Nathanael Greene was an extremely charismatic man, and this character trait endeared him to virtually everyone he came in contact with. With this natural characteristic, Greene was better able to lead others.
Though his involvement in the war effort began at a later age, Nathanael Greene’s charisma was evident even in his early childhood. Observers noted that he was “socially well-adjusted, unlike many country boys, he was not shy or bashful.”[46] As a boy, his frank and outspoken manner attracted the attention of Reverend Ezra Stiles, future president of Yale University as well as Lindley Murray, a young lawyer working from John Jay’s New York law firm.[47] These two men offered him valuable guidance in his self-education throughout his young life, and they helped to chart the course that young Nathanael’s life would follow.
As a young man, Greene’s charisma helped him win an election to the General Assembly of Rhode Island in 1770. “There was a certain indefinable air about the Potowomut anchorsmith that deeply impressed his contemporaries.”[48] Not only was he elected, but he became a significant presence in Assembly proceedings. “He was not an unusually strong debater, but his sound reasoning and common sense brought him to the fore in the Assembly. There was something about him that made him relatable to everyone. In committee work he was at his best, and his judgment was sound and convincing.”[49]
At this formative point in American history, the Continental army needed natural leaders like Nathanael Greene. The colonies had no standing army prior to the Revolution, which meant that farm boys and anyone healthy enough to march and carry a gun was deemed fit for service.[50] Unless a military leader was impressive in the eyes of his men, he would have had a very difficult time exerting control over a mass of soldiers who were not used to taking orders from anyone.
Not only did Nathanael Greene’s charisma foster amiable relationships between himself and his subordinates, but it also helped him make connections with and gain the recognition of his superiors. Nathanael was very good at reading people, and this judicious element of his personality helped him avoid needless disputes. “Although he loved to talk, he was a good listener, especially when among men of education.”[51] He was a natural at conversation, and this helped him foster friendly relationships with influential, educated people.
For a time, however, Nathanael Greene seemed to withdraw from the company of others in a veil of depression. He preferred to write letters to his young friend, Samuel Ward, Jr. over conversing with others face-to-face. Several misfortunes befell Greene at once, including the death of his father, a fire at Coventry forge (the location of his father’s business which Nathanael oversaw), and the rejection of a marriage proposal to his first love, Samuel Ward’s sister.
In the intimacy of country life, Greene had seen her grow up from girlhood to womanhood, and learned as he talked with her and looked upon her to give her his love. But she could only give him friendship in return, and for a long while the alternations of hope and fear, the effort to awaken a warmer feeling, and the growing consciousness that his efforts were in vain, seem to have “overwhelmed” him.[52]
Ward became concerned when he noticed a change in Greene’s letters from optimism to gloomy pessimism, but things turned around completely when Greene met Catherine Littlefield. It seemed that was himself again, almost immediately after meeting her.
“Catherine Littlefield was nineteen, pretty, vivacious, witty, and flirtatious. She loved dancing and merrymaking almost as much as she disliked schooling. Nathanael was thirteen years her senior, but his boyish, fun-loving nature and charisma, now revived under Catherine’s spell, together with the young girl’s emotional maturity, made the difference in their ages seem slight… the enchantment never wore off.”[53]
Never again did Greene deal with any serious bouts of depression, and his correspondences suggest that he remained sociable and charismatic for the remainder of his life.[54] With his beloved “Caty” in his corner, Nathanael’s charming personality shone brightly, and he felt that he was capable of anything.[55] It was very lucky for the Continental Army that Nathanael and Catherine met and were married when they did, because it was only a matter of months after their wedding when the war broke out and Nathanael began his ascent from private to Major General. Had his bout of depression lasted until then, it seems doubtful that Nathanael would have dedicated himself so completely to the cause.[56]
Though the story of Nathanael Greene’s youth seems an unlikely one for a future Major General, the events of his childhood and adolescence made him into the fine adult he eventually became. His Quaker background taught him the importance of morality, while his study taught him the limits of the Quaker faith and the necessity of independent thinking. Nathanael’s remarkable determination enabled him to overcome the many obstacles he faced in the personal, political, and military spheres of his life. Interactions with educated individuals like Governor Ward, Ezra Stiles, and Lindley Murray gave him the opportunity to grow confident in his intellect, despite his lack of formal education. Greene’s naturally charismatic personality, reinvigorated by his relationship with Catherine
Littlefield gave him that “certain indefinable air” that made him a trusted and esteemed leader.[57]
He, like Washington himself, had a personality which inspired aware and respect in other men. Although this may have partly been a result of his impressive physical stature, Nathanael’s natural charisma, determination, independent thinking, and moral compass endeared him to people in a way that his appearance alone could not have. Without Greene’s involvement in the Southern theatre of the Revolution, the outcome of the war could have been very different. Since Greene lived only 44 years before he died tragically from sun-stroke, we can only imagine what remarkable feats he could have accomplished had he lived longer. Even though his life was cut short, there are currently 35 towns, three schools, three national parks, and six streets in locations across the United States named for this remarkable figure in American history.[58]
[1] Charles W. Heathcote, “General Nathanael Greene,” http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/served/greene/ html.
[2] Theodore Thayer, Nathanael Greene: Strategist of the American Revolution, New York: Twayne Publishers, 1960, p. 20.
[3] Heathcote, “General Nathanael Greene.”
[4] “Greene to Samuel Ward, Jr. Oct 9th, 1772″, Nathanael Greene. The Papers of General Nathanael Greene. Ed. Showman and Conrad. Chapel Hill: Univ. of North Carolina Press, 1976.
[5] Thayer, p. 18.
[6] Ibid., p. 23.
[7] George Washington Greene, The Life of Nathanael Greene, Major-General in the Army of the Revolution. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, Vol. 1, 1890, p. 59.
[8] Thayer, p. 15.
[9] Ibid., p. 136.
[10] Terry Golway, Washington’s General: Nathanael Greene and the Triumph of the American Revolution, Greenwich: Macmillan, 2005. p. 19.
[11] Ibid., p. 21.
[12] Pacifism” Random House Unabridged Dictionary Online http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ pacifism
[13] Thayer, p. 41.
[14] William Johnson, Sketches of the Life and Correspondence of Nathanael Greene. Charleston: 1822, p. 451.
[15] Thayer, p. 22.
[16] Ibid., p. 18.
[17] Golway, p. 24.
[18] Thayer, p. 33.
[19] “Greene to Samuel Ward, Jr., Sept. 24, 1770,” The Papers of General Nathanael Greene.
[20] McCullough, David. 1776. New York: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, 2006.
[21] Heathcote, “General Nathanael Greene.”
[22] Thayer, p. 87.
[23] Ibid.
[24] Thayer, p. 33.
[25] Ibid., p. 24.
[26] Ibid., p. 26.
[27] Ibid., p. 19.
[28] Heathcote, “General Nathanael Greene.”
[29] George Washington Greene, The Life of Nathanael Greene, Major-General in the Army of the Revolution. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, Vol 1, 1890.
[30] Thayer, p. 25.
[31] Ibid.
[32] Ibid., p. 19.
[33] Paul David Nelson, “Greene, Nathanael,” American National Biography Online, http://www.anb.org/articles/02/02-00148.html.
[34] Heathcote, “General Nathanael Greene.”
[35] Nelson, “Greene, Nathanael.”
[36] Ibid.
[37] Heathcote, “General Nathanael Greene.”
[38] Ibid.
[39] Jon Maltbie, “Major General Nathanael Greene (1742-1786),” History Channel Web Network, http://members.aol.com/JonMaltbie/Biography.html.
[40] Ibid.
[41] Nelson, “Greene, Nathanael.”
[42] Ibid.
[43] Heathcote, “General Nathanael Greene.”
[44] Maltbie, “Major General Nathanael Greene (1742-1786).”
[45] Nelson, “Greene, Nathanael.”
[46] Thayer, p. 16.
[47] Maltbie, “Major General Nathanael Greene (1742-1786).”
[48] Thayer, p. 20.
[49] Heathcote, “General Nathanael Greene.”
[50] Robert K. Wright, The Continental Army, Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History, U.S. Army, 1983, available at: http://www.history.army.mil/books/revwar/contarmy/ca-fm.htm.
[51] Thayer, p. 25.
[52] George Washington Greene, p. 68.
[53] Thayer, p. 42.
[54] Nathanael Greene, The Papers of Nathanael Greene.
[55] George Washington Greene, p. 70.
[56] Ibid., p. 78.
[57] Thayer, p. 20.
[58] “List of Places Named for Nathanael Greene,” Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_places_named_for_Nathanael_Greene
Bibliography
Works Cited
Golway, Terry. Washington‘s General: Nathanael Greene and the Triumph of the American Revolution. Greenwich: Macmillan, 2005.
Greene, George Washington. The Life of Nathanael Greene, Major-General in the Army of the Revolution. Vol. 1. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1890.
Greene, Nathanael. The Papers of General Nathanael Greene. Edited by Richard K. Showman and Dennis M. Conrad. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press for the Rhode Island Historical Society, 1976.
Heathcote, Charles W. General Nathanael Greene.” Valley Forge Historical Society. 2006. http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/served/greene.html (Accessed 19 April 2008).
Johnson, William. Sketches of the Life and Correspondence of Nathanael Greene. Charleston: 1822.
“List of Places Named for Nathanael Greene,” Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_places_named_for_Nathanael_Greene (accessed 20 April 2008).
Maltbie, Jon. Major General Nathanael Greene (1742-1786).” History Channel Web Network. http://members.aol.com/JonMaltbie/Biography.html (Accessed 19 April 2008)
Nelson, Paul David. “Greene, Nathanael.” American National Biography Online. Feb, 2000. http://www.anb.org/articles/02/02-00148.html (Accessed 18 March 2008).
Thayer, Theodore. Nathanael Greene: Strategist of the American Revolution. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1960.
Wright, Robert K. The Continental Army. Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History, U.S. Army, 1983. Accessed from: http://www.history.army.mil/books/revwar/contarmy/ca-fm.htm
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Drayton, John. Memoirs of the American Revolution as Relating to the State of South Carolina. New York: New York Times, 1969.
Flood, Charles B. Rise, and Fight Again: Perilous Times along the Road to Independence. New York: Mead, 1976.
Goodrich, Francis L.D. “Some Letters of Nathanael Greene from the years 1775-1777.” Michigan Alumnus Quarterly Review 58 (Winter 1952): 109-19
Muskets, Cannon Balls and Bombs. Ed. Benjamin Kennedy. Savannah: Beehive Press, 1973.
Thane, Elswyth. The Fighting Quaker: Nathanael Greene. Mattituck: Aeonian Press, 1972.
