Nathanael Greene

Born in Warwick, Rhode Island in 1742, Nathaneal Greene was the son of a merchant and farmer. He was a descendant of some of the founding settlers of Warwick, and was brought up as a peaceful Quaker. While his parents’ religious beliefs discouraged learning, Greene’s father allowed him to study topics including math, law, and historical documents. Greene married Catharine Littlefield in 1774, and they had seven children over the course of the next twelve years

Greene was a voracious reader, and purchased and managed a large library housing military history. He was heavily involved in his community, and after leaving Warwick to move to Coventry and work in a mill his father purchased for him to manage, Greene went on to establish the city’s first public school. His ardent passion for learning and supporting military science was not well received by the Quaker church, leading to confrontations between the two parties. Upon attending a military parade supporting the rebellion against England, he was expelled from the Quaker church. Green struggled to accept this, and remained a Quaker for the remainder of his life despite his eventual involvement in the impending wars.

Greene was appointed to the General Assembly of Rhode Island as conflict arose between the colonies and England in the 1770s. Greene organized the Kentis Guards militia group, and when battles began between, he was one of the first leaders to send his men to Boston to serve. By 1775, Greene led a troop of over 1,600 men as their commander, shortly before George Washington was appointed Commander in Chief. Greene led his men through confrontations in Boston, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania over the course of the following years, winning battles against British forces throughout. 

Washington and Greene were a notable pair, and their success at times went unnoticed by Congress. However, due to continued failures at preventing British takeover in South Carolina and Georgia, Congress finally appointed Washington and Greene to lead the next round of efforts. Greene and his soldiers successfully deterred the British in multiple battles in the south, though they still remained in control of Savannah, New York, and Charlestown. By 1872, the British had left Savannah and Charleston and the war was declared over in April of 1783. At this time, Greene resigned from his post.

In 1785, Greene and his family settled in a plantation gifted to him as a reward for his successes. At 43 years old, while visiting his friend’s planation, he suffered a heat stroke and passed away. He left behind a legacy of revolutionary war heroism, and his strategic methods were admired and analyzed for years to come. His death was lamented throughout the South, going as far as business being suspended as everyone mourned his loss. 

Savannah’s Greene Square is named after the man himself, and his remains were buried in the Colonial Park Cemetery. In 1902, they were transferred to Johnson Square, where a monument in his honor had been erected in 1830.