| |
| |
|
By
Journal staff writer Gerald
M. Carbone
|
|
Editor's note:
There were only 3,000 of them left. Defeated and ragged, they retreated toward
the Pennsylvania wilderness in the harsh cold of December 1776. Pursuing them
were 20,000 soldiers of England, then the world's greatest superpower. The ragged
men were the remnants of George Washington's Army. They were the only hope for
the rebel Colonies calling themselves the United States, but no one expected
they could win. Marching with them was the son of a Quaker preacher from Rhode
Island, a man with a limp from birth and the heart of a lion.
Keep up here with this extraordinary series by Journal staff writer Gerald
M. Carbone about the life of Nathanael Greene of Warwick, R.I., one of the
greatest heroes of
the
American
Revolution.
Historians
rank him second only to Washington as the best soldier of that war.
|
|
|
05/28/2006
 Rise
and fight again
SAVANNAH, Ga., MARCH 1901
Rhythmically swinging their picks in an old graveyard, two men broke through the brick walls of a tomb; a stench soon tainted the springtime air. This red brick vault, like the other 10 vaults they had knocked open, was squat, not tall enough for a man to kneel in. Both workmen crawled in on their bellies, illuminating the cramped, foul crypt with a sputtering lantern. Even though 100 years had passed since 1801 when a body was last placed in that vault, the odor was strong enough to sicken the men who crawled into it.
The long march to the Greene papers
PROVIDENCE - More than a third of a century,
$4 million and the careers of many smart people
have been invested in publishing The Papers of General Nathanael Greene, a Revolutionary War hero from Rhode Island.
05/29/2006
A season of setbacks and thoughts of love
On the morning of June 10, 1772,
a young man paraded along the Great Bridge in Providence, wearing the gold-laced beaverskin cap
he had swiped from the head of a British naval officer. He proudly told the story of the
night before — how he had helped plunder and burn the king's schooner Gaspee —
till some older men warned him to hold his tongue.
Sources for today's installment
05/30/2006
With gun in hand,Quaker's son readies for the fight to come
The rector unlocked Boston's Old South Church at 10 a.m., and a crowd surged in.
They had come to church that morning — March 5, 1775 — not to worship,
but to commemorate the fifth anniversary of what locals called ``The Boston Massacre,''
in which British soldiers shot and killed five rioters.
Sources for today's installment
05/31/2006
'There is war,' and Rhode Island responds
These are the orders that started the American Revolution:
"You will march with the Corps of grenadiers and Light Infantry put under your Command with the utmost expedition and secrecy to Concord, where you will seize and destroy all the Artillery, Ammunition, provisions, Tents & all other military stores you can find."
06/01/2006
Untrained men face a formidable foe
In spring of 1775, Nathanael Greene found himself in a fine mess. Just months removed from being a private in the Kentish Guards, he now commanded the 1,000 men in Rhode Island's Army of Observation.
06/02/2006
Now a general under Washington, Greene gets a taste of war
George Washington arrived at Cambridge on July 2, 1775, wet from rain and tired from the long ride. There was no pomp to greet the arrival of the Army's new commander in chief. A planned reception had been canceled on account of the heavy rain.
06/03/2006
With Boston freed, Greene marches his army south
From his camp atop Prospect Hill, Gen. Nathanael Greene had a good view of a bad scene. Below him was the acrid, fire-blackened town of Charlestown -- nothing but ashes, chimneys and the charred ribs of houses.
Greene early in seeking independence
The late Harvard historian Allen French has written that Nathanael Greene was apparently the first person to use the phrase "a Declaration of Independence.
06/04/2006
Facing a fleet that 'looked like all London'
On March 31, 1776, one of those springtime fogs rolled in off Rhode Island Sound and blanketed Newport. Three American sentinels stationed near Brenton Point peered into the sifting fabric of fog, and convinced each other that they saw the sails of...
06/05/2006
On Long Island, redcoats corner the rebels
Summer of 1776 was an
eventful time in the life of Nathanael Greene. Rhode Island College, later Brown University, gave him an
honorary degree, which meant a lot to a man who often felt insecure about his lack of a formal education.
Sources for today's installment
06/06/2006
Greene's leadership carries
the day for retreating rebels
Summer of 1776 was an eventful time in the life of Nathanael Greene. Rhode Island College, later Brown University, gave him an honorary degree, which meant a lot to a man who often felt insecure about his lack of a formal education.
Sources for today's installment
06/07/2006
Washington's faith in Greene is undermined by treachery
On Sept. 20, 1776, New York City suffered a conflagration that rivals 9/11 as the worst in its history.
06/08/2006
In N.Y., Greene's army hit hard; Forts Washington, Lee are lost
It's said that a general's education is paid for in blood. For Nathanael Greene, the tuition came due on Manhattan Island at a place called Fort Washington. And the price was high.
Enemy ships drop anchor in R.I.
In early December 1776, the Kentish Guards' assessment that Nathanael Greene did not have the health and military bearing to be an officer looked accurate.
06/09/2006
With forces dwindling, rebels face 'victory or death' as 1776 closes
Inside the damp chill of an unfinished, fieldstone house, Nathanael Greene scratched out a letter to his wife, Caty. He wrote from the Merrick House near the banks of the Delaware River, which was beginning to freeze now in mid-December 1776.
06/10/2006
Across the icy Delaware, on to victory at Trenton
Christmas Day 1776 dawned clear and cold, one of those blue winter days that look nice but aren't. The temperature peaked at 30 degrees, cold enough to sting ungloved hands.
06/11/2006
Battle of Princeton exacts a heavy toll
Lord Charles Cornwallis wanted to sail home to England to visit his wife, Jemima, whom he truly loved. His superiors said he could go.
06/12/2006
In winter's lull, family worries weigh heavily
When Gen. George Washington settled his army at Morristown, N.J., for the winter of 1777, his wife, Martha, came to camp. Her camp visit was not unusual; wherever they traveled, 18th-century armies trailed behind them a train of camp followers — wives, girlfriends, prostitutes, and ``sutlers,'' who sold goods, mostly hard liquor, to the soldiers.
Sources for today's installment
06/13/2006
Barton's
daring plan nets a British general
John Adams called 1777 "The year of the hangman" because the three
7's evoked images of the gallows. Throughout the summer of that year Nathanael
and Gen. George Washington were constantly baffled by British troop movements,
and the lack of them. British and Hessian soldiers outnumbered American troops
by more than 30,000 to less than 10,000.
Sources
for today's installment
06/14/2006
British set sights on Philadelphia as Gen. Lee betrays the rebel
The news spread as quickly as a horse could gallop: a group of Rhode Island
militiamen led by the Providence hatter, William Barton, had captured a British
general on Aquidneck Island.
Sources
for today's installment
06/15/2006
At Brandywine, Greene's army arrives to prevent a total loss
Sept. 11, 1777 _ the day had come for Gen. George Washington to make his stand. Throughout that summer Washington had ignored his rival's invitations to come down out of the Jersey hills and fight on the open plain. Now with Gen. William Howe leading 13,000 troops toward Philadelphia, the country's de facto capital, Washington had no choice but to defend America's biggest city.
Sources for today's installment
06/16/2006
At
Germantown, another chance to see the redcoats run
On
Sept. 28, 1777, word filtered into Gen. George Washington's camp that the Americans
had beaten British Gen. John "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne outside Saratoga, N.Y.
Unlike many rumors, this one turned out to be true: American forces had driven
the ...
06/17/2006
A Rhode Island regiment holds Fort Mercer
On Oct. 22, 1777, Gen. George Washington ordered about 400 Rhode Islanders into Fort Mercer, a large earthwork of 14 cannon, barracks and a few outbuildings. About a third of these Rhode Island soldiers were 16 years old or younger.
06/18/2006
Suffering in Valley Forge's icy grip
On Dec. 10, 1777, 11,000 men _ some sick, all tired and hungry and dressed in tatters _ marched out of an army camp at Whitemarsh, Pa., destination unknown. Their general, George Washington, still had no idea where he would bed them down for the winter. He also had little idea how he would feed his men and keep them clothed till spring.
06/19/2006
Washington's Army now trained with `precision'
Like the Cowardly Lion of Oz, Friedrich Wilhelm Augustus von Steuben wore courage upon his chest.
06/20/2006
With Greene by his side, Washington presses the attack
Sir Henry Clinton faced a logistical nightmare as he moved his 11,000 British troops from Philadelphia across the sandy plains of New Jersey, to New York. His baggage train held 1,500 wagons — a line of men, wagons and horses that stretched for 12 miles.
06/21/2006
Greene helps bring the fighting to R.I.
On the 4th of July, 1778, rain fell on Rhode Island till about 10 a.m. At noon, cannons boomed from Providence, Warren and Warwick in celebration of the second anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
06/22/2006
The French join the rebels in R.I. to launch an attack
How Nathanael Greene envied John Sullivan, a fellow major general in George Washington's Army. Washington had given Sullivan the command of troops gathering to attack the British on Rhode Island, a command that Greene was dying to get.
06/23/2006
Rebels, French tighten noose around Newport
For the entire month of August 1778, Rhode Island was the fulcrum for freedom and democracy versus the tyranny of kings. Gen. George Washington believed that if the Americans succeeded in capturing Newport, the British would quit their claim on the...
06/24/2006
With eyes on sea, rebels and redcoats tangle in Newport
Gen. John Sullivan decided to press on with the attack on Newport, even though a key component of the assault -- the French fleet and its 4,000 marines -- had sailed from Narragansett Bay in pursuit of British warships.
06/25/2006
'Behold our fellows chasing the British'
The little boat that sailed down the Sakonnet River toward Newport's Brenton Point bore quite a cast of characters: at the helm stood big John Brown, all 6 feet and 250 pounds of him; for passengers he carried the young Marquis de Lafayette and Maj.-...
06/26/2006
Key offensive: To `scourge' enemy Indians
Nathanael Greene got called to Philadelphia to meet with Congress and he didn't like it; he was not fond of big cities and though he had served in Rhode Island's General Assembly, he had no patience for politicians.
06/27/2006
Army settles in for a harsh winter
Nathanael Greene wrote in early November 1779: The weather begins to get cold and puts us in mind of Winter quarters. It therefore becomes necessary to look out for a proper place to hut the Army in.
06/28/2006
Hard winter with little food sows mutiny among rebels
From his cramped winter quarters in Jacob Arnold's tavern, Nathanael Greene wrote to a friend:
06/29/2006
Americans, outnumbered, still prevail
Baron von Knyphausen marched 6,000 troops over a bridge of boats connected by planks spanning Staten Island Sound. He came into New Jersey on June 6, 1780, buoyed with the news of a big British victory in Charleston, S.C., and with the belief that...
06/30/2006
George Washington shaken by Benedict Arnold's treason
On Sept. 26, 1780, Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene told his officers to stand in front of their men and read these orders:
07/01/2006
On Greene's orders, a spy meets his doom
Nathanael Greene wrote to his wife:
I expect it will fall to my lot to sit as president of the court which will decide upon the fate of Maj. John André...
07/02/2006
He gains coveted command in south
With Benedict Arnold gone, West Point needed a commander; Nathanael Greene asked Gen. George Washington for the job:
07/03/2006
Cocky
Loyalists fall to mountain men
Nathanael Greene finally found Gen. Horatio Gates and what was left of America's Southern Army on Dec. 2, 1780. Greene was taking command of the Army from Gates, who had led it to ruin.
07/04/2006
In ingenious move, Greene splits his army
Charlotte, North Carolina, Dec. 7, 1780:
I arrived at this place the 2d Inst. And found the army under General Gates in a most deplorable situation, entirely without tents and almost starved with hunger and cold, Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene wrote.
07/05/2006
Rebels prepare for a do-or-die stand at Cowpens, S.C.
From his tent in the wilderness on a bend in the Pee Dee River, Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene worried about Daniel Morgan's detachment, camped somewhere in the South Carolina backcountry. Morgan had with him nearly half of Greene's Southern Army, and...
07/06/2006
Rebels turn back the British at Cowpens
Ban Tarleton was determined to catch Daniel Morgan's American troops in a vise between his legion of British dragoons and the wide Broad River. Tarleton woke his troops at 2 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1781, a night that was cold, cloudy and raw. They had a...
07/07/2006
Greene's rendezvous puts him in harm's way
On the 28th of January 1781, a curious contingent of six horsemen splashed through swampland in central South Carolina. Among them, in a blue coat with buff facing and gold epaulets, rode the "slightly corpulent" figure of Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene.
07/08/2006
Race to Dan rivals Delaware crossing
After retreating more than 100 miles to Guilford Courthouse, N.C., America's ragged Southern Army was in no shape to wage war.
07/09/2006
In N.C., 'dreadful was the havoc on both sides'
At Halifax Courthouse, Va., Nathanael Greene and his troops were living relatively well. Virginia was a powerful state with a stable, if poorly managed, government and a strong economy. Here, after a punishing race to beat pursuing British troops...
07/10/2006
A daring plan to draw out Cornwallis
The day after the Battle of Guilford Courthouse the British ate for the first time in two days: each man got a quarter-pound of flour and a four-ounce strip of stringy beef.
07/11/2006
For Greene, lost opportunity on Hobkirk's Hill
Nathanael Greene wanted rum; some strong riding horses that ``go easy''; maybe some plump turkeys; and a half-cask of some port or claret wine.
07/12/2006
Despite heavy rebel losses, British troops vacate Camden
On the morning of May 11, 1781, an American colonel rode up to an abandoned house near "a large creek of still deep water" in the heart of South Carolina.
07/13/2006
A valiant effort, but Greene's army loses at Ninety-Six
On the 15th day of the Siege of Ninety-Six a messenger rode into Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene's camp to tell him that Fort Cornwallis, the last of the Georgia outposts, had fallen. Its commander, Thomas "Burnt Foot" Brown, had been captured along with...
07/14/2006
British continue to lose ground in South
The fifth anniversary of American Independence, July 4, 1781, found Nathanael Greene riding away from his main army to join Henry Lee's legion of light horse skirting the edge of danger. To plot his next move, Greene wanted good intelligence of...
07/15/2006
'Dog Days Expedition' begins in South Carolina
In the summer of 1781, Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene gave most of his troops a cooling rest in the High Hills of the Santee -- but not all of them.
07/16/2006
Ragged, starving, but a big win
In the summer of 1781, Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene gave most of his troops a cooling rest in the High Hills of the Santee -- but not all of them.
Unforgiven: Benedict Arnold's attack on New London-Groton
In the summer of 1781, Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene gave most of his troops a cooling rest in the High Hills of the Santee -- but not all of them.
07/17/2006
King's determination spurs proposal to train, arm slaves
The Siege of Yorktown did not end the American Revolution; in the South it continued to smolder, and Nathanael Greene remained in the thick of it. When fever season broke in the cooling air of mid-November, he decided to move his army from their camp in the High Hills of the Santee down into the swamps of the South Carolina Low Country in hopes of driving the remaining Loyalists into Charleston.
07/18/2006
Nathanael Greene's wife makes her way south
In late October 1781, the schooner Adventure slipped into Newport Harbor; it had sailed directly from Virginia's York peninsula, and its captain brought the news that Lord Gen. Charles Cornwallis had surrendered to Washington at Yorktown.
07/19/2006
Greene must weigh offer of cease-fire from British
Lt. William McDowell was posted on advance guard duty that May morning in 1782, stopping all foot and horse traffic approaching a bridge spanning a wide, muddy river in South Carolina. On the other side of the bridge lay the American army's base...
07/20/2006
With war over, Greene begins long journey home
On April 16, 1783, sometime around 11 a.m., an express rider galloped to the John Rutledge mansion with an urgent message for Maj. Gen. Nathanel Greene: the war was over.
07/21/2006
Greene returns home to little fanfare and many problems
Late in the drab month of November 1783, a sailing ship ghosted into Newport Harbor in the darkness. Nathanael Greene, by now the storied Conqueror of the South, stepped off the ship without fanfare. He walked or rode a carriage to his new home, a...
07/22/2006
Junior officer challenges Greene to duel
The last full year of Nathanael Greene's life, 1785, began badly. In January he shipped out from Newport bound for Charleston, S.C., and nearly died at sea.
07/23/2006
A burden of debt and illness before death
In a rented house on a hill in Newport, Caty Greene delivered a baby girl, her sixth child. Her husband, Nathanael Greene, was not home for the birth, having sailed to New York in hopes of settling an enormous debt that he had borne to clothe the...
07/24/2006
'One of the brightest gems in the crown of our country's glory'
For 14 years after Nathanael Greene's death, his widow, Caty Greene, stayed on at their Mulberry Grove plantation where she enlivened Savannah's social scene.
| 
