Catherine Littlefield Greene

Catharine Littlefield Greene
Catharine Greene in 1809
Born	Catharine Littlefield (1755-02-17)February 17, 1755 New Shoreham, Rhode Island
Died	September 2, 1814(1814-09-02) (aged 59) Cumberland Island, Georgia
Other names	Catharine Miller
Spouse(s)	Nathanael Greene (1774–1786) Phineas Miller (1796–1803)

Catharine Littlefield "Caty" Greene Miller (17 February 1755 – 2 September 1814) was the wife of the American Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene, mother of five and noted for being a supporter of the inventor Eli Whitney.

Catharine Littlefield was born on February 17, 1755, off the coast of Washington County, Rhode Island, on Block Island, where her family had settled in the 1660s.

Beginning in 1772, She was courted by Nathanael Greene, a fellow Rhode Islander a dozen or so years her senior. The couple was married in July 1774, but less than a year later Greene was called to war. Catharine Greene had not yet settled into a comfortable life with her husband, their home in Coventry, Rhode Island, not having yet been completely furnished. Caty, as she was called, dreamed of spending cold winter nights with Nathanael, reading to each other by the firelight, surrounded by their children. She was energetic and independent, but she looked to her husband to take charge and make the decisions. With his involvement in the war, she was forced to assume the role of head-of-household.

Catharine Greene was not content to remain at home without her husband, so she joined Gen. Greene at his military headquarters whenever possible. Over the course of the war and shortly after, Catharine had five children who lived past infancy. She experienced the conflict of caring for her children while longing to be with her husband. She desperately wanted to have something like a normal family and when conditions allowed, she brought her young children with her to camp. At other times she left them in the care of family or friends. It was during these separations that Catharine most felt the effects of the war upon her family.

When the war finally came to an end and the family was reunited, Caty looked forward to having Nathanael home to share in the responsibility of raising the children and handling business and household affairs. His presence at home "brought a peace of mind unknown to her since the conflict began." She was prepared to let her husband take charge and to settle herself into the life of a respected, well-to-do gentleman's wife.

Although Nathanael was not required to be of further service to his country, his involvement in the war had other effects on his life. During his command in the South, he faced very harsh conditions. In order to clothe his soldiers during the winter, he had to personally guarantee thousands of dollars to Charleston merchants. He later discovered that the speculator through whom he had dealt was fraudulent. At the end of the war, the merchants began pressing him for payment on the notes, and judgments began coming down from South Carolina courts. He was without sufficient funds and heavily in debt.