Nathanael Greene

Nathanael Greene
A 1783 Charles Willson Peale portrait of Greene
Nickname(s)	"The Savior of the South" "The Fighting Quaker"
Born	August 7 [O.S. July 27] 1742 Potowomut, Warwick Rhode Island, British America
Died	June 19, 1786(1786-06-19) (aged 43) Mulberry Grove Plantation Chatham County, Georgia, U.S.
Buried at	Johnson Square Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	Continental Army
Years of service	1775–1783
Rank	Major General
Battles/wars	American Revolutionary War Siege of Boston Battle of Harlem Heights Battle of Fort Washington Battle of Trenton Battle of Brandywine Battle of Germantown Battle of Monmouth Battle of Rhode Island Battle of Springfield Battle of Guilford Court House Battle of Hobkirk's Hill Siege of Ninety-Six Battle of Eutaw Springs
Spouse(s)	Catharine Littlefield
Signature

American Revolutionary War

Nathanael Greene (August 7 [O.S. July 27] 1742 – June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War, known for his successful command in the Southern Campaign, forcing British Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis to abandon the Carolinas and head for Virginia. When the war began, Greene was a militia private, the lowest rank possible; he emerged from the war with a reputation as George Washington's most gifted and dependable officer. Many places in the United States are named after him. Greene suffered financial difficulties in the post-war years and died in 1786.

Nathanael was the son of Nathanael Greene (4 November 1707 – October 1768), a Quaker farmer and smith, and he was the great-great-grandson of John Greene and Samuel Gorton, both of whom were founding settlers of Warwick, Rhode Island. Nathanael was born on Forge Farm at Potowomut in the township of Warwick, Rhode Island, on August 7, 1742 new style. His mother, Mary Mott, was his father's second wife. Though his father's sect discouraged "literary accomplishments," Greene educated himself, with a special study of mathematics and law. The Rev. Ezra Stiles, later president of Yale University, was a strong influence in the young Nathanael's life.