William Green (general)

General Sir William Green 1st Baronet, of Marass, Kent
General Sir William Green, 1st Baronet, of Marass, Kent
Born	(1725-04-04)4 April 1725
Died	10 January 1811(1811-01-10) (aged 85) Bifrons, near Canterbury, Kent, England
Buried	Plumstead, Kent, England
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	General
Commands held	Royal Engineers
Battles/wars	Great Siege of Gibraltar
Relations	Adam Smith (uncle)

General Sir William Green, 1st Baronet, of Marass, Kent (4 April 1725 – 10 January 1811) was an officer in the British Army.

After receiving a private education in Aberdeen, Scotland and a military education at the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich, England, he was appointed as a practitioner engineer in 1743. Green served on the European continent until 1752, after which he was in Canada. There, he continued to advance through both the ordinary military and engineering ranks.

Following his return to England, Green was named senior engineer for Gibraltar about 1761, and the next year promoted to lieutenant colonel. He was promoted to chief engineer for Gibraltar in 1770, and designed and executed a number of military works on the Rock. In 1772, his idea of a regiment of military artificers, to replace the civilian mechanics who had formerly constructed military works, came to fruition in the form of the Soldier Artificer Company, the predecessor of the Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners. Their works included the King's Bastion, which Green designed. Promoted to colonel in 1777, he served as chief engineer throughout the Great Siege of Gibraltar (1779–1783). During the siege, he was promoted to brigadier general, then major general. He returned to England in 1783; three years later a baronetcy was created for him. He was appointed chief engineer of Great Britain in 1786. His promotions included that to lieutenant general in 1793 and full general in 1798. Following his retirement in 1802, he settled in Plumstead, Kent.

William Green was born on 4 April 1725, the eldest son of Fairbridge Green and his wife Helen Smith. His father's name has also been given as Godfrey Green. His mother was the sister of Adam Smith (1723–1790), author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. Green received his education from his mother's sisters at Aberdeen, Scotland. He married Miriam Watson, daughter of Lieutenant Colonel Justly Watson of the Royal Engineers, on 26 February 1754. His wife was also the granddaughter of Colonel Jonas Watson (1663–1741), who led the Royal Artillery at the Siege of Carthagena, where he died. Green's children with Miriam Watson included a son, Justly Watson Green. His son, an officer who attained the rank of colonel, attended Prince Edward, later the Duke of Kent, in his travels, and died unmarried, without issue. Green and his wife had six other children, including: William Smith Green, who died as a young child; Miriam Green, who married and had seven children; Helen Mary Green, who married and had three children; Susannah Green; Louisa Anne Green; and Charlotte Green.