GREENE. 247 GREENE. during ai; engagement near Cliattanooga, received a wound which disabled liini till January. ISUo. He then joined General Sliernian's army in Xorth Carolina, and took part in the operations lead- ing to General .Johnston's surrender. In 180G he retired from the army, and was chief engineer and commissioner of the Croton aiiueduot de- partment from 1SG7 until 1871. when he wag appointed chief engineer of pifblic works in Washington. D. C. General Greene designed the plan for the entire sewerage of that city (1871- 73). From 1873 to 1877 he was president of the American Societj' of Civil Engineers. GREENE, Geokge Washington (1S11-S3). An American historian, grandson of General Xathanael Greene, born at East Greenwich. R. I. He w-as educated, at Brown University, and subsequently spent several years in stud}' and travel in Europe. From 1839 to 1845 lie was United States Consul at Rome. He returned to America in 1848 to accept the chair of modern languages at Brown University, which he re- signed in 1S52 to devote his time to historical VTiting. In 1872 he became non-resident pro- fessor of American history at Cornell University. In addition to two text-books of botany, and a French grammar, he edited TIte Works of Addi- son (6 vols.. 1853) : and pu'ilished a number of historical works, of which the most important are: Hisloriail fytiidics (1850); History and Geograjilij/ of the Middle Ages (1851) ; Biograph- ical Studies (1860); Historical View of the American Revolution (1865) ; Life of Nalhanael Greene (3 vols., 1867-71) ; Tlw German Element in the War of American Independence (1876); and Hh(,rt History of Rhode Island (1877). GREENE, Nathanael (1742-86). An Ameri- can soldier, prominent in the Revolutionary War. He was born August 7, 1742, at Pato- womut, Warwick Coimty, R. I. His father was a leading preacher among the Quakers, and edu- cated his son very simply, training him from childhood to work on his farm, and at his anchor- forge and grist-mill. By his own perseverance, however, the son acquired considerable knowledge of ancient and English history, geometry, law, and moral and pcjitical science. In 1770 he was chosen a member of the Rhode Island Assembly, and, to the great scandal of his fellow Quakers, was among the first to engage in the military exercises prc]iaratorv to resisting the mother- country. On .July 20. 1774. he married Catha- rine Littlefield of Block Island. In the same year he enlisted as a private in an independent com- pany, the Kentish Guards, and in 1775 was ap- pointed to the command of the Rhode Island con- tingent sent to the army at Boston, with the rank of brigadier-general. He was promoted to be major-general on August 9, 1776. and was placed in command of the troops on Long Island. In the aflfair of Harlem Hcivrhts. where he was for the first time under fire, he handled his com- mand with skill and valor. The movements by which the British General. Howe, tried to turn the flanks of the American army forced Wash- ington to withdraw the greater part of his forces into New .Tersey. leaving Greene in command of the remainder "near Fort Washington on the Hudson. As the obstruction to navigation had been removed by the British. Greene's position was much exposed, and he was authorized to fall back across the river. The matter was left to his discretion, however, and he deemed it inad- visable to retire at the time. Preparations were made to defend the fort, then commanded by Colonel Magaw, but it was invested by Howe's forces, and was compelled to surrender on November 16, 1770, after a spirited conllicl. (See FoBT Wasiiinuton. ) In the New Jersey oanipaign of 1770-77 Greene distinguished him- self, particularly at Trenton and Princeton. At the Battle of Brandywine he commanded a divi- sion, and by his skillful movements saved the American army from utter destruction; at <jler- mantown he commanded the left wing, and was vigorously pressing the enemy when a panic seized a brigade of militia, which gave way. and the American forces were compelled to retire, which they did in good Order, General Greene eonmianding the rear-guard. In 1778 he reluc- tantly consented to act as quartermaster-general, and administered the office acceptably at a time when its administration was attended with great difficulties. His particularly noteworthy service was rendered after he succeeded General Gates on October 30. 1780. in the command of the Army of the South. Congress vested in him au- thority to raise supplies, appoint officers, and command all the troops raised or to be raised in si.N: States. Gates had just been completely de- feated by Cornwallis at the battle of Camden (August 16, 1780), and Greene, upon his arrival in North Carolina in December, 1780, found the army in a wretched state. By dint of great ac- tivity, he got his troops into better condi- tion, and remained for a short time on the defensive. In the meantime the prospects of the Americans had been improved by the decisive victory at King's ^lountain (October 7, 1780), and by Morgan's overthrow of Tarleton at Cow- pens (January 17, 1781). Nevertheless, Corn- wallis forced Greene northward into Virginia ; but Greene, being reenforced, reentered North Carolina, and took his stand at Guilford Court- house. Battle was joined here (March 15, 1781) and Greene was defeated, though he remained in control of much of North Carolina, while Corn- wallis found it expedient to move northward into Virginia. Carrying the war into South Carolina, Greene was defeated by Cornwallis's successor, Rawdon, at Hobkirk's Hill (April 25. 1781) : but he held his own in a severe battle at Eutaw Springs against Stuart (September 8. 1781) and secured finally the exclusion of the Eng- lish forces from all of Georgia and the Caro- linas, except three coast towns. Congress struck, and presented to him, a medal in honor of this battle, and the Carolinas and Georgia made him valuable grants of land. When peace was restored in 1783, Greene returned to Rho<le Island, where he received numerous testimonials of the public admiration. In 1785 he retired with his family to his estate in Georgi.a, where he died of sun-stroke in 1786 (.lune 19th). As a soldier Greene was fitly described by his distin- guished opponent Cornwallis as being "as danger- ous as Washington, vigilant, enterjirising. and full of resource." He also possessed many of the qualities of a statesman, was well balanced, full of tact, a master of the coimtless del ails involved in raising troojis in a country not wholly pa- triotic or friendly to the cause, in impressing Congress with the needs of the nrmy, and in har- monizing the conflicting policies of the new Slates. Consult: Francis V. Greene. General Nathanael Greene (New York, 1893), in the
