Nathanael Greene’s Southern campaign
Nathanael Greene was a Major General of the Continental First Division Army during the American Revolutionary war. He rose from the lowest rank, the Militia private and became George Washington’s Dependable and the most gifted officer (Carbone, 2010). He was appointed by George Washington. This appointment was approved by the congress thus giving him command over the Sothern army from Delaware to Georgia. He was a self trained soldier and had a great gift of using small effort to gain utmost advantage (Carbone, 2010). He had a humane attitude towards the British and even defended Horatio Gates who intrigued him repeatedly.
Greene’s troops were called into action when the British made an attack on Washington’s right flank. In about forty minutes, the army was able to cover a distance of about four miles from Chadds Ford to Sandy Hollow. The timely arrival of Green’s army and their brave fighting saved the remaining Washington’s army (Goddu, 2012).
Before the war, he was a black smith, but after the war, he was regarded as a general second only to Washington (Goddu, 2012). As a general, he was successful through the times at Morristown and Valley Forge. Nevertheless, his greatest achievements came in the late 1780s when he took over the southern campaign following the defeat of Horatio Gates at Camden. His calculated retreats through Carolina won attrition war with Cornwallis. Because his army was weak and badly equipped compared to the British, He decided to divide his army. This made the British divide its army as well, thus creating a possibility of interplay of the forces (Middlekauff, 2007).
Green played a big role in freeing the southern states. Even though he did not manage to win any major battle, the British accepted the Pyrrhic Victories that eventually lost them the war. After the war, Washington gave him confiscated estate in gratitude for the role he played in the war (Middlekauff, 2007). He died in 1784.
Carbone, G. (2010). Nathanael Greene: A Biography of the American Revolution.
Palgrave Macmillan
Goddu, B. (2012). Nathanael Greene. Brandywine Battlefield Historic Site. Retrieved
from http://www.ushistory.org/brandywine/special/art03.htm
Middlekauff, R. (2007). The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789.
Oxford University Press.
