The Papers of General Nathanael Greene: Volume X: 3 December 1781-6 April 1782

Abstract

The Papers of General Nathanael Greene: Volume X: 3 December 1781-- 6 April 1782. Edited by Dennis M. Conrad. (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1998. Pp. xlvi, 663. Illustrations, maps. $85.00.) Nathanael Greene, Rhode Island-born anchorsmith and Quaker preacher's son, stands second only to George Washington as military mastermind of War for Independence. A gifted strategist, he offered sage advice to Washington during northern campaigns of Revolution, served as quartermaster-general, and then, beginning in 1780, commanded war in South. At Cowpens, Guilford Court House, Ninety Six, and Eutaw Springs, his forces thrilled Americans by harassing British and wearing them down. Greene, who walked with a slight limp, pursued redcoats on an unrelenting march all way back to Charleston. Meanwhile, triumph at Yorktown of Washington and Comte de Rochambeau, French lieutenant general, effectively ended war. Greene's mission became defensive. The preservation of his tired, undermanned, and undersupplied army-which remained vulnerable to attacks by resilient British-now constituted his principal task. As this excellent collection of correspondence makes clear, Greene succeeded as best he could. Edited by Dennis M. Conrad, tenth installment of Nathanael Greene papers continues proud tradition set by its predecessors. It faithfully reproduces most important letters to and from Greene and compresses into well-annotated abstracts less significant communications, which constitute 69 percent of documents covered by volume. Conrad's fine introduction ably surveys documentary record that he and his team have assembled. The greatest problem facing this politically astute general during four-month period covered by this volume, according to Conrad, revolved around reluctance of states in Southern Department ... to provide men and supplies in wake of victory at Yorktown (xv, xiii). Greene addressed these problems in innovative ways that tested his mettle as a politician and yielded interesting results. First, Greene tried to conciliate loyalists by allowing them to start anew, demonstrate their patriotism, and take up revolutionary cause. In keeping with his plan, increasing numbers of George BIll's former partisans earned citizenship by enlisting to fight against Crown. Greene also pursued a policy of constructive engagement with loyalist merchants in British-held Charleston, giving them food in exchange for clothing for his troops. To secure their assistance he employed not only carrots but also bluffs about forthcoming sticks: to one correspondent, who Greene apparently thought would leak (mis)information, he wrote in February about the arrival of a French fleet which may soon be expected (358). …