"We fight, get beat, rise and fight again"

books:


	• Washington's General: Nathanael Greene and the Triumph of the American Revolution Terry Golway Holt Paperbacks, 2006 - 368 pages average customer review:based on 27 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The definitive Greene biography (so far)

Nathanael Greene was often said to be George Washington's choice to take command of the continental army, should he himself be captured or killed. This is particularly striking when one considers that Greene was a private in the Rhode Island militia one year, and a general in the continental army the next. In Golway's excellent biography, we learn a great deal about Greene, possibly all we can know. This contrast can be frustrating, but it is not Golway's fault. How did a man who was a private, and asked to leave the guard due to his limp, come to be named a general? Golway can't tell us, as the historical record apparently just doesn't exist. Such frustrations aside, we get a great picture of Greene from what does exist. He was obviously a man of great understanding, realizing how the war would truly be won or lost (not necessarily on the battlefied, but "in the hearts and minds" of the populace). He was a businessman who became the quartermaster general against his own dreams of glory, and in so doing may well have saved the army. He was mindful of his own profits, while sacrificing much to the cause. He was the husband of a legendarily vivacious and impressive woman that we sadly do not know enough about. He lusted after glory, and was hypersenstive to criticism. His leadership in the Southern campaign set up the victory at Yorktown. Beyond all the facts we could list, Nathanael Greene epitomized what America would be at its best: a place where someone could reinvent themselves and be judged by ability and accomplishement rather than accidents of birth.

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"We fight, get beat, rise and fight again"

easily one of the most underrated generals in american history...terry golway gives greene the recognition and appreciation greene was looking for...if you love reading about the revolution, this is the book for you...easy and vivid read that traces greenes accomplishments and even his weaknesses throughout life...you will not be disappointed.

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Quaker Soldier

I couldn't put it down. That's pretty rare for a history book for me, even though I enjoy the genre I am usually under whelmed by the writing skill of the average historian. This is the first Golway that I have read and I compare him (for readability at least) with McCullough. I'm not enough of a historian to evaluate the accuracy of the history, except in an overall sense, so this review will be more about the book as a pleasure read.

The story unfolds late in the war, then the author takes us back to see how Greene got to this unlikely spot. Raised a Rhode Island Quaker with little education, severe asthma, and even a slight limp he seemed about as unlikely a figure to rise to major general as one could imagine. The author paints the classic "warts and all" picture of the man, and since much of this comes from his own letters it is probably a fair evaluation. Intensely loyal, highly attentive to detail, patriotic, yet at the same time extremely sensitive to criticism sometimes to the point of petulance, he was a complex man with several cross-currents of personality.

His wife is also described in detail, and one feels the author left no stone unturned in finding what he could about her. Apparently most of her letters are lost to posterity, but Golway was still able to paint a fairly complete picture without the sense that it became fable.

I also enjoyed some of the other figures who were unearthed a bit by their proximity to Greene, especially some of the southern militia commanders like Daniel Morgan, a man who won one of the most pivotal battles of the Southern Campaign, if not the war, at Cowpens. This battle description alone is worth reading the book for.

In summation, I clearly liked this book, and unreservedly recommend it. Fascinating read.

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General Greene

This is a much needed book that rightfully gives some credit to one of George Washington's most important and able lieutenants. Nathanael Green did not receive much formal education, yet he sought knowledge and surrounded himself with others who were better educated; he was not a professional soldier by trade, yet learned the lessons of battle; he lost all the major battles he fought in, yet his strategy achieved victory in the South in the final analysis. This is the story of an often overlooked figure in the period of the American Revolution.

Golway is to be credited for bringing due attention to Greene, but the author doesn't fall into hero worship; he is often critical of Greene. He made bad calls in his quarrels with others and in some of his decisions on the battlefield. Greene was obsessed with his reputation, wanted the approval of others, fell into bouts of self-pity, took criticism fairly hard, and so forth. His relationship with his wife seemed one of devotion and affection, but that didn't prevent him from writing to his wife about the other women he encountered and how tempted he was. This is a very human Nathanael Greene that emerges in this book, which makes him easier to relate too as well. After all, don't we all share certain traits in common, both the positive and the less flattering?

The man with the limp was ridiculed by others when he first joined the military, but he grew into his role and held the confidence of his commander, George Washington. Greene made some bad calls on the field, but he learned from them. He also served as Quartermaster General, a critically important role, but one that denied him (as Greene thought) his often sought after military glory on the battlefield. He gained his chance for glory in his assignment to the Southern theater of operations in the Carolinas against Lord Charles Cornwallis, who had badly defeated two American armies.

Without going into each battle or engagement that took place in South and North Carolina and Georgia, suffice it to say that Greene did what he had to do, namely, to keep the Continental army alive and wear down the British army. In these objectives he succeeded. He lost all the major battles he fought in, but they were battles that incurred heavy costs on the British and forced them to give up on their hopes of subduing the South. Even members of the British high command were quoted acknowledging Greene's skills in this campaign. Of course Greene wasn't the only man responsible for this result, but he provided the leadership, the ability, and the perseverance that were needed.

The final pages seemed rushed in my opinion and there were some points that could have been developed further, but overall this was a good book. Greene served his country well and it was unfortunate that he died so soon after the war ended.

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Unsung Hero

He has been called, "the most underappreciated great man in the War for Independence." George Washington's hand-picked successor, Nathanael Greene was born into a prominent Rhode Island Quaker family. Plagued by insecurities due to his lack of education and military experience, he nonetheless provided an invaluable contribution to the cause of Liberty.

Shortly after enlisting in his state's militia, some of his unit suggested that he resign. They felt that his marked "limp" detracted from their "manly, martial appearance." Against their wishes he remained and within six months was commissioned as a general. By the end of the Revolution, he would be second only to Washington himself.

Greene's meteoric rise to glory is highlighted by his passionate patriotism and intense sense of loyalty. As Washington's reluctant yet efficient Quartermaster, he sustained the Continental Army through some of the leanest years of the war, battling Congress for much-needed funds. As commander of the Southern front, he would outfox Cornwallis in the swamps of the Low-Country and hills of the Carolinas.

This book turns a long-overdue spotlight on one of our forgotten heroes. Based on scholarly research from both primary and secondary sources, it retains a readability that historical laymen such as myself find appealing. For anyone interested in our nation's history or in a genuine American hero, I recommend Washington's General.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

?Washington said if he went down in battle, Greene was his choice to succeed him. Read this book and you will understand why.? ?Joseph J. Ellis, author of His Excellency: George Washington
He was an unlikely warrior?a Quaker with a pronounced limp, Nathanael Greene surprised fellow patriots by rising quickly to become George Washington?s favorite soldier and heir apparent. After taking command of the failed Southern Army, Greene formulated an unorthodox guerrilla strategy?to win by surprise attacks and hasty retreats, which cut the enemy?s supply lines until the outwitted British leaders grew tired of hunger and bloody sacrifices. His strategy of turning defeat into victory allowed the rebel army to gain momentum toward a final push, setting the stage for the victory at Yorktown.
Terry Golway?s bold book, drawn from field documents, letters, diaries, and other sources, takes full account of the scope of Nathanael Greene?s remarkable accomplishments, returning the forgotten patriot to his proper place in American history.

?Golway?s biography does justice to this remarkable man. It is both informative and entertaining, written in a lively style that reflects the best characteristics of history for the educated layman. Golway clearly admires his subject, but doesn?t
overlook Greene?s flaws.? ?New York Post
?Golway rescues Greene from oblivion, and deservedly so . . . A fitting and welcome monument to a surprisingly complex actor in early American history.? ?Kirkus Reviews

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