Revolutionary Warrior of the Week #1: Nathanael Greene

In honor of today’s celebration of American Independence Day, here’s a Revolutionary-themed weekly portrait bonanza: Not one, but three portraits of Rhode Island’s Nathanael Greene. As a recent post at the Providence Daily Dose notes,

Greene basically became the second-in-command of the Continental Army. He’s a big deal…

A big deal indeed, and here are three portraits of the man himself, followed by a special holiday bonus item:

Click the images for a better view.

The bonus item is a letter from Greene to none other than George Washington. In the letter, addressed on the verso to Washington at his Cambridge headquarters, Greene reports “thirty or forty Boats” of the enemy “drawn into the Mill Pond opposite to the point” and signs as the Brigadier-General of the Day. Although undated, a penciled note indicates an estimated date of 1775 for the letter, and more research could likely place the letter in better context.

This is just one of a number of Nathanael Greene items in our Updike Autograph Collection, an amazing group of materials that has recently been processed by one of our skilled volunteers, Ramon Cartwright, and will soon be receiving some preservation attention. More on that in a future post.

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