The Papers of General Nathanael Greene

This volume continues the best and most detailed study of the Revolutionary War in the South. The period covered here, 1 October 1782 through 21 May 1783, was a time of both triumph and travail for General Nathanael Greene. His greatest moment of triumph took place on 14 December, when the British evacuated Charleston, South Carolina. This event represented the culmination of Greene's campaign in the South, and he was hailed as a conquering hero. But the departure of the British also brought about a marked deterioration in relations between Greene and the government of South Carolina. Through a series of disputes with the state government, many of which are detailed in the 780 documents gathered here, Greene became increasingly convinced that Congress would be unable to maintain its authority in the South. While this concern proved to be unfounded, Greene did sense the states' rights impulse that would later come to define the region politically.

These volumes, published in conjunction with the Rhode Island Historical Society, represent the result of an exhaustive search for documents relating to the life and career of Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. The papers - letters and documents received by Greene as well as those sent by him - are carefully edited and fully annotated. The editors reproduce many items in full but abstract papers that are of lesser significance. Greene, who served as quartermaster general of the army and later as commander of the forces fighting in the southern theater, is generally considered the ablest of Washington's generals. His papers are a vital source of information on the war itself as well as on the man.