Beginning in Georgia, they captured Savannah. Two years later in May
(1780), they captured General Lincoln and all his force at Charleston, and
in the following August badly defeated General Gates, at Camden, South
Carolina, where with a new army he was now commanding in General Lincoln's
place.
The outlook for the patriot cause was discouraging. One thing was certain.
A skilful general must take charge of the American forces in the south, or
the British would soon have everything in their own hands. Washington had
great faith in General Greene, and did not hesitate to appoint him for
this hard task. Let us see what led the commander-in-chief to choose this
New England man for duty in a post so far away.
Nathanael Greene was born in Warwick, Rhode Island, in 1742. His father,
who on week-days was a blacksmith and miller, on Sundays was a Quaker
preacher. Nathanael was trained to work at the forge and in the mill and
in the fields as well. He was robust and active and, like young George
Washington, a leader in outdoor sports. But with all his other activities
he was also, like young Samuel Adams, a good student of books.
We like to think of these colonial boys going to school and playing at
games just as boys do now, quite unaware of the great things waiting for
them to do in the world.
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