Forging the Vision : Nathanael Green
and the subsequent seizure of one of his merchant ships ignited a fire in him . 6 Although he was exonerated from the accusations of involvement in the Gaspée affair and his ship and goods were returned , these events made him a prime candidate for the rebellion . Greene never abandoned his Quaker roots ; however , he determined that while pacifism was a righteous idea , it was simply impractical under the circumstances . Echoing the sentiments of Swift ’ s Drapier ’ s Letters , Greene stated that , “ the injury done my country , and the chains of slavery forging for posterity , calls me forth to defend our common rights , and repel the bold invaders of the sons of freedom . The cause is the cause of God and man … I am determined to defend my rights , and maintain my freedom , or sell my life in the attempt .” 7
By 1774 , Greene shifted his educational focus toward military manuals , tactics , strategy , and history . He immersed himself in the writings of Plutarch , Turenne , and Saxe . He studied Sharp ’ s Military Guide , Bland ’ s manual on tactics , The Instruction of Frederick the Great for His Generals , and Caesar ’ s Commentaries . From his studies , Greene developed a dynamic understanding and interpretation of military science by analyzing the military successes , failures , tactics , and strategies of various cultures throughout history . Furthermore , on his visits to Henry Knox ’ s bookstore , the two discussed military tactics and strategy and formed a bond that would serve them long and well as they worked together during the war . 8
Greene ’ s passion for learning undoubtedly gave him a broad wealth of knowledge that established not only his view of the world but provided him with a baseline understanding of tactics , strategy , and a multifaceted philosophical perspective . Although one could argue that consuming such a vast amount of information on as many different subjects would be counterproductive , it seems that he had an uncanny ability to retain only what he found useful while disregarding the rest . Greene biographer William Johnson noted that those who knew him were curious about his limited knowledge of history , despite that being his favorite subject . 9
Ultimately , Greene ’ s book collection was comprised of between 200 and 250 volumes . He worked diligently shaping his mind , refining his skills , and building a repertoire that would serve as the basis for his future exploits . The work ethic he developed and the knowledge he acquired paid dividends not only for himself , but also for the country he so loved .
Although Greene worked to develop his mind , he lacked perhaps the most important aspect of any military leader : experience . Quakers , by nature and virtue , were farmers rather than fighters . As devout pacifists , they viewed weapons as instruments of war ; thus , Greene did not own or ever use a gun . However , he was far from the staunch Quaker of his upbringing . Like many other things in his life , he seemed to adopt what resonated with him from the faith and discarded the rest to build something that suited him . Therefore ,
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