ТОП просматриваемых книг сайта:
Biographical Sketches of the Generals of the Continental Army of the Revolution. Mary Theresa Leiter
Читать онлайн.Название Biographical Sketches of the Generals of the Continental Army of the Revolution
Год выпуска 0
isbn 4064066152185
Автор произведения Mary Theresa Leiter
Жанр Документальная литература
Издательство Bookwire
JOHN SULLIVAN.
John Sullivan, born in Berwick, Maine, on the 17th of February, 1740, was of Irish parentage, his father having emigrated to this country in 1723. He was public-spirited, and hating oppression, as a zealous advocate of American rights proved himself so able a partisan that in 1772 he was commissioned major of the militia. In 1774, he became a member of the Continental Congress, but resigned his seat to enter the army, being appointed a brigadier-general, on the 22d of June, 1775. Employed for a time at Cambridge in disciplining the troops and securing supplies, he was sent to Canada in 1776 to command the survivors of the Northern army. Being superseded by Gates, he rejoined the army under Washington, and on the 9th of August of the same year was commissioned a major-general. He was made prisoner at the battle of Long Island, but was soon after exchanged. In 1778, he was assigned to the command of the forces in Rhode Island, and received not only the commendation of the wisest men throughout the country, but also the thanks of Congress for his conduct under very trying circumstances during this campaign. In 1779, he was selected by Washington to lead an army against the “Six Nations,” occupying the fertile region of northern Pennsylvania and western New York. The atrocities of these Indians demanding the severest measures, Sullivan, after defeating their chief, laid waste their fields and orchards, burned their villages, and drove them beyond the frontier to take refuge with their English allies. He resigned his commission on the 30th of November, 1779, and entered upon the practice of the law. He held several positions of national trust and responsibility, and served his State as attorney-general, as president, and as justice of its Federal Court. While discharging the duties of the latter office, he died at Durham on the 23d of January, 1795. Harvard College conferred upon General Sullivan the degree of LL.D. in 1780.
NATHANIEL GREENE.
Nathaniel Greene was born at Potowomut, within the jurisdiction of Warwick, Rhode Island, on the 6th of June, 1742. His ancestors, of good English extraction, were among the first settlers on the banks of Providence River. Having a natural aptitude for study, he spent his extra earnings for books, which trained and developed his mind, as physical toil and out-door sports had strengthened his body. In 1770, being elected to the General Assembly of Rhode Island, he acquitted himself with credit. Foreseeing the struggle with the mother country, he began to prepare himself for an active participation by studying the best military text-books of those times. He married in July, 1774. The following April, the battle of Lexington rendering the war inevitable, Rhode Island promptly responded to the call for troops by raising an army of sixteen hundred men; and in May, 1775, Greene was placed in command as major-general. He showed the good effects of his former preparation by the vigilant drill and thorough discipline of the troops intrusted to his command. By his conduct at the battle of Bunker Hill, he gained the confidence and esteem of Washington. When the different bodies of State troops were reorganized into the Continental army, Greene received a regular commission as brigadier-general on the 22d of June, 1775; but in acknowledgment of his sterling worth, Congress promoted him to the rank of major-general on the 9th of August, 1776. His first regular battle was that at Harlem, when the British, having taken New York, lay siege to Fort Washington. During the subsequent retreat of the Americans through the Jerseys, he was the companion and counsellor of Washington. When defeat was at last changed to victory by the battle of Trenton, he seized the artillery of the enemy and cut off their retreat to Princeton. The American army went into winter-quarters at Valley Forge; and then Greene, yielding to the urgent entreaties of Washington and of Congress, assumed the arduous duties of quarter-master-general, which onerous position he held for two years, with credit to himself, and with inestimable benefit to the army. Greene presided at the “board of inquiry” convened for the trial of André. With regret he signed the decree of the court condemning the young officer to death. The post at West Point left vacant by Arnold’s treason was given to Greene, who took command Oct. 8, 1780. After the defeat of Gates at Camden, Greene was intrusted with the command of the armies of the South, which post he held until the close of the war. At the conclusion of his military career he established himself on a plantation in Georgia, and for the first time in many years enjoyed the opportunity of indulging his love of nature. This tranquil pleasure, however, was short-lived, for through an unfortunate exposure to a Southern sun and the exhalations of a Georgia rice-field, he contracted a malignant fever, from which he died on the 19th of June, 1786, aged but forty-four years. As a man, he was honorable, trustworthy, and patriotic; as a soldier, wise, prudent, brave, and unflinching in the discharge of his duty.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.