Show A dh r nox an ca ti da all a d a 1 i s f mtv s J n vlony r A Z r P 11 1 P ta CZ W by ELMO SCOTT WATSON f y THE researches of our r historians continue to make AS g clearer an understanding of y the revolutionary struggle which wits was fust fast approaching its climax in 1777 just juit a hundred and fifty years ago more and anore more aro are some of the lesser lesaer in that conflict coining into the time limy light kight und looming up its as of outstanding importance in fit the outcome of the tight light for liberty 11 particularly Is this true of gen henry knox and gen nn na thannel greene whose right to fume faine has for so lung been beell overshadowed by the nil all important name of washington so it Is gratifying to know that at last deserved though tardy honors are being paid to both men A short time ago it a group of distin gul gulshen sheI military men and civilians gathered feathered before the equestrian statue oi of general greane erected in washington und and thare on oil the one hundred and eighty third anniversary of ills birth I 1 howare to tits his memory now 1 corner comes word that a memorial to general knox knot la Is assured by recent gift altti to a fund which lias has been raised for the purpose of erecting a of montpelier the knox fatuity family home in thomaston maine INI alne this reconstructed ted mansion will be used us aa tt a repository tor for the historical and artistic treasures which yore were formerly in ili the home bouie and as a for revolutionary relies relics so that it will be not only a symbol of maines pride in one of her distinguished sons but a patri otle nat national ionni shrine as well TI the ie careers of henry knox and nathanael greene present one of these curious paradoxes of fate which calls a man from it a still simple e civilian chilian pursuit and brings out in him an in unsuspected military genius genitis unlike washington putnam Iut nam lU morgan organ stark and other prominent leaders neither buos nor greene had had previous experience lit in war but when the struggle for liberty opened cheso two new knox the bookseller boo in cornhill Corn hlll boston and greene tile the rhode island blacksmith plunged into it nt at once and their natural ability soon brought them into prominence no sooner had washington takagi jakell coin command niana or of tile continental army anil and besieged the british army in boston than lie he appointed knox kao commander of the artillery kaff inov immediately went to ticonderoga where there were many any cannon raid a little later the army a r my siny saw him ride into camp at the hilti head of oi 42 sleds drawn by oxen ox VII loaded with cannon powder and balli ball alth with which to butter batter down the walla of boston around the ears of the red coats lie became ono one of most beloved and us chief of f wits ills his right rl liand hand man through gl ull till liis ills campal campaigns giss ue he went ott on that christinas night march to trenton freelun fren lun und ills his cannon roared trl at the surprise attack attach on tits e tu in salute to one of wash Ine tuua greatest victories at battle of princeton it bri 48 a buos s cagnon that swept tile the in dge ge over which cornwallis Cornwa Coin wallis llla coughl u ali hurt hurl hla its soldiers the continental Conti li forces slid ent t bliem file reeling buck back lit in defeat def tat e was nt at brandywine and at ger ii town valley and in the darkest days of which hi foge lt it was waa lynox cannon i stood guard over the camp of P e 4 71 freezing starving men to prevent a surprise attack ills his guns played in an important part wo too at yorktown for it mas their ceaseless battering of the british defenses that brought about the surrender of cornwallis Cornwall ta and tho the end of tile the war 1 when washington became president knox wits was given the dual portfolio of secretary of war and navy and when ills his cabinet services son ices ended lie ho retired to thomaston me where lie he built montpelier lit in which to spend tits his declining years lie died in 1800 and was burled buried on the highlands overlooking the georges river ner for awhile served as the home hoine of tits his family faintly then it passed into other hands and soon became but a shell of its former glory eventually it was torn down and its site occupied by business buildings now it la Is io to be restored stored ic on a plot on main street which was purchased by the general knox chapter of the D A it II and a recent gift of by cyrus 11 II K curtis tile philadelphia publisher anti and it a former resident of nio maston guar altees tile the completion tomp letlon of the project to make the new Monti icKer a per barient memorial to right liand hand man and americas birst of war tiie the career of Na nathaniel thannel greene Is even more remarkable than that of knox lilt campaign lit in the Caroll bius been compared and ami not unfavorably to Ti trenton enton and princeton and lie has been called after washington and not far after him blin the gillest il lest tactician the most brilli tint ond and the great K fighter of the ditc itc the man who could lose a buttru and atu a greene wis was the rion ilon of a quaker preacher ind and lie scandalized tits hla bret brethren bren 0 of f that faith by y being among the ar farat st to forcible resistance to the he british king although ne lie wits ivna self educated lie ha wits elected a member of the rhode ll 11 iode island asset assembly ably I 1 in ti tit it tile age of af twenty eight at the outbreak out braak of lie war in ho e till 8 t e it us it private in ili the rhode island troops but hip hig riso wits so bo cupid that lie he soon found himself a major general und and ho he waa never liever out of the service f vath until tile end of tile the war 4 areene reebe fought in every battle except one in which washington commanded until lit lie was wa sent youth south in 1780 although lie he performed brilliantly as a subordinate under the breut n eat commander in in many of anese eda it was not until lie took charge of the continental forces lu in south auth carolina that he had cullity to display the military geolyn that entitles entities him to rank not only with the great during the revolution but with the great captains of all time the situation that faced oreene greene when he took charge in the south was one which might well have daunted any any commander the BrItIs li had bad overrun georgia Georg litand and south carolina and with lord cornwallis Cornwall ls in command it seemed as though the provinces south of virginia had been finally won back to the crown greene lacked sufficient mon men ho be lacked money and till all other necessities for carrying on war but ut he be had no sooner taken command than lie launched an aggressive campaign chieff soon had cornwallis worried and as aa time went on the briton found even more to worry about A whole volume could be written about this campaign and the way lu in which greene naturally impetuous and land dashing became the incarnation of caution and resourcefulness in using hj li 4 forces to the best ad vantage ile he outmatched marched out vered outguessed out guessed and outwitted thy thie british leader repeatedly ile he lost battles batties it Is true but the final result was wad what counted and ancl in that final result greene was victorious cornwallis after falling failing to corner greene was forced to retreat to yorktown there lie lay white while washington prepared to lu hurt ills his army like a thunderbolt from the north and deception of sir henry clinton the british coin coal in new york and tits ills rapid march south to crush cornwallis wits wag a fitting camax to the events of greenes Gr cenes campaign just how important was waa the con of this islander to the winning of american independence hu bus been revealed within the past year through researches into ills papers and letters which guyt been acquired by the L clements library ut at the university of michigan these papers place greenell Gree neIn nelu ills his proper position its as the organizer of victory tit in the revolution says randolph 0 adams custodian of the library without hla his 8 services ervi C e S the cause of liberty might not have survived Biml ved at the close of the war greene returned to island where lie was ghen many honors in 1785 lie lib retired to it a large estate tat granted to him by tile legisla ture of georgia and there he died th following year 1 hut 1 u t 1 rhode thed e island which gave him to t the 1 i p n nation atlon claimed him at last lasit lit ii accent years ills bodt body was brought back front from georgia la an ana re interred in hla his native soll soil rhode island also bought the greene leonix stead at Ido coventry ventry and keeps it as aa a menior memorial lai to her greatest warrior |