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Primary sourceBook1849

The Women of the American Revolution: Catharine Greene

1849

An 1849 chapter describing Catharine Littlefield Greene, Nathanael Greene's wife, and their courtship.

Describes Greene's courtship and early life with his wife Catharine, giving a personal side of the general.

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About this source

What it is

This chapter comes from an 1849 book titled The Women of the American Revolution. It describes the early life of Catharine Littlefield, born on Block Island in 1753, and how she came to know Nathaniel Greene while living near Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island.

Why it matters

This account gives a personal glimpse into Nathanael Greene's life before the war, describing his courtship with his future wife Catharine and his youthful love of riding and dancing despite his father's disapproval. It shows how histories of women during the Revolution also preserved details about the men connected to them.

Look closer

  • What does this passage tell us about Greene's personality before he became a general?
  • Why might a book from 1849 focus on telling women's stories through their connections to famous men?
  • How reliable might details like this be, written decades after the events described?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Nathanael Greene on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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