The Papers of General Nathanael Greene

This volume continues the best and most detailed study of the Revolutionary War in the South. The period covered here, 1 October 1782 through 21 May 1783, was a time of both triumph and travail for General Nathanael Greene. His greatest moment of triumph took place on 14 December, when the British evacuated Charleston, South Carolina. This event represented the culmination of Greene’s campaign in the South, and he was hailed as a conquering hero. But the departure of the British also brought about a marked deterioration in relations between Greene and the government of South Carolina. Through a series of disputes with the state government, many of which are detailed in the 780 documents gathered here, Greene became increasingly convinced that Congress would be unable to maintain its authority in the South. While this concern proved to be unfounded, Greene did sense the states' rights impulse that would later come to define the region politically.