Christopher Greene was leading the Rhode Island 1st, the first African American Regiment in the Continental Army [the first black regiment of the war was British – Virginia Royal Governor Dunmore’s Ethiopian Brigade in 1775], when he was killed and mutilated at the Battle of Pines Bridge in a vicious attack by British Loyalist ‘Cowboys’, on May 14, 1781. Third cousin to General Nathanial Greene, prior to his death, Colonel Christopher Greene was most noted for his heroic defense of Fort Mercer at the Battle of Red Bank, resulting in the second largest number of British Forces casualties in one engagement behind the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Early Life
Christopher Greene was born at the Occupasuetuxet homestead [more commonly referred to as the shortened Pawtuxet], Warwick, Rhode Island on May 12, 1737. He was the fourth of eight children of Judge Philip Greene (March 15, 1705 – April 10, 1791) [Most internet articles falsely list the father Philip as dying in 1761.] and Elizabeth Wickes (Feb. 5, 1706 – Dec. 23, 1776), who were married on Aug. 12, 1731. The family Greene estate was purchased from the Miantonomi in 1643 and extended some distance within Coventry down to the forks of the Pawtuxet River – meaning meadows through which the river flows. Philip and Elizabeth’s children: Phebe b. 1732, Sarah b. 1733 died age six, Job b.1735 died age four, Christopher b. 1735, Philip b. 1739 died at eleven months, Elizabeth b. 1742, William b. 1746, Mary b. 1748, Sarah b. 1752.
Little is recorded of Christopher’s early life, having received a well-rounded education by his father Judge Greene who was highly respected in the community. Christopher was the eldest son and as such, ran the family mill business. On May 6, 1757, Christopher married Anna Lippitt (third cousin). When his father divided the estate between his children in 1761, Christopher received the western portion and largest tract, totaling 458 acres. It included the mill and two-story house which remained in the Greene family until it was destroyed by fire in 1817. He and Anne would have nine children: Welthian b. 1758, Job b. 1759, Phebe b. 1762, Ann Frances b. 1764, Elizabeth b. 1766, Jeremiah b. 1769, Daniel b. 1772 (died the next year), Christopher b. 1774, and Mary b. 1777. All but Daniel lived to adulthood.
Opposition to England and Lieutenant in Militia
As opposition to England’s ruling statutes grew, he became a strong supporter of the patriotic cause, contesting the governing policies of the King and Parliament. Greene, like his father, was active politically. From an early age, he represented Warwick in the Rhode Island General Assembly, where he served until the Revolutionary War. He was a member of the regional militia called ‘The Kentish Guards’ (who survive to this day marching in colonial uniforms at patriotic events); rising to the rank of lieutenant in 1774. When the ‘Army of Observation’ was formed in 1775, he was commissioned a major and given a company of infantry in a brigade of 1,600 troops under his cousin, General Nathanial Greene. His company was one of eight in what became known at the 9th Continental Regiment under Colonel James Mitchel Varnum [later to be numbered the Rhode Island 1st] Col. Greene has been described by one who served under him as being rather above the average height, and a very handsome man. As a commander he made his men ‘ toe the mark ‘ nor was any man allowed to flinch from duty.
Siege of Boston, Expedition to Canada and Capture
Christopher accompanied the brigade to Cambridge and participated in the 1775 Siege of Boston. In September of that year, his company joined Colonel Benedict Arnold and Daniel Morgan’s Virginia riflemen and a detached force of 1,050 men on an expedition through the Maine wilderness against Quebec. As Lt. Colonel, he led a battalion of Continental troops which included a large contingency of Rhode Islanders. After an arduous journey through the Maine wilderness where the men nearly succumbed to starvation and disease, he participated in the night attack against Quebec on December 31, 1775. Greene was taken prisoner in the failed attack. He spent the next year and nearly eight months in captivity before being exchanged in August of 1777. He returned home to learn that while in captivity, he’d been promoted to Colonel of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment when Varnum was promoted to Brigadier General in February, 1777. After a spell at home, he rejoined his regiment in New Jersey.
Battle of Red Bank
On August 25, 1777, British Supreme Commander General William Howe landed his army at the head of the Elk River, Maryland. The British marched north towards Philadelphia and were met by Washington at the Battle of Brandywine Creek. The Americans were pushed back and Howe captured Philadelphia. After the Battle of Germantown on Oct. 4th, the two sides positioned for control of the region. There were two forts on the Delaware River manned by Americans that blocked Howe from sailing additional troops and supplies up the river to Philadelphia. He began to place in order plans to capture both fortresses. Washington got word of Howe’s intent and set out to counter it.
On October 7th, 1777, Washington ordered Colonel Greene, with the Rhode Island 1st, and Colonel Israel Angell of Providence, who led the Rhode Island 2nd, to garrison Fort Mercer, at Red Bank, New Jersey. Greene would take overall charge. Fort Mercer sat along the New Jersey Banks of the Delaware River, across from Fort Mifflin, constructed on a bar in the river called Mud Island. Between the two regiments, there were approximately 400 men present to guard a fort that was very large and still under construction. With the help of engineer Thomas Antoine de Maduit du Plessis, Greene and Angell decided to defend just half the fort. They constructed a set of walls – the outer one unguarded and the inner, heavily guarded, filling the large area between the walls with obstacles and thereby producing a ‘killing field’ to pour down devastating cannon and musketry.
On October 22, 1777, British General Howe, sent approximately 2,500 German Hessian troops under the command of Colonel Carl Emil Kirk von Donop to attack Fort Mercer. The Hessians ferried across the Delaware from Cooper’s Ferry to Haddonfield, New Jersey and then marched the ten miles to Fort Mercer. The Rhode Islanders received word of their coming and prepared the fort’s defense. Steadfast in the face of Colonel Donop’s threat to slaughter the garrison if the fort were not surrendered, the greatly outnumbered Rhode Islanders withstood the German onslaught. Once over the first wall, the Germans found themselves entangled in the ‘killing field’ as devastating fire power rained down upon them. The Hessians suffered over four hundred casualties while the Americans sustained only 32 killed and wounded. After the Hessians withdrew in defeat, one American grave detail reported over eighty Hessian dead were laid out in just one of the long trenches. Greene was voted by Congress to receive a commemorative sword for his bravery which was presented posthumously by General Knox to Greene’s son Jeremiah after the war.
Valley Forge and Recruiting an African American Regiment
After the fall of Fort Mifflin and the eventual abandonment of Fort Mercer, Colonel Greene joined the army at Valley Forge, PA. When the enlistment was up on January 1, 1778 for the 1st Regiment, with many of its men returning home, Christopher was sent to Rhode Island to recruit a new first regiment. The Rhode Island assembly, strapped for manpower to fulfill their required allotment, had approved to form a regiment of African American slaves by paying their masters the slave’s worth and granting the bondsmen their freedom. After recruiting approximately two hundred slaves, the plan was becoming too expensive and the legislature ended it on June 10, 1778. The regiment was then filled out with additional recruited white troops.
Battle of Rhode Island
The Rhode Island First, which was approximately half African American, became an effective fighting force which proved its mettle at the Battle of Rhode Island on Aug. 29th, 1778. On December 8, 1776, General Henry Clinton landed a force at Newport, Rhode Island to take command of the region. The British had remained as General Clinton later joined the main army in Philadelphia to take command after General William Howe was relieved as Commander-in-Chief. After British General Burgoyne surrendered his army at Saratoga on October 17, 1777, the French recognized America in February, 1778 and declared war against England in March, 1778. Admiral Comte d’Estaing was sent to America with a fleet of 12 ships of the line and 4,000 French Army troops. They set sail in April, but took three months to cross the Atlantic before arriving at the Delaware Bay. By then, the British army had abandoned Philadelphia and by the end of June, were back in New York City in force.
With a sizable Navy at their command, Washington and d’Estaing set in motion to attack New York City. However, the French were concerned that their large ships-of-the-line would be unable to slip over the bar and enter New York Harbor. It was decided to attack the British at Newport, Rhode Island instead. While d’Estaing’s ships sat outside New York Harbor, British General Sir Henry Clinton and Admiral Lord Richard ‘Black Dick’ Howe (General William Howe’s brother) dispatched a fleet of transports carrying 2,000 troops to reinforce Newport via Long Island Sound. The troops reached Newport on July 15, 1778, raising the size of Major General Robert Pigot’s garrison to more than 6,700 men.
The Americans ordered to attack Newport with French assistance in ships and four thousand troops, was placed under the overall command of General John Sullivan. He had in late July approximately 1,600 Continental troops against the British 6,700. However, with word of the French assistance, militia from Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts began to pour in. Also, Washington sent Major General Nathaniel Greene and General Lafayette north to join Sullivan’s command post. The French fleet arrived on July 29th and plans were put in place for the deployment of American and French positions. However, British Admiral Howe had gotten wind of the planned attack against Newport and had sailed his fleet out from New York City to do battle against d’Estaing’s forces. When d’Estaing learned of Howe’s presence, he sailed out on August 10th to do battle.
The weather deteriorated into a major storm as the two fleets maneuvered for position and prepared for battle. The tempest raged for two days and scattered both fleets, severely damaging many ships. This frustrated Sullivan’s plans to attack Newport for he could not do so without French support. On August 11th, the Americans began siege operations on the British troops while waiting for the return of the French fleet. When d’Estaing informed Sullivan that he would be sailing his fleet for Boston to effect repairs, he was thereby leaving the Americans on their own to face over six thousand British dug in before an imposing fort. With word of an additional force of 4,000 troops sailing from New York City to reinforce Newport, on August 28th, the Americans decided to call off the siege and retreat.
Deserters had informed British General Pigot that the Americans were planning to withdraw. He set in motion to attack the Americans as soon as they began their retreat. Colonel Greene led a brigade that covered the right wing of the retreating Americans. Outnumbered when the British and Hessians attacked, the Americans were ultimately driven back. However, when Hessian forces massed against Greene’s regiment, they held the line while the bulk of the American army withdrew. The Hessians advanced with bayonets, but were repeated driven back by the Black 1st Regiment. A fierce counter-attack by the ‘Negro’ Regiment drive the Hessians back in defeat. This last action allowed the remaining American forces to retire from the field unmolested.
Reassigned to Westchester County, North of New York City
Greene’s regiment was to remain in the Rhode Island region until the British evacuated on October 26, 1778. British General Clinton decided to consolidate his forces to launch an invasion of the south, hoping to benefit from the large population of Scotch loyalists in the Carolinas. The 1st Rhode Island would remain with the northern army and post their station in Westchester County, New York, just north of the British line at Yonkers and New York City. By then, Westchester County was a ‘no man’s land’ of marauding loyalists and foraging parties by both armies. Frequent clashes occurred between antagonists right up to the end of the war. The first Rhode Island would later fulfill their gallant destiny at the Battle of Yorktown when they stormed Redoubt Number ten on the night of October 14, 1781, thereby leading to British Cornwallis’ to surrender. However, Greene was destined to be absent from his regiment’s greatest moment. He was tragically and horrendously mutilated in an early dawn attack on May 13, 1781, some five months earlier, by a detachment of Lt. Colonel James Delancey’s light-horse, labeled ‘cowboys.’
Battle of Pines Bridge and Death
Oddly, Greene met his end at the Croton River, near the town of Yorktown, New York. The night before, May 12th, Greene made his headquarters in the Davenport house in town. He and his guard were surprised at dawn by a large party of over a hundred loyalists commanded by Tory Gilbert Totten. Accordingly, Major Flagg, Greene’s second in command, was killed outright in his bed. Greene, aided by several of his loyal black soldiers fought hand to hand with their attackers, but were grossly outnumbered. The African American soldiers who stood by their commander’s side to defend Greene were all cut down and killed without quarter. Greene’s left arm was severed. A sword pierced his stomach. His left shoulder was slashed and his head was beaten in and mangled. As if that were not enough, the Tories, driven to brutality by their hatred towards one who would lead black soldiers, dragged Greene’ body a mile into the woods where the was continually and horrifically mangled. Besides Greene, Major Ebenezer Flagg and two subalterns were killed along with twenty-seven privates. A lieutenant, surgeon, and twenty others were taken prisoners.
Aftermath
Anna (Lippitt) Greene, Christopher’s widow, would later marry Colonel John Low of Old Warwick. As mentioned, the family home of Christopher Greene would be totally destroyed in a fire in 1817, and was not rebuilt. Colonel Christopher Greene and Major Ebenezer Flagg both lie beneath a monument raised by the State of New York in 1900 at the First Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Yorktown, Westchester County, New York. Most recently, the Pines Bridge Monument Committee of Yorktown commissioned a statue to commemorate the sacrifice by the First Rhode Island Regiment. The sculpture by Jay Warren of Rouge River, Oregon designed his composition to depict three soldiers of the regiment; a First Rhode Island Regiment Black soldier, Colonel Christopher Greene, and a Wampanoag Native American, of which there were a dozen in the regiment. The monument was dedicated on November 17, 2018 and is situated in Railroad Park in Yorktown, New York.
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RESOURCES
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Greene, George Sears. The Greenes of Rhode Island. 1903: Knickerbocker Press, New York, NY.
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