Catharine “Caty” Littlefield Greene Miller Part 1: The General’s Wife

 

For Part 2 of Caty’s story click here

Episode Intro: Have you heard of the invention of the cotton gin? How about Nathanael Greene, a Major General and hero of the Revolutionary War? Have you heard of Catharine Littlefield Greene Miller, who made both of these hugely successful (and left a few scandals in her wake)? Probably not! 

 

Let’s get cracklin’, shall we?

 

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*Updated*

 

Photos of Catharine and others close to her in the story can be found at https://www.pinterest.com/TalesfromtheHearth/catharine-littlefield-greene-miller/

 

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Cast of Characters

 

• Caty (Catharine Littlefield Greene Miller): Protagonist, wife, mother, perhaps co-inventor of the cotton gin
• Catharine Ray Greene: Caty’s maternal aunt, whose husband is Rhode Island governor William Greene, also a relation of Nathanael Greene. Known for her long-term correspondence with Benjamin Franklin. 
• Nathanael Greene: Caty’s husband, the “Fighting Quaker” and Major General of the Continental Army
• George Washington: Family friend, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army and first President of the United States
• Martha Washington: Family friend; wife of George Washington
• George Washington Greene: Son and first child, born Winter 1776
• Martha “Patty” Washington Greene: Daughter and second child, born March 1777 
• Cornelia Lott Greene: Daughter and third child, born in 1778
• Nathanael Ray Greene: Son and fourth child, born January 1780 
• Louisa Catharine Greene: Daughter and fifth child, born in 1784. Last child to survive past infancy.
• Alexander Hamilton: Married ladies’ man, family friend, and first Secretary of the U.S. Treasury
• Jeremiah Wadsworth: Married businessman, Continental army colonel, Greene family creditor 
• The Marquis de Lafayette: Married family friend and Greene family creditor 
• “Mad” Anthony Wayne: Brigadier General in the Continental Army, married ladies’ man and Caty’s neighbor in Georgia
• Nat Pendleton: Married lawyer, Caty’s neighbor in Georgia. Alexander Hamilton’s second in his fatal duel with Aaron Burr.
• Phineas Miller: Tutor and business manager for Greene estates in Georgia
• Dr. Lemeul Kollock: Family physician and friend in Georgia
• Eli Whitney: Inventor and employee at Mulberry Estate; generally credited with the invention of the cotton gin.

 

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I was first introduced to Catharine “Eli” Littlefield Greene Miller in the most roundabout way. I grew up near a small, small town called Eli Whitney, North Carolina. One day we drove through that town, and of course, as a small child, I asked, “Who or what is an Eli Whitney?” My father replied that Eli Whitney was the inventor of the cotton gin. I asked, “What is a cotton gin?” I don’t remember exactly what he said, but I’ll tell you today. It was a machine that mechanized the slow, labor-intensive process of picking cotton. It was invented in 1793 and patented in 1794. One machine could process approximately 50 lbs. of cotton in one day, compared to only one lb. per person per day! The invention of the cotton gin led to a rise in growing cotton in the Southeastern U.S., which led to the explosion of slavery, which led to the Civil War. My father also mentioned that there were rumors that Eli Whitney didn’t actually invent the cotton gin at all, but borrowed the ideas from others, including slaves—and even a woman who may have actually invented it instead! 

 

I didn’t give much thought to the contested invention of the cotton gin until many many years later when I moved to Greenville, South Caroline—one of the many places in the United States named after Major General Nathanael Greene, a Revolutionary War hero. In my research into Nathanael Greene, I found quite the gem in the life story of his wife, Catharine “Caty” Littlefield Greene Miller. After General Greene’s death, she employed Eli Whitney on her Mulberry Grove Plantation near Savannah, Georgia, and completely funded his efforts and creation of the cotton gin—right on the property! 

 

Could the rumors be true? Could the woman who actually invented the cotton gin be Caty?

 

As I dug in deeper into Caty’s life, I found that—quite simply—perhaps she had! I also learned that she was quite the character of interest, intrigue, and sometimes—scandal. 

 

Regardless of the varied opinions documented about her, I discovered a remarkable, strong woman who was challenged by the boundaries of her life in the late 1700s. Her life had many facets: she was the entertaining Revolutionary War “camp” wife of General Nathanael Greene, a close friend of George and Martha Washington, a business partner of Eli Whitney, and the mistress of two Georgia plantations. She fought with her husband about her wine drinking, had issues with depression, participated in many love triangles (including living with and courting a man who wasn’t her husband!) and even braved rumors of adultery…my, oh, my! 

 

From the opinions I gathered in my research, it appears that she didn’t set appropriate boundaries in her friendships with other men (in the context of that time). However, one could reasonably argue that time spent in war together forges bonds and relationships that will always be out of the ordinary. 

 

Well, I can’t wait to introduce you to the remarkable story of a remarkable woman, “Caty,” Catharine Littlefield Greene Miller, who had her faults—but was perhaps misunderstood during her time.

 

Sources for today’s story are: Many…refer to our episode show notes for citations and links. A major source for the information is Caty: A Biography of Catharine Littlefield Greene by John F. Stegeman and Janet A. Stegeman, published in 1977 and 1985. 

 

Other sources include Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow; Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts; and the website for the Nathanael Greene Homestead of Spell Hall, located in Coventry, Rhode Island.

 

The ONE Takeaway I hope you get from today’s story is: You can’t please everyone and control their assumptions of you, so don’t even try.

 

I hope you enjoy this story about “Catharine ‘Caty’ Littlefield Greene Miller.”

 

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According to different sources, Catharine Littlefield was either born on December 17, 1753, or February 17, 1755, on Block Island, Rhode Island, the second child of John Littlefield and Phebe Ray. This story will assume the earlier December 1753 birth date when referencing ages and differences in age, because—as we get into the story—you’ll see that she probably wanted to make herself out to be much, much younger than she was.

 

Catharine—Caty—was named after her aunt, her mother’s sister, Catharine Ray. Her mother, Phebe, was a direct descendant of Rhode Island colony founder Roger Williams. Caty’s great-grandfather, Simon Ray, was one of the early inhabitants of Plymouth, but chose to seek religious freedom by establishing his family on the secluded Block Island. 

 

Caty’s childhood on Block Island was happy—yet remote, marked by the enjoyment of freedoms not commonly afforded other women at that time. The women of the island greatly distressed guests by wearing riding breeches and straddling their horses just like the men did (shock and awe!). 

 

Caty’s mother passed away in 1761 when Caty was only seven years old, but she was taken in by her Aunt Catharine Ray Greene and her husband, politician and future Rhode Island governor William J. Greene, Jr., at age 10, to live in their East Greenwich, Rhode Island, home. Life with her aunt was idyllic for the young Caty, and she was still able to live and act more freely than most other women of her time. Her aunt was also known for her long-time correspondence and previous courtship by a much older (and married) Benjamin Franklin—quite the scandal in itself! 

 

The Greene home in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, was an open place of Patriotism support, where Caty had access to tutors and soon-to-be famous visitors. Even at a young age, Caty was known far and wide as a warm, beautiful, astute, and vivacious “preeminent belle of the Revolutionary era.” It was a visiting relative of William Greene—Nathanael Greene—who would court and marry Caty in July 1774 (Caty was 20 years old). 

 

Nathanael Greene was twelve years older than Caty and lived a contradictory life as the son of a Quaker preacher and prosperous businessman. Nathanael lacked a formal education, but had access to tutors and was a successful smith and merchant in his own right. He suffered from asthma and walked with a limp, yet aspired to military duty. Despite being rejected as a militia officer because of his limp, Nathanael relentlessly practiced his skills and voraciously read books about military strategy and history. Nathanael had already achieved Patriot fame by winning a successful lawsuit against the British crown for the unlawful seizure of his merchant ship and goods.

 

Caty and Nathanael’s days as newlyweds were happy but brief, as Nathanael was summoned for military duty after the events of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775.  Nathanael rose rapidly from mere private to commander of the Rhode Island forces, and then later to a Brigadier General of the Continental Army in July 1775—the youngest by far at the age of 33. This occurred after being rejected as an officer in the Rhode Island militia for his limp—remember? Nathanael worked harder than most, however, and would later be recognized by historians as the second best general in the Continental Army (after Washington, of course). Nathanael was Washington’s favorite general, and, consequently, Washington’s choice to replace himself in the event it became necessary.

 

Left with her in-laws while Nathanael served in the military, vivacious young Caty yearned to be with her husband, as she was quite bored with the restraint and propriety of living with her very proper Quaker in-laws. Neither Caty nor her aunt Catharine were known for their domestic abilities. They were apparently unable to knit, weave, or sew more than just basic stitching—abilities expected of most women of their time—and this further strained relations with her new in-laws. 

 

A fed-up and now-pregnant Caty left her in-laws’ home and joined her husband, Nathanael, at camp near Jamaica Plains (outside of Boston, Massachusetts). She gleefully jumped into her role as a commander’s wife—serving as a witty conversationalist and morale-booster for troops. Even through late pregnancy, she reprised her role as “camp wife” in Prospect Hill, Massachusetts, where she met both George and Martha Washington and began a lifelong friendship with the pair. At this first meeting, the much older Martha Washington doted on Caty as a daughter figure, while George Washington good-naturedly badgered Caty about her “Quaker husband.” In return, Caty vowed to name her unborn child after the general.  

 

Not long after, Caty and Nathanael’s son, George Washington Greene, was born in the winter of 1776. Caty was left to care for both her infant and Nathanael, who had become afflicted with jaundice (surprising that the baby didn’t have jaundice, huh? I’ve always wondered if it was harder to take care of a newborn or a “sick” husband—sounds like Caty had to figure that out). The new family of three thrived together at camp, where she became known as an engaging hostess who danced, laughed, tucked in some wine, and played cards. She was known to say a few things and tell a few stories that were considered a little too lewd for what was acceptable for women at that time. She also loooooved to go on shopping sprees for new clothes. She shocked others by only attending church infrequently. In fact, it was noticed that General Greene’s own church attendance (remember, he was a former Quaker) was sporadic when Caty stayed with him in camp. 

 

Caty’s reputation began to splinter along gender lines. This would be a pattern throughout Caty’s life, as she became more comfortable with and easier received by men. Many referred to her and her behavior as too immature, frivolous, or outright coquettish, and maybe just a tad too whimsical for wartime. It was also during this time that rumors of Caty’s “reckless” conduct began to undermine her relationship with her beloved Aunt Catharine. Regardless of the negative opinions and gossip about Caty’s behavior, her husband Nathanael supported her and loved the vivacious sparkle his young wife brought to an otherwise difficult time during the Revolutionary War. 

 

Travel between her in-laws’ home and Nathanael’s camp became quite treacherous, so Caty often left young George with the in-laws while she stayed at camp with Nathanael, visiting with friends and engaging in merry-making. Caty never lacked for volunteer escorts to attend to her safety, and in July 1776 Caty met Alexander Hamilton, an idealist with whom she began a lifelong friendship with. Eventually, however, the fighting once again became too dangerous for civilians, and so a pregnant Caty returned to her in-laws in Rhode Island and gave birth to a baby girl, Martha “Patty” Washington Greene in March 1777. 

 

Caty’s recovery from the birth was slow, and she suffered a relapse when she traveled to reunite her family of four later that summer. She recouped her energy, however, and was able to spend the winter with her beloved Nathanael and “Continental family” at the otherwise dismal Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, camp. She provided entertainment, singing, and cheer to the otherwise crestfallen, cold, and hungry troops. During this time, she spoke French with and befriended many expatriate officers such as Casimir Pulaski and the Marquis de Lafayette, who also became a lifelong friend and supporter for the Greene family.

 

It was also during this time in Valley Forge that she met and befriended the well-known ladies’ man, Brigadier General “Mad” Anthony Wayne, and Connecticut businessman, Jeremiah Wadsworth. You WILL hear about both men later in Caty’s story.  

 

The “happy-ish” times at the camp soon came to an end, as a pregnant Caty departed back to Rhode Island. This time General Greene set up camp at his home at Coventry, Rhode Island, where he was able to attend the birth of his daughter and third child, Cornelia Lott Greene, in 1778.

 

Just when Caty was feeling too cooped up at home with her in-laws again, General Washington personally asked Nathanael Greene to invite his merry wife Caty to liven up the winter 1778-1779 camp at Middlebrook. Twenty-five-year-old Caty arrived at camp with young son George Washington Greene, where she proceeded to raise troop morale to a new all-time high. General Washington wagered Caty that he could outdance her on the dance floor, and the pair proceeded to dance for three hours while Washington joked about stealing Caty from her “Quaker preacher husband.”   

 

With the highs came the lows, however, and gossip once more began to spread about Caty’s frolicking and flirtatious conduct. Tensions between Caty and Nathanael became strained due to her behavior, and he admitted that he was concerned that she had been drinking too much wine. Caty returned to her in-laws in Coventry, RI, and her demeanor notably darkened due to the separation and further criticism from Nathanael  via mail. In addition to his rebukes for her behavior and drinking, he began attacking her spelling errors, sending a grammar book to her along with his correspondence and asking her to “study it carefully” (can you believe he did that?).

 

Well…they must have made up somehow, because in late 1779 Caty and little George joined Nathanael in camp at Morristown, New Jersey. In January of 1780, baby boy Nathanael Ray Greene was born in camp, where soldiers celebrated the birth and presented handmade items for the fourth child of Caty and Nathanael.

 

1780 was marked by travel and further frustration over separation for the Greene family. This would only worsen as the announcement was made that General Greene had been given command of the Southern Continental Army. Nathanael dissuaded Caty from joining him in the South, highlighting the precarious and long travel routes, marked by thieves and even more violent relations between Patriot and Tory factions than prevailed in the North. 

 

No longer content to live with in-laws and struggling to live in near poverty in Coventry, Caty traveled to Newport, Rhode Island, where she spent the time entertaining French soldiers and in general merry-making. When she returned to Coventry and then relocated to the Westerly farm with her children, Caty found herself once again a focus of gossip, this time for adultery. 

 

Husband Nathanael Greene had asked Colonel Jeremiah Wadsworth (remember him from Valley Forge?) to look in on and visit Caty and family to bring much-needed supplies and food. However, locals remarked on the Colonel’s many visits, spreading rumors of adultery that made their way all the way down to the Carolinas! Apparently they had nothing else better to do, right?—like, I don’t know—look out for spies and help the war effort? Nathanael, of course, paid no heed to the gossip, and by the end of 1781, Caty and her young son George were on their way to reunite with Nathanael in South Carolina. 

 

I have to make a break here and comment on what a great wife Caty really was. War camps, especially in winter and at Valley Forge, must have been really roughing it (especially for a woman)! She did everything she could to reunite her family and spend time with her husband during the Revolutionary War. Travel was brutal back then even when there wasn’t a war going on, and she made the trips many times with her young son and young family in tow—during war time! Traveling all the way from Rhode Island to South Carolina sounds even more problematic! Wow! I think General Greene was a lucky man to have Caty, and he also seems like a pretty all around good guy—despite the whole “study this grammar book” incident. 

 

Back to the story…

 

Caty and her young son, George, visited with many many old friends along their way to South Carolina. They were honored as the family of a war hero, and visited with the Washingtons at Mount Vernon and other friends in Philadelphia. Caty was talked into leaving young George to be formally educated, however, so continued alone—well, except for a few army escorts—down to South Carolina.

 

In April 1782, Caty arrived near Charlestown, South Carolina, to a joyful reunion with her husband after a grueling separation of 23 months. The officers in camp were smitten with the arrival of the effervescent General’s wife, and she quickly made new friends. Among those friends would be Captain Nathaniel (Nat) Pendleton, Jr.(remember his name, too), and brothers Edward and John Rutledge, who would all become lifelong family friends. 

 

It was at this time that Caty learned the hard truth of the family’s cash-strapped (but land-rich) financial situation. With a bankrupt nation and an army in need, Nathanael had personally guaranteed the purchase of clothes and items for his troops through a South Carolinian man named John Banks (who ended up being a no-good charlatan). Nathanael was sure of reimbursement by the future government, however, and now owned large quantities of land in Rhode Island, New Jersey, Cumberland Island in Georgia, and three more estates in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, given to him for services rendered to the budding nation. 

 

In the summer of 1782 illness struck the troops in Charlestown, and Caty undertook the role of nursing the afflicted on nearby Kiawah Island. It was noted as a great time to be had by all, as the recuperating soldiers were entertained by Caty and her camp stories, horse races, swimming, cards, games, and of course—keeping all spirits high by imbibing them as well. “Mrs. Greene preserves her health and her cheerfulness but our last bottle of wine expired this day in our presence,” wrote Nat Pendleton to General Greene. It sounds like Nat meant well, but I think the end result was that he ratted out Caty to her husband for drinking just a little too much. 

 

Finally, in December 1782, the British had withdrawn from Charlestown, and the Continental Army marched into a mostly deserted and decimated town. Caty and Nathanael lived with the John Rutledge family in their home (which is still standing today) and turned it into a central headquarters for the new Charlestown society. The city was then renamed Charleston to remove any direct association with the crown.

 

Caty marked the achievement of victory in Charleston by organizing a Victory Ball to bring dancing and fun to the newly renamed city. Caty danced the first dance of the ball with her husband in her new role as “Lady Greene” but was quickly relinquished by her “Quaker husband” to dance away most of the night with notable ladies’ man  “Mad” Anthony Wayne…(dot dot dot)—remember him, also from Valley Forge?

 

In January 1873 the Greenes traveled to Savannah, GA, to celebrate the evacuation of the British, as they had in Charleston. When the jubilant couple returned to Charleston, they could not have been more surprised. The South Carolina courts had ruled and demanded that Nathanael personally pay the debts he had incurred on purchases on behalf of the Continental Army. Greene, who was still serving as General as there was still no official peace treaty at this time, could not sell his properties or land (as prices were cheap), and could not pay—so was forced to borrow from friends such as Robert Morris, Jeremiah Wadsworth (remember him from Valley Forge and the adultery rumors with Caty?) and the Marquis de Lafayette to settle what he could. 

 

In April 1783 an initial peace treaty appeared, and the armies began dissolving in summer of that year. Still on the hook for debts and with no cash in sight, a pregnant Caty went on a shopping and spending spree and was berated for it by Nathanael, who—of course—was unable to pay those bills. Nooooo, Caty, no!

 

The beloved Coventry home was sold to Nathanael’s brother as a result of more financial difficulties, so the Greenes purchased a home in Newport on credit, where Nathanael was able to join them in late fall 1783.  After even more failed shipping and miscellaneous investments, the ever-expanding Greene family (with another on the way) was noted to be in extreme poverty.

 

Caty was also quite the actress and trickster. According to a tale told in her biography, Caty disguised herself as a beggar and visited her neighbors as such. At the home of close friends, she was not recognized and sternly ordered to leave. Not only that, but a servant escorted her out to make sure she didn’t steal anything! At another home, she told such a sad tale in her disguise that she was given bread in sympathy for her plight. She later removed her disguise and laughed at the trick she had played on her friends, being careful to note that she had not received charity from many of them.  

 

A fifth child, Louisa Catharine Greene, was born in 1784, but the family was so poor and so in debt that they decided to move from Newport, Rhode Island, to their plantation at Mulberry Grove near Savannah, Georgia, where they had a chance of generating some cash. Although Caty was saddened by the prospect of leaving her beloved home and community in Rhode Island to become the wife of a Southern farmer, she lit up in anticipation of Mulberry Grove’s location near friends Nat Pendleton (remember him, he tattled on her for drinking too much?) and Anthony Wayne (the ladies’ man she danced with all night in Charleston?). Other close friends, the Rutledges, would be located nearby in Savannah, Georgia. 

 

Tragedy struck in 1795 upon the birth of the sixth child, Catharine, who passed away shortly thereafter from whooping cough. Caty sank into a deep depression as her family prepared to move away from her beloved Rhode Island to the unknown territory of Georgia. 

 

There were no schools near the Mulberry Grove plantation, so the Greenes employed 21-year-old Yale alum Phineas Miller, who arrived while Caty was still in her depressed and forlorn state. Remember Phineas Miller’s name too…he’s important to Caty’s story as well!

 

Let’s go through a short review of the cast of characters, shall we?

• Major General Nathanael Greene: Husband, and pretty good guy
• Jeremiah Wadsworth: Army colonel, Greene family creditor, married—rumored adulterer with Caty
• Brigadier General “Mad” Anthony Wayne: Married, but still a notable ladies’ man who “cut a rug” with Caty in Charleston, now a new neighbor in Georgia
• Nat Pendleton: Married, but liked Caty; tattled on her for drinking too much wine, now a new neighbor in Georgia
• Phineas Miller: Single 21-year-old tutor to the Greene children in Georgia

 

Back to the story…

 

One of the earliest visitors to Mulberry Grove was Isaac Briggs, a Georgia politician. While Mr. Miller and Caty entertained Mr. Briggs, a heated discussion and difference of opinions about slavery ensued. Even though the Greenes owned, bought, and sold slaves, they weren’t very fond of or proud of that decision, as they abhorred slavery. Sadly, they needed the inexpensive labor to generate cash in their impoverished state (not that it makes it right). Briggs is most known for his follow-up note about this meeting with Caty, in which he stated that he had heard rumors everywhere about Caty being unfaithful, foolish, whimsical, coquettish, and caring nothing for her children. He reported, “‘Twas all a lie,” and sang her praises far and wide. You can forget his name now; I just wanted to highlight another positive statement documented about Caty.

 

In April 1786 Caty had a bad fall in the late stages of her pregnancy, resulting in the loss of a seventh child. She became even more lonely and depressed, withdrawing from visitors to her secluded plantation. She soon noticed that Nathanael was also despondent, which served to propel her back into the arduous tasks associated with being the mistress of an industrious plantation. 

 

During this difficult time, neighbor Anthony Wayne visited the plantation often—so often, in fact, that a Savannah lady warned Nathanael of adultery between notorious ladies’ man Wayne and Caty. Nathanael, of course, trusted his friend and wife, replying simply that any home of his would always welcome Wayne, and that they were never home alone with five kids, many servants, and a tutor nearby.  

 

On June 11, 1786, Nathanael walked his rice fields without wearing a hat on a very hot day. On the way home he complained of a severe headache, which intensified overnight and on into the next day. Two doctors attended Nathanael for many days, but to no avail. On June 19, 1786, at the age of 44, Nathanael passed away, surrounded by Caty and his loyal friend Anthony Wayne. He was laid to rest with military honors in nearby Savannah’s Christ Church (now Colonial Park) Cemetery in the John Graham family vault, ironically alongside longtime enemy John Maitland of the British command. This unseemly juxtaposition may have had something to do with the fact that the Grahams were Tories who deserted their home and vault when, as sympathizers to the Crown, they had to flee the country a few years before Greene’s death.

 

That’s it for Part 1 of the story of Catharine “Caty” Littlefield Greene Miller. Was she the whimsical, silly flirt and maybe adulteress that some tales in history make her out to be? Did she “abandon” her children to partake in the revelry of the Revolutionary War camps? I hope you’re enjoying her story. There’s plenty more to come from Caty and the cast of characters. Join us next week for Part 2 of Catharine ‘Caty’ Littlefield Greene Miller. 

Click here for Part 2 of Caty’s story