Lucy Knox / Kitty Greene

Catherine Greene (Kitty)

Kitty Greene and Lucy Knox were inseparable from Martha Washington during the many months the women accompanied their husbands and lived in the camps with them. As commander-in-chief, Washington was pleased that two of his generals Nathaniel Greene and Henry Knox were so capable in their commands and so compatible as social companions.

Kitty Greene: Tell me, Lucy, could we have been more fortunate?

Lucy Knox: I thank the good Lord every night in my prayers that Martha is here with us.

Kitty: And so do I. You know, for someone with an enormous personal fortune, you would think she might have difficulty speaking with simple folks like us.

Lucy: Yes, I think I might describe you as simple (she laughs) but then again, so am I. Well, here’s a good example. Yesterday, after picking some wildflowers, I spilled the water from the vase on the table. I looked around for a cloth to clean up the mess but Martha had been quicker and did it for me with a broad smile on her face.

Kitty: I wonder if she frustrates her many servants when she does that at home. 

Lucy: I would love to see Mount Vernon. It must be so very beautiful overlooking the Potomac.

Kitty: What especially thrills me about the Washingtons is that they are so devoted to each other. You could see the warmth in their faces when they are together. I can understand why the soldiers would do anything for them. He is firm but very fair, We've seen how busy she keeps herself constantly sewing shirts, darning stockings and bringing clothing out to those soldiers who have not much in outer garments. How was it in the beginning with your Henry?

Lucy Knox

Lucy:  I’ve mentioned my father to you. That he was a loyalist it is certain but a loyalist officeholder is quite another matter. His treatment of young men who came to our house to visit was distant and cool. Both he and Mother opposed my engagement with Henry Knox. Henry owned a bookshop and was a good businessman. Mother didn’t like the fact that Henry was in trade and Father didn’t like my proposed marriage to a patriot. You can see that I did not have their support.

Kitty: But you won out in the end and married your Henry. I’d say that you had quite a bit of spunk for an eighteen-year-old.

Lucy: Henry was twenty-four when we married and he was a strong supporter of the patriot cause. After the Battle of Lexington, we moved from Boston to Cambridge and he enlisted in the militia. We are both very willful and hardheaded if you like but our love will see us through. But tell me what brought your family to Block Island.

Kitty: It was the idea of my great-grandfather to move us off the coast of Rhode Island to Block. I understand from my parents that it was a matter of putting distance between the rigid society of the Puritans and the free-thinking citizens of the state who had more liberal ideas of religion. My mother died when I was seven and three years later I was sent to the mainland to live with my aunt.

Lucy: What was she like?

Kitty: Catherine Ray Greene was lots of fun. We had our spats but she always kept in mind that I needed a firm hand on occasion. When I was twenty, I met my handsome Quaker Nathanael. He was thirty-three when he asked me to marry him and I quickly agreed before he could change his mind. Despite the fact that Quakers do not approve of conflict armed or otherwise, Nathaniel lost no time after Lexington and Concord to join the newly formed army of George Washington.

Lucy: Quakers can be intransigent in matters of their dogma. Did they cause Nathanael difficulty?

Kitty: We did not know it at the time but they were following him closely in his activities. He was called before the Quaker authorities to explain his interest in military affairs. Nathanael explained his interest in terms that left no doubt that he was a firm Quaker and would not abandon his studies. He was liked by everyone which pleased me. In meetings he was known to be the one offering sound reasoning and common sense.

As difficulties continued to rise between Great Britain and the colonies, men formed themselves into groups, drilled and armed to meet emergencies. Consequently Greene became a member of a company known as the Kentish Guards. In July, 1774, he married Catharine Littlefield from Rhode Island.

With the news of the battles of Lexington and Concord, the General Assembly of Rhode Island put out an order calling into service 1600 men with Nathanael Green as commander. His studies of military science helped to meet many problems but many had to be solved the hard way. He worked early and late to bring his force to manageable levels of efficiency and good discipline. In June 1775 he had his troops in position around Boston.