Resourceful and courageous, Greene combined common sense, a keen intellect, fine organizational skills, and a remarkable aptitude for using topographical and geographical information. When the Revolutionary War ended eight years later, he was the only one of George Washington's generals who had served continuously from its start. In June, at age thirty-two, Greene became the youngest general in the Continental Army and the only general who had never held a military commission. Yet, no doubt because of his leadership ability, the Rhode Island Assembly in May 1775 appointed Greene commander of the Rhode Island Army of Observation at the siege of Boston. His total military training before mid-1775, when he abandoned pacifism, consisted of serving as a private in the Rhode Island militia for a few hours each week. Born into a Quaker family, Nathanael Greene had nothing in his background that pointed to a military career.
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