USRC ''General Green'' was one of the first ten cutters operated by the US

Revenue Cutter Service ) , colors= , colors_label= , march= , mascot= , equipment= , equipment_label= , battles= , anniversaries=4 August , decorations= , battle_honours= , battle_honours_label= , disbanded=28 January 1915 , flying_hours= , website= , commander1= , co ...

. She was named for the Revolutionary War hero Major General

Nathanael Greene Nathanael Greene (June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as General George Washington's most talented and dependabl ...

. Her name was misspelled, probably by the man who oversaw her construction, the Collector of Customs in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Sharp Delany Sharp Delany (c. 1739–1799), was a colonel in the American Revolutionary War a legislator and the first Collector of Customs in Philadelphia, appointed by George Washington. Biography Sharp Delany’s place of birth is in dispute. Often stated ...

. Apparently the cutter was to have been originally named for the

Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...

, but Delany changed the name for reasons unknown.

Operational history

There is little or no information on her original design and unfortunately her monthly journals have not survived but some correspondence regarding her has, particularly the exchange of letters between her master, James Montgomery, and Delany. Indeed, there is a letter dated 23 July 1791 from the collector at

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, Benjamin Lincoln, to Hamilton that states the General Green left Adam Foulk's wharf in Philadelphia, completely outfitted, on 7 July of that year, making her one of the first of the cutters to actually enter into service. Isaac Roach was appointed as the

first mate A chief mate (C/M) or chief officer, usually also synonymous with the first mate or first officer, is a licensed mariner and head of the deck department of a merchant ship. The chief mate is customarily a watchstander and is in charge of the ship ...

and Benjamin Rue was appointed as the second mate on 21 March 1791.Noble, p 60Noble, p 62 Montgomery was the commanding officer of the Collector's

barge Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels ...

in Philadelphia and so had some experience in revenue work prior to his commission as the master of the new cutter. He had also seen service during the Revolution as an officer in the

Pennsylvania State Navy The Pennsylvania Navy (more formally known as the Pennsylvania State Navy or in modern terms the Pennsylvania Naval Militia) served as the naval force of Pennsylvania during the American Revolution and afterward, until the formation of the United ...

and later saw action as the commanding officer of a

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

. The cutter had an active career patrolling the waters off Philadelphia and carrying out the federal laws of the land as instituted during President

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

's administration. When

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

went to war in 1793, Washington declared the neutrality of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and the cutters acted as the government's law enforcement arm at sea. Her most exciting mission was undoubtedly when she was ordered to seize the French privateer ''Les Jumeaux'', which was outfitting in Philadelphia, in direct violation of the neutrality laws. The privateer got underway in December 1794 and the ''General Green'' overtook her 40 miles off Wilmington, Delaware. The Deputy Collector, Robinett, sailed on board the cutter and was in overall command of this seizure. ''General Green'' was sold in 1798 to William Moodie of Philadelphia.

Commanding officers

James Montgomery, Master; 1791-1797Noble, p 49

Notes

;Citations ;References cited
Green'', 1791
US Coast Guard website. * Canney, Donald, 1995: ''U.S. Coast Guard and Revenue Cutters, 1790-1935''. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. * Evans, Stephen H., 1949: ''The United States Coast Guard, 1790-1915: A Definitive History'' (With a Postscript: 1915-1950). Annapolis: The United States Naval Institute, 1949. * Kern, Florence, 1977: ''"A Boat in Our Bay": James Montgomery's U.S. Revenue Cutter General Green, 1791-1797'', Washington, DC: Alised Enterprises. * * U.S. Coast Guard, 1934: ''Record of Movements: Vessels of the United States Coast Guard: 1790 - December 31, 1933'', Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office (reprinted 1989). {{DEFAULTSORT:General Green First ten Revenue Service cutters 1791 ships