In late fall, 1775, Martha Washington joined her husband in Cambridge, MA.

The Continental Army General

It was never a secret that the bonds of affection between the American Colonies and Great Britain, the mother country, had been fraying for a decade. It was mostly about money, and specifically about taxes. The various wars that GB periodically engaged in (usually with France) for a couple of centuries had spilled over to the American continent. During the 1750s, what was called the Seven Years’ War (there) and the French and Indian War (here), was fought in a variety of places mostly north and/or west of the Appalachian Mountains. 

Wars cost money. Money must be raised. The Brits wanted the Colonies to help foot the bill. The Americans agreed – so long as we had a say in the matter. But Americans had no voice in Parliament. It was the primary bone of contention: taxation without representation. 

Matters came to a head in Massachusetts in April 1775, when shots were fired at Lexington and Concord. The Continental Congress in Philadelphia declared that colonial troops must be raised.

George Washington, a retired Virginia militia colonel, had fought during the French and Indian War, and was considered the most militarily qualified in the American colonies. Now 43, he was a wealthy planter, a decade-long member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, and a delegate to the Continental Congress. 

When he showed up at congressional sessions in his old uniform (which still fit), he was the obvious choice to create/lead an American army. They made him a general, and he departed immediately for Boston. 

Mrs. Washington Arrives in Cambridge

For months, there were rumors that British loyalists planned to kidnap Martha Washington at her Mount Vernon home, and hold the General’s wife for ransom. Other rumors spread that Mrs. W. was an ardent loyalist who planned to return to England by herself.

Of course neither rumor was true – but it was definitely unsettling to Washington, some 500 miles away, and in no position to protect his wife. In October, he asked her to come to Massachusetts.

An aside on wives encamped with the army: In the eighteenth century, war was seasonal. Battles were fought in spring, summer and fall. In winter, soldiers encamped to regroup, plan, assemble food, ammunition and supples, tend to their wounded – and drill. It was not unusual for officers with a) financial means, and b) sufficient relatives to care for their homes/children would have their wives join them. 

Martha Washington was 44 years old in 1775. Her only living son Jack was past 20 and married. The Mount Vernon plantation was in the capable hands of Lund Washington, the General’s cousin and farm manager. She packed up. Jack and Nelly served as her escorts. She arrived in December.

Shortly after her arrival, Mrs. Washington met two women, young enough to be her daughters, and they became devoted lifelong friends. 

Lucy Flucker Knox

Lucy Flucker (1756-1824) was born to wealthy and ardent loyalists. She had a fine education for her sex – and her time. She was a big gal with a good sense of humor and a healthy appetite. Still in her mid-teens, she met Henry Knox, with matching humor and girth. They were both ardent patriots, dedicated to the “American” cause. They fell in love and carried on a secret and flirtatious relationship for two years. Henry called Lucy “the animating object of My Life.”

But Henry Knox, three years her senior, was only a bookseller in the Boston area. The Fluckers’ disapproval is an understatement. A lowborn “bookseller” was a tradesman; unsuitable for their daughter, accustomed to wealth. But Lucy adored Henry, and they married secretly (she was only 18). When her parents found out, they disowned her. When Massachusetts loyalists had the opportunity to return to England, the Fluckers left. Lucy never saw them again. 

When hostilities began in Massachusetts, Lucy sewed his sword into her cape, and the couple escaped to Boston to await General Washington, who quickly became impressed with Knox’s military knowledge, particularly artillery, all learned from books.

By November, Knox had devised a plan to take a small party to Ft. Ticonderoga, 500 miles away, “liberate” several large cannons abandoned after the French and Indian War, and haul them back to Boston. It was dangerous, but audacious. Washington approved. 

Then Martha Washington showed up the. The motherly woman and the lively younger one spent their time sewing, mending, knitting and tending to the sick. And hosting lively entertainments.

Epilogue. Lucy and Henry had 13 children, but only 3 survived. She eventually reconciled with her family, and remained close to the Washingtons for life. 

Catharine (Kitty or Caty) Littlefield Greene

Kitty Littlefield (1755-1814) was a Rhode Islander, born to upper class Quakers. Her father was a member of the R.I. Legislature. Her mother died when Kitty was ten, and she lived with relatives, receiving an excellent education. Like Lucy, she was in her teens when she was wooed by Nathanael Greene, 13 years her senior. They married when she was 19.

When the Revolutionary War began in Massachusetts. Greene was put in command of the Rhode Island militia, among the first to sign up. Kitty disliked being separated from her husband, and joined him whenever possible, despite bearing five children during the war.

Said to be lively, flirtatious and extremely intelligent, Kitty Greene was a welcome addition among the women who helped provide medical aid to the sick and wounded, sewed and knitted clothing for the soldiers, and added spirit to the lives of both officers and enlisted men. And a seemingly tireless dancing partner for General Washington!

She remained close to the Washingtons throughout her life, despite many ordeals once the war ended. When she remarried ten years after Nathanael’s death, President and Mrs. George Washington stood witness at her wedding in Philadelphia.  

Sources:

Brady, Patricia – Martha Washington: An American Life – Viking, 2005

Roberts,, Cokie – Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation – Harper, 2004

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/lucy-flucker-knox

https://wams.nyhistory.org/settler-colonialism-and-revolution/the-american-revolution/catharine-littlefield-greene-miller/

Martha Washington Tries To Cheer the Troops in Cambridge