Inglorious Justice
According to the American Battlefield Trust, about 25,000 patriots died while either fighting in a battle, succumbing to disease, or languishing as a prisoner of war. What this death toll doesn't tell is the story of how at least one patriot's death was the result of giving and receiving insults. How could that be? Well, as we can only imagine, the infamously miserable Valley Forge encampment was comprised of young men who were living in wretched conditions far from home and their loved ones. Under high tension, the men's morale must have been low. And it was in this environment that Valley Forge became the scene for a fatal duel between two young Virginian officers in the Continental Army; Lieutenants John Green and Elisha White.
Lieutenants Green and White were both young men of high standing Virginia families. Lieutenant John Green was the son of Colonel John Green of the 6th Virginia Regiment. The Green family had deep roots in Culpepper County and much has been written about them in both book and The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. Lieutenant Elisha White was part of the White family of early Henrico, Hanover, Charlotte, and Louisa Counties who figured prominently in Virginia politics, military, and as merchants. Elisha was the son of Elisha White Sr. who served as a Lieutenant in Captain Joseph Fox's Company of Rangers during the French and Indian War. Lieutenants Green and White had every reason to believe that their futures would be bright in the country for which they were sacrificing to create.
After enduring the harsh winter elements at Valley Forge, the warm spring temperatures must have drawn the men at Valley Forge out of their shelters, providing more opportunity for social interaction. Springtime must have helped all the soldiers who survived the deadly winter at Valley Forge feel hopeful once again. But it was during this time of hope that tragedy struck Lieutenants Green and White.
It is unknown as to who insulted who, who challenged the other, or what type of dueling weapons were used (pistols or sabers).
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
We also do not know if Green and White followed the customary rules for dueling at the time, as described by the PBS: American Experience :
In a typical duel, each party acted through a second. The seconds' duty, above all, was to try to reconcile the parties without violence. An offended party sent a challenge through his second. If the recipient apologized, the matter usually ended. If he elected to fight, the recipient chose the weapons and the time and place of the encounter. Up until combat began, apologies could be given and the duel stopped. After combat began, it could be stopped at any point after honor had been satisfied.
If they did follow these rules, the added time to think matters through did not result in cooler heads prevailing.
Finally, we also have to wonder where within the encampment two young men could find a hidden location to defend their honor.
But found a location they did, and thinking that it was their duty to amend their injured honor, Green and White fought their private battle leaving Lieutenant Elisha White the victor. The recording of 1st Lieutenant John Green's death is noted on the below 1st Virginia Regiment company muster roll for the month of April 1778.
Lieutenant White was listed as "Absent without Leave" in the below company muster roll during the same month for the 1st Virginia Regiment.
If not for a letter from Virginia Governor Patrick Henry written three months later to General George Washington, Green's death and White's desertion would appear to have been two independent events - completely unrelated to the other. In his letter, Henry didn't describe the insult which prompted the duel, but he stated, in a round about way, that White's killing of Green was "just". So, it would seem that Lieutenant Green committed an unforgivable, insulting action and Lieutenant White sought justice.
It should be noted that Governor Henry and Lieutenant White were both from Hanover County, Virginia where their families lived within the same St. Paul's Parish. Certainly, the Henry and White families must have known one another. To support this thinking, in his letter to General Washington, Henry referred to White as "...I believe him a worthy young man & a good officer." This is quite a statement for the Governor of Virginia to make after Lieutenant White had just killed another Virginia patriot in a duel! To make such a confident assessment of Lieutenant White's character and request that General Washington reinstate White to his regiment after such an unfortunate event, Governor Henry must have known Lieutenant White's family, if not Elisha White himself.
But General Washington's response to Henry expressed concern about Colonel John Green's desires toward Lieutenant White. Washington did not want to reinstate White and risk provoking Colonel Green until Green's desires were made known. Washington suggested that White pay a visit to Colonel Green to learn of Green's "determination".
And it appears that General Washington's request was answered with Colonel John Green having been consulted on the matter of his son's death, based upon a letter written in late November 1778 by Colonel Richard Parker of the 1st Virginia Regiment (you can see his name as the commander of the regiment in the above muster roll). Colonel Richard Parker wrote to Richard Kidder Meade, George Washington's assistant secretary, and described how Lieutenant White had made the journey to West Point, where his regiment was then camped. Colonel Parker described how eager Lieutenant White was to return to his regiment and that Parker supported this desire. Parker went on to explain that the only person who had wished Lieutenant White be prosecuted, Colonel John Green, no longer desired such action but rather, "...wishes him to take command in his Regmt". At the sending of this letter, Lieutenant White surely must have felt very hopeful that he would be reinstated to his regiment with his honor intact.
However, General Washington felt very differently on the matter, according to Meade's November 25, 1778 reply:
“I received your favor respecting Lieut. White, and presented the one it contained to His Excellency. I have it in command from him to desire you will have that Gentleman arrested for having killed Lieut. Greene in a Duel, when the charge is to be transmitted to the Adjut. Genl. this is a step the rules of the Army & a regard to propriety obliged the Genl to take”
What a shocking surprise General Washington's response must have been to Colonel Parker and Lieutenant White! When General Washington had previously written Governor Henry on the matter, he had requested that White sort the matter out with Colonel Green and that if Green did not desire to prosecute, then Washington stated, "...I shall have discharged my duty and the thing will pass off." Clearly, there was either a break down in communication or something changed. Perhaps Mrs. Green was finally asked what her desire toward Lieutenant White was! Unfortunately, we just don't know the answer as to why General Washington changed action on the unfortunate matter of Lieutenant White killing Lieutenant Green in a duel - but he did.
Lieutenant White must have realized at this point that both his honor and military career were seriously in question, not to mention his own life! I will leave you to ponder how the decision to settle a personal matter by fighting a duel ended in death for one young officer and inglorious justice for the other.
Lieutenant White's fate is explored in this follow up entry.
copyright©2023 Deborah Thurman Parks
