Greene was an officer of notable courage, address, and proficiency; brilliant, generous, and noble; a great favorite of Washington's and indeed one of the ornaments of the American army. A citizen of Rhode Island, he entered the service1 at the beginning of the war, was with Arnold in Canada, and during the operations on the Delaware in the fall of 1777 was intrusted by Washington with the defense of the vitally important post of Fort Mercer (Red Rank). There he was attacked by 1,200 Hessians under Count Donop, whom ho put to rout, inflicting a loss of 400 in killed and wounded. One of the enemy's mortally wounded on that occasion was Donop himself, whom Greene very tenderly cared for until his death. Greene, at his post on the Croton, says General Heath in his Memoirs, had "practiced the greatest vigilance in guarding this ford in the night time, taking off the guards after sunrise, apprehending that the enemy would never presume to cross the river in the day time." ( Jilbert Totten, a native of that portion of Westchester County, who was in the enemy's service, informed de Lancey about Greene's custom of removing the guards at daybreak, and guided him to the spot. At the time Greene was asleep in the house of Richardson Davenport, some distance back from the river. In the same bedroom with him wore Major Flagg (also a gallant officer) and a young lieutenant, and the men were quartered in tents around the dwelling. De Lancey's party crossed the ford unobserved and quickly surrounded the house1. The young lieutenant, aroused by the commotion, sprang to tin1 window and discharged two pistols at the approaching Refugees. This deed of rashness infuriated the assailants, who, with shouts of "Kill! Kill! No quarter!" rushed for the house.