# Francis Vinton Greene

Francis Vinton Greene (June 27, 1850 – May 15, 1921) was a United States Army officer who fought in the Spanish–American War. He came from the Greene family of Rhode Island, noted for its long line of participants in American military history.

## Biography

Greene was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on June 27, 1850. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated in 1870, first in his class. He first served in the U.S. artillery and then transferred to the Corps of Engineers in 1872. He next served as an attaché from the War Department to the U.S. legation in St. Petersburg, Russia. While there he served in the Russian army during its war with Turkey. He was promoted to first lieutenant in 1874 and captain in 1883. He returned to the U.S. and was a civil engineer to the city of Washington, D.C., and was an instructor of practical military engineering at West Point before resigning from the Army on December 31, 1886. He published multiple articles on the development of modern warfare and U.S. military policy.
After leaving the Army, Greene became president of the Barber Asphalt Paving Company, joining the New York National Guard on December 18, 1889, as a major and serving as 1st Brigade engineer. He was elected colonel of the 71st New York Infantry Regiment on February 2, 1892.
When the Spanish–American War broke out he raised the 71st New York Volunteer Infantry and was commissioned as its colonel on May 2, 1898. He was quickly promoted to brigadier general of Volunteers on May 27, 1898. He commanded the second Philippine Expeditionary Force which became the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, VIII Corps. Greene took a prominent part in the Battle of Manila in 1898. He assisted in the surrender negotiations for Manila. In August 1898 he was promoted major general of Volunteers and resigned on February 28, 1899. During his service, he was put in charge of the finances of the preliminary Philippine administration. In September 1898, he briefed President McKinley on the Philippine situation and recommended the annexation of the entire archipelago. He wrote to William R. Day and William McKinley that he and Admiral Dewey agreed that the Philippines should not be divided, and it would be much better to hold the islands as one. He expected British agreement.
After the war, he pursued a variety of occupations. He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1900. He served as the New York City Police Commissioner from 1903 to 1904. He was president of the Niagara-Lockport and Ontario Power Company, along with other business ventures with Buffalo businessman John J. Albright. Greene died on May 15, 1921, at his home in the Upper East Side, Manhattan, New York City. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

## Legacy

Greene's family holds a distinguished place in American military history. His father was Civil War general, George Sears Greene, famous for his defense of Culp's Hill at the Battle of Gettysburg. His older brother, Samuel Dana Greene, was the executive officer of the USS Monitor during the Battle of Hampton Roads. All were from Rhode Island.

## Dates of rank

| Insignia | Rank | Date | Component |
| No insignia | Cadet, USMA | September 1, 1866 | Regular Army |
| | Second Lieutenant | June 15, 1870 | Regular Army (Artillery) |
| | Second Lieutenant | June 10, 1872 | Regular Army (Engineers) |
| | First Lieutenant | January 13, 1874 | Regular Army (Engineers) |
| | Captain | February 20, 1883 | Regular Army (Engineers) |
| | Major | December 18, 1889 | New York National Guard |
| | Colonel | February 2, 1892 | New York National Guard |
| | Colonel | May 2, 1898 | Volunteers |
| | Brigadier General | May 27, 1898 | Volunteers |
| | Major General | August 13, 1898 | Volunteers |

## Publications

His publications include a series of works on military campaigns, including:
* The Russian Army and its Campaigns in Turkey. New York: D. Appleton and Company. 1879. Retrieved July 18, 2018 – via Internet Archive.
* Sketches of Army Life in Russia. London: W. H. Allen & Co. 1881. Retrieved July 19, 2018 – via Internet Archive.
* The Mississippi (Campaigns of the Civil War). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1882. Retrieved July 19, 2018 – via Internet Archive.
* General Greene. New York: D. Appleton and Company. 1893. Retrieved July 19, 2018 – via Internet Archive.
* The American Revolutionary War and the Military Policy of the United States. New York: Charles Scribners's Sons. 1911. Retrieved July 19, 2018 – via Internet Archive.
* "Foreword and Epilogue". Why Europe is at War: The Question Considered From the Points of View of France, England, Germany, Japan and the United States. New York and London: G. P. Putnam's Sons. 1915. pp. v–xvi and 141–170. Retrieved July 19, 2018 – via Internet Archive.
* Our First Year in the Great War. New York and London: G. P. Putnam's Sons. 1918. Retrieved July 19, 2018 – via Internet Archive.
* Greene also wrote a biographical sketch in a collection of Theodore Roosevelt's political writings entitled, "American Ideals", originally published 1897 and subsequently republished for Roosevelt's presidential campaign in 1900.