author
Ezra Green
1746–1847
A Revolutionary War surgeon who served under John Paul Jones, he later kept a vivid diary that offers a firsthand glimpse of life at sea during the American fight for independence. He also lived past 100, giving his story an unusually long view across early American history.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in Malden, Massachusetts, in 1746, Ezra Green studied at Harvard and trained in medicine before establishing himself as a physician. During the American Revolution, he served as surgeon aboard the Ranger under John Paul Jones, placing him close to some of the war's most dramatic naval action.
Green is remembered in part for the diary he kept during his service on the Ranger. That journal has survived and has been published with historical notes, making him more than a participant in history: he became one of its firsthand witnesses.
After the war, he continued his medical career and later lived in Dover, New Hampshire. He died in 1847 at the age of 101, a remarkable lifespan that linked the colonial era, the Revolution, and the young United States through one long, well-documented life.