First startup attempt, Melted wire....Help!

A ballast resistor is a path, not a load. Direction of flow does not matter for the ballast resistor. You have a short or very high load somewhere - that's what melts insulation. As others said, the green wire must be connected to the alt, but that did not cause the melted wire, unless the wire grounded and the alternator went to "full field" for a long time.