Memoir of a Revolutionary Soldier: The Narrative of Joseph Plumb Martin (Dover Books on Americana)

Martin reminisces about his service in the Continental Army from enlistment in 1776 until discharge in 1783. His is the story of the “common soldier” being a Private and a Sergeant for his entire time.Martin participated in a number of big battles - the Battle of Long Island, Kip’s Bay, Fort Mifflin, Monmouth, and Yorktown to name a few. His narrative sticks strictly to what he saw or knew, so the “big picture” of the battles is missing because like all common soldiers he didn’t know what it was. He did know when they advanced, when they were shot at, and when they ran. If you are a student of the Revolutionary War there are sufficient clues to know exactly where he was on most of the battlefields (such as General Lee’s infamous retreat at Monmouth).But mostly his is a story of the misery and privation the soldiers suffered through. Never, I say again never, having much to eat, never having the proper winter clothing, and never being paid in anything but worthless script money. He relates tale after tale of not eating sometimes for two or three days straight. The disappointment of his 1777 Thanksgiving meal being a gill of rice and some vinegar is something that clearly stuck with him.Martin breaks his story up into campaign seasons, as they would go into winter quarters and the fighting would cease at the tail end of each year. But along the way he punctuates the narrative with odds and ends that stuck in his memory (writing the book when he was 70 years old). Memories such as rescuing a pair of horses that had had fallen through the ice of a river, the owner of the sleigh giving the men his cargo in gratitude (a hogshead of rum) and its immediate consequences; the futile search for a deserter that allowed him some precious time away from the Army; covering 49 miles in a single day when he returned from furlough to find the unit had picked up and left without him; receiving a sword wound (his only wound of the war) from a Tory he had actually grown up with in Milford Connecticut; and encountering General Washington (“the Commander”) at night while digging trenchworks before the redoubt of Yorktown.The downside to the book is that it is not an “easy” read. Written in 1830, Martin’s writing is full of archaic words, and turns of phrase. On top of that Martin writes with a great deal of irony & satire, and frequently a sentence will mean the exact opposite of what is written. For example, he will say something like “we left this man to his honorable profession”. When that man was actually engaging in some sort of theft.Perhaps the most poignant part of the book are the last few pages in which he recounts in his dotage all the things that were promised the soldiers (pay, clothing, food, land upon discharge) that they never received. He gives thanks to President Monroe for securing the veterans a small pension which apparently people at the time groused about them not deserving. To which he responds, “...just exercise a very little patience, a few years longer will put all of them beyond the power of troubling“ (i.e. by 1830 the soldiers were dying off fast).Pros: A ground level view of the Revolution. Full of both the exciting and the mundane.Cons: A difficult read that demands your full attention.

This is a war diary from the American Revolution, first published in 1830 as "A narrative of some of the adventures, dangers, and sufferings of a Revolutionary soldier". It is in the public domain, and has been published under several titles over the past centuries. This book is a primary source referenced many times. From Connecticut, Martin enlisted for a six month hitch in the Continental Army in June 1776, at the age of 15. After completing this term, he spent several months at home, then in June 1777 signed up for the duration. He was not discharged until 1783, having made sergeant by that time. During his time he served in the general infantry, light infantry, and "miners and sappers" (engineering). He arrived just in time for the battle of Long Island, the slow retreat up the Manhattan Island, Kipp's Bay, criss-crossed New Jersey countless times in his seven years, was in Ft. Mifflin during the siege, wintered at Valley Forge, was in the Battle of Monmouth (he never calls it that), spent a large amount of time along the Hudson, was only a few miles away from West Point when Arnold was arrested, and was in the battle of Yorktown. So as you can see, he participated in several of the key battles. This is first and foremost a tale of starvation. Secondly, a tale of hunger and hardship. Third, a tale of deprivation of food, clothing, and shelter. During all of that, these soldiers managed to win a war. With significant details, it is likely the author kept a diary during the war. Some of Martin's tales are hard to believe. They routinely marched 30 miles/ day, and on at least one occasion covered 50 miles. They routinely marched 20 miles/ day on no food. The reader has to wonder if they had a different measure of a mile. Quick google searches show no questions of authenticity or controversy over Martin's text, unlike, say Guy Sajer's war diary. And speaking of measures, he often measures in gill (4 ounces), and rod (16.5 feet). Only 15, in the first couple years Martin experienced more discipline incidents than battles. Although wounded only once (and that a sword wound), he suffered from various injuries and diseases. Martin presents several harrowing tales of near death (e.g. the guy next to him was shot dead). Martin documents well the confusion of war, marching and countermarching, and the sheer chaos of battle. The text reminds us that in most wars, for every famous battle which makes the history books, there are a hundred little scrapes at the platoon or squad level that never make the history books, but are just as important for the men who fought or died in them. Here's a thought experiment. Imagine a 15 year old of 2012 who would give up all his or her cell phones, smart phones, iPhones, iPods, iPads, Xboxes, texting, email, DVDs, CDs, mp3s, Twitter, GPS, Facebook, and march 20 miles/ day, sleep outside, on the ground with the stars for their canopy, on starvation rations, for just 48 hours, much less for years on end. Never mind someone shooting at them. From autumn 1777 to 1783, he was paid only once. So that's one months pay for six years of service. He and his fellow soldiers certainly didn't serve for money; nor for the non-existent rations, uniforms, or quarters. His words are of unashamed patriotism, and the actions of these unpaid, unfed soldiers showed they served for love of country. Residents of New Jersey and New York will recognize many of the names of towns. For example, on his way to or from Red Bank he passed through Mount Holly, Woodbury, and in both directions stopped for the night in "Haddington". Owing to the location, and scarcity of the roads in those days, this was almost certainly present day Haddonfield. I whole-heartedly recommend this text for readers of all ages.

I just want to touch on some points a couple of other more in depth reviews mentioned.This book was written nearly 200 years ago (in 1830) by an old man. Much of the wording and phrases confused me and made it hard to understand exactly what was meant.While at many different conflicts and battles, most of his memoirs are about the lack of food and clothing. It's difficult to comprehend now what those men endured during the war.

I read this book in high school, but decided to read it again. It’s a good read, from a personal perspective..and some parts are actually hilarious, e.g., when his troop plot to blow up an annoying officer to scare him…but are thankfully stopped before disaster strikes. Nice to realize that the soldiers in Washingtons Army, were very human, and thought very much like we do!

What an honor to hear from a man that did his part to defeat the king and help out founding fathers give birth to the freedom we have. The way liberals are trying to destroy our republic and freedoms would make joseph sick. Great book!!

Valuable source from an eyewitness

A VERY INTERESTING BOOK