A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier 

Review by George Thurmond (Georgia Society SAR)

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This is a story of Joseph Plumb Martin who enlisted in the Connecticut Militia at age 15 and later the Continental Army and fought during the entire eight-year war! Written almost 47 years following the war, young Martin writes remarkably well having missed so much of a formal education. His recollection of the events experienced is very detailed, even after so long a time. The events are centered mainly in the Connecticut, New York and New Jersey areas. However, this did not limit his enduring the hardships at Valley Forge and participating in the battle at Yorktown. One amazing incident, while in the trenches at Yorktown, a stranger approached him late at night and give him some comments about remaining safe behind cover. The stranger was later found out to be General George Washington himself! The story is primarily about the foot soldier living in the field and the boredom days while not engaged with the enemy. There is plenty of room to understand how tough the times were for young soldiers being under fed and under clothed under paid and the hardships they met while in the service of their country. One interesting sidelight - Patriot Martin's narrative goes into 1783, well beyond what most people think was the actual end of the war.

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