Joseph Plumb Martin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joseph Plumb Martin (November 21, 1760 – 1850) was an American Revolutionary War soldier who published an account of his experiences as a soldier in the 8th Connecticut Regiment of the Continental Army in 1830. This narrative has been frequently cited by scholars as an excellent primary source for the Revolution. It is notable that Martin was a mere private in the army, and his account does not involve the usual heroes of the Revolution. Martin participated in, and describes in his narrative, such notable engagements as the Battle of Brooklyn, the Battle of White Plains, and the Battle of Monmouth. Martin was also present during the climactic Siege of Yorktown.
Martin's narrative was originally published anonymously in 1830, at Hallowell, Maine, as A narrative of some of the adventures, dangers, and sufferings of a Revolutionary soldier, interspersed with anecdotes of incidents that occurred within his own observation. It has been republished in many forms, most notably by Little, Brown in 1962, in an edition edited by George F. Scheer (ISBN 0-915992-10-8); as well as appearing as a volume in Series I of The New York Times' Eyewitness Accounts of the American Revolution in 1968.
Martin has been portrayed on various television documentaries/dramas by Aaron Carter, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Rick Schroder.
[edit] External links
- Diary extracts
- Diary extract “Laying Close Siege to the Enemy”
- Gravestone of Joseph P. Martin and wife
- Ordinary Courage: The Revolutionary War Adventures of Joseph Plumb Martin. 3rd ed. Ed. by James Kirby Martin (Oxford, Blackwell, 2008), 224 pp.
- Internet Movie Database (imdb.com): http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0066081/
