A narrative of a Revolutionary soldier by Joseph Plumb Martin

¶ … Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier

In his memoir A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier, Joseph Plumb Martin recounts his experiences fighting in the Revolutionary War as a private, providing a view of the war not usually seen in histories dealing with the more famous major political and military leaders of the day. In particular, Martin's perspective on colonial and British officers and soldiers, the day-to-day experience of the war, and his reasons for staying throughout the campaign offer the reader a useful insight into the realities of the American Revolution from the perspective of an average soldier.

Although Martin serves under a variety of admirable officers during his time fighting for the colonial army, at one point in the narrative he encounters a particularly heartless officer which serves to demonstrate some of the class differences likely not seen in other accounts of the war. As Martin and some of his comrades are attempting to retreat and bring a sick man to safety, they are stopped at "a place where our people had begun to make a stand" and an officer will not let them continue onwards (Martin, 2010, p. 35). Martin informs the officer that they are transporting a sick man who "would die if exposed all night to the damp cold air," but the officer merely responds that "if he dies the country will be rid of one who can do it no good," revealing a calculating brutality often not mentioned when considering the reality of the Revolutionary War (Martin, 2010, p. 35).

Even Martin's attitude regarding the "British (regulars, as the good people then called them)" reveals a changing perception due to the confronting the realities of war, because although Martin hears rumors that the British "were advancing from Boston, spreading death and desolation in their route in every direction," which ultimately spurs him on the become a soldier, his attitudes changes once he experiences the day-to-day realities of being a soldier. Martin's experience reveals the somewhat arbitrary nature of the difficulties facing the enlisted soldier, and when he has a chance to return home for a while he "endeavoured to make [it] as agreeable as possible, well knowing that the army would bring trouble enough to counterbalance all the happiness" he might enjoy while at home (Martin, 2010, p. 54). For example, Martin must contend not only with the somewhat more obvious difficulties of being a soldier, such as danger and harsh living conditions, but he also must overcome a lack of proper training, because officers tend to complain about the enlisted men behind their backs, such that the duties that come with the uniform are generally carried out with a lack of discipline or attention to detail (Martin, 2010, p. 56).

Martin's decision to remain with the colonial army even as so many deserted represents a combination of his youthful restlessness and his motivation to fight for a colonial homeland in which he grew up. Unlike many other soldiers in the war, Martin came from a relatively well-off family, and his initial motivation for going to war is to escape his grandparents, who, though caring, nonetheless grate on Martin so that he looks for "provocation enough to justify me in engaging in the army during life" (Martin, 2010, p. 10). However, although Martin initially joins up due to a combination of fear and resentment at the British and a desire to leave his grandparents' care, he eventually comes to legitimately believe in the cause of which he is apart above and beyond the somewhat hotheaded yearning for adventure that he initially describes.