The American Revolutionary War was the time in which the thirteen colonies finally declared their independence from Britain and were ready to fight for that independence. Joseph Plum Martin was a soldier for the Continental Army for eight years during the American Revolutionary War which spanned from 1775-1783. These years did not treat the lower class of the colonies, including Joseph Plumb Martin, very well. However, unlike many other colonists during this time period, Martin knew what he was fighting for in that long and rigorous war. He started in the army with a certain perspective of what it would be like and reason for being present there. However throughout the course of the war many things changed, and no longer did Martin fight for …show more content…
The situations are very different when comparing an average man’s place in the war to a military leader’s place. We see the hardships an average man faces such as poverty, starvation, restriction of freedom, and other financial problems. Martin always very nicely and clearly explains the battles and every other terrifying events that occurred during those harsh war years. He explains both the worst experiences and even the little experiences that still took a toll on him. For example, he explains about the hardships he faced sufficient enough to kill half a dozen horses. They were stuck outside with the cold chills of November with no provisions, effective clothing to keep warm, or even any type of stockings or shoes to keep his legs from falling off. These were the hardships that really tested the dedication of the troops and how much they desired they had burning inside to stay alive and continue to …show more content…
The following April, he signed an enlistment for the duration with the 8th Connecticut. They began to advertise the recruitment of the long-term services since the short-term services seemed to be doing no good for the army and the cause. Another issue with the semi-militia regiments was that they obliged Washington continually to rebuild the Continental Army while actively campaigning. Washington expected these new long-term regiments to create a more respected army, but had to use militia as auxiliaries throughout the war as a result of the lingering shortage of Continentals. Martin 's retelling of the story of the Monmouth and Yorktown campaigns shows plenty evidence of the value the Continental Army had. After fighting in the battle of Germantown and the siege of Fort Mifflin, Martin was lucky enough not to spend the winter at Valley Forge. Instead he got to travel the country in search of supplies. During early spring of 1778, Martin had his first chance to get some real army training that would become very helpful for him later on. Something we didn’t get a chance to learn about in the lectures that Martin discusses was the light infantry. The light infantry typically consisted of the fasted and most skilled soldiers in the Continental
The award-winning novel by Stephen Ambrose, Band of Brothers: Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest, discusses one of the greatest examples of mission command in the form of 1st Lieutenant Richard Winters and his role in the Brecourt Manor Assault. This battle is a textbook example of how to fight against a superior enemy force that outnumbered the unit by four times as much. Facing overwhelming odds with just 16 paratroopers against over 60 German Soldiers, 1LT Winters nevertheless prevails and succeeds in achieving his objective while minimizing casualties to just three Soldiers lost. Looking back further into the American Revolution, the Battle of Bunker Hill on the American side is one of the earliest examples of Mission Command under the command of COL William Prescott.
In Joseph Plumb Martin’s account of his experiences in the Revolutionary War he offers unique insight into the perspective of a regular soldier, which differs from the views of generals and leaders such as popular characters like George Washington. Martin’s narrative is an asset to historical scholarship as a primary source that gives an in-depth look at how life in the army was for many young men during the War for Independence. He described the tremendous suffering he experienced like starvation and privation. He did not shy away from describing his criticism of the government who he believes did not adequately care for the soldiers during and after the war. While he may be biased because of his personal involvement as a soldier, he seems to relate accounts that are plausible without embellishment or self-aggrandizement. Overall, “A Narrative of A Revolutionary Soldier” is a rich source of information providing an overview of military experience during the war.
George Washington took control of the revolutionary army on 2 July 1775. He took over at outside of Boston, before this his experience was limited to wilderness travel and soldiering. His soldiering experiences had been mainly for his home state of Virginia. The first battle that was of significance in this book was the Battle of Long Island. At this battle Washington and the rebel army are soundly defeated by General Sir William Howe and the British army. After this battle was fought Howe did not follow-up the victory with quick action as the Americans retreated. It could be said that if Howe and the British would continued the attack this rebellion could have been put down right away. This will not be the first time that Howe fails to do this, and it will lead to him being replaced later in the war Sir Henry Clinton. Even though his army was thoroughly defeated Washington is able to get his troops off of Long Island back to Manhattan in the middle of the night, this will also not be the last time that Washington is able to get his
Washington's selection to be the leader of the Continental Army was the wisest choice that the newly formed Continental Congress could have made. Washington's selection as Commander of the Continental Army did more to win the Revolutionary war than any other decision made during the conflict. His personal character epitomizes perfectly the five traits required in a successful general: wisdom, sincerity, humanity, courage, and strictness. (Sun Tzu p. 65) These five crucial traits will become apparent and Washington's strategy to win the War of Independence is elaborated on further
Drill master Baron Von Steuben came to Valley Forge and lent out a helping hand, so that the army can pick up the skills they lacked. Before Von Steuben began teaching the Continental Army, George Washington gave Steuben unlimited excess in the camps to take notes so that he can see what he has to work with . Von Steuben had a lot of things to work on such as building an effective corps, how to maneuver large bodies of troops more efficiently, how to improve security within the camps and how to fine tune the camps fortifications . The drill master diagnose some of the problems the army had. “The spoil of waste and tents, arms, and ammunition. Men enlistments expired therefore the soldiers muskets was taken away from them, while new recruits rarely had sufficient stocks of the same items
...ct most of his military blunders came in the year 1776. But he always learned from his mistakes. McCullough also examines the mistakes the British made, that may have cost them the victory in the war. 1776 is truly eye opening. It takes a more human look at men like Washington and his generals, and is full of letters and stories written by actual soldiers from both the British and American armies. One of the things that I enjoyed about this book was the way McCullough manages to also show the way the British felt towards the Americans and their opinions and thoughts about the rebels. The book ended on a high note, with Washington's historic crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas night. It was the turning point of the war for the future president and his army, and it provided the first great victory for the young American county. The rest, as they say, is history.
During the War for American Independence, 78 men were commissioned as general officers into the Continental Army by the Continental Congress. Many of these generals commanded troops with differing levels of competence and success. George Washington is typically seen as most important general, however throughout the war a number of his subordinates were able to distinguish themselves amongst their peers. One such general was Nathanael Greene. At the end of the Revolutionary War, Greene would become Washington’s most important subordinate, as demonstrated by Edward Lengel’s assessment of Greene as “the youngest and most capable of Washington’s generals.” Washington and Greene developed a strong, positive and close relationship between themselves. Greene began his life in the military after having been raised a Quaker. With limited access to literature and knowledge in his younger years, Greene became an avid reader which equipped him with the knowledge necessary to excel as a general during the war. Through his devoted study of military operations, firsthand experience and natural abilities as a soldier, Greene became an excellent military commander. He would become known for his successful southern campaign, during which, he loosened British control of the South and helped lead the war to its climax at Yorktown. Throughout the war, he was involved in a number high profile battles where he built a reputation of being an elite strategist who also understood unconventional warfare, logistics, and the importance of military-civil affairs and had a natural political/social acumen. The thesis of this paper is that Greene’s proven reputation of being a soldier, strategist and statesman would cause him to become the second greates...
Not only are there soldiers like Billy Pilgrim in the war, but there are characters like Roland Weary. His wartime is spent fantasizing about what a great soldier he and his cavalry are and creating his own true war story in his head. His war story went like this:
During the Revolutionary War, Aaron and I accompanied General Benedict Arnold's expedition into Canada in 1775, a difficult trek of over 500 miles in the middle of winter. Upon arriving before the Battle of Quebec, we were sent up the St. Lawrence River to make contact with General Richard Montgomery, who had taken Montreal, and escort him to Quebec. Montgomery liked the Aaron, and promoted him to Captain and added him to his staff as an aide-de-camp. After Montgomery was killed and the advance party thrown into confusion, Burr single-handedly gathered some of the soldiers and began an attack on the British lines. Overwhelmed by cannon fire, we were forced to retreat. Burr carried the body of Montgomery a short distance before retreating from the field. Our courage made us a national hero and earned us a place on Washington's staff in Manhattan, but we quit after two weeks because we wanted to return to the field.
Throughout the book, Gary B. Nash narrates the war in chronological order to recount the war as it happened and emphasize the events that allowed for people of different class, gender, and/or race to stand up and call for American Independence or to turn on their country and join the British forces. In short, Nash emphasizes that the revolution was a “people’s revolution” [Page XV] and as such divided each chapter with
Martin was a civilian relief volunteer during the war. He gave me an account of
...though people believe that, those on the home front have it just as a bad as the soldiers, because they have to deal with the responsibilities of their husbands, there is nothing that can compare to what these men have gone through. The war itself consumed them of their ideology of a happy life, and while some might have entered the war with the hope that they would soon return home, most men came to grips with the fact that they might never make it out alive. The biggest tragedy that follows the war is not the number of deaths and the damages done, it is the broken mindset derives from being at war. These men are all prime examples of the hardships of being out at war and the consequences, ideologies, and lifestyles that develop from it.
In today’s society, people are very quick to judge others based on what they look like or how they dress. Recently we have been studying “Martin”, a narrative essay, written by Nick Vaca. This narrative has many beneficial lessons within the story, but one message stands out more than the others. Vaca learns to make assumptions about people, as a result of his childhood experience with Martin.
It's summer, 1776. Rebellion is in the air. Benjamin Martin, a hero of the French and Indian Wars, is a widower who has settled down to the life of a farmer in South Carolina. Something from his war experiences haunts him, and he has renounced violence.
Boyd talks about how everyone was very eager to volunteer to join the military to have fun and to make some money and it seemed to be very easy because the war was expected to be very short. Things started to look a bit different even when, the volunteers got to the first destination to be sworn into duty. They started to wonder why they were being sworn in to service for 3 years when they all thought the war was going to be very short. Boyd and the rest of them figured that the government must know something more than everyone else knows. Even during the beginning of the service the conditions for the service did not look as good as they had expected, and the officer had seen that the volunteers started having second guesses about doing it so they put them into more comfortable quarters to keep them from going home. During the war most of the time the conditions were horrible. There were many problems with the soldiers during the war. Many died from being wounded, being shot, and the worst of all was the disease. The conditions were so horrible that many men couldn't get enough sleep and even when they did get sleep they were sleeping in the rain or in the snow.