Assignment 1

Ordinary Courage - The Revolutionary War Adventures of Private Joseph Plumb Martin by James K. Martin

"Joseph Plumb Martin, the author of the autobiography Ordinary Courage: The Revolutionary War Adventures of Joseph Plumb Martin, presents a compelling portrait of what that war was like from the perspective of an average citizen. At the outbreak of the war, Martin was sixteen years old, a young man who, like the country itself, was in his early formative years. His development in the course of the war parallels the simultaneous development of the nation, both being formed and toughened in the forge of the war.

Martin's belief that the Continentals' contributions to final victory were underappreciated (both during the war and after) ties into the second part of his concluding argument: the role of the militia, which performed important service during the war: "I well know, for I have fought by their side" (183). Nevertheless, he contends that the Continental Army was the backbone of the Revolution. Ironically, the scholarly consensus has caught up with the old veteran in its view of the militia as a necessary but insufficient agent for Independence.

In his battle narratives, Martin documents how Continental discipline was vital for ultimate victory. Immediately following his first enlistment, Martin's regiment--5th Connecticut--was ordered to the defense of New York City in the summer of 1776. This regiment was a short-term unit enrolled for six months. Its officers were without experience, their troops green as grass. Prior to the British invasion of New York, the men received little drilling or training. After the American defeat on Long Island, these raw soldiers were tasked with defending the likely landing site on Manhattan at Kip's Bay. Martin describes the position as "nothing more than a ditch dug along on the bank of the [East] river, with the ...