One was 15 years old, the other was 78, and the thing both had in common was that they fought as soldiers in America’s war for independence from Britain. Joseph Plumb Martin, born in 1760, was the youngest confirmed combatant in the Revolutionary War on the side of the patriots. Samuel Whittemore, born in 1696, was the oldest patriot combatant.
To be sure, it’s been documented that boys younger than Martin played drums and carried powder for the troops on the battlefield, but Martin is listed as a soldier whose role was to fight against the enemy. The same is true for Whittemore. Whittemore is the oldest listed combatant who fought for America.
Joseph Plumb Martin (1760–1850)
Joseph Plumb Martin’s story is that of a Continental Army enlisted man. He was born in 1760 in Becket, Mass. His grandparents raised him in Milford, Conn. For his entire life prior to the war, tensions grew between America and Britain.
Hostilities between the Americans and the British army had begun prior to 1776. By then, Martin had enlisted in the Connecticut militia when he was 15.
If, as an idealistic youth, he had visions of glory, real life settled that when he endured and survived the New York campaign in 1776. He saw and experienced hardships and the confusion that hindered the Continental Army in its infancy. He witnessed the capture of New York by the British. He long remembered that American retreat into New Jersey. In his accounts of the war, he talked about long marches, inadequate supplies, the spread of disease, and never-ending uncertainty.
His first enlistment expired in 1777, and so he re-enlisted in 1777 when he joined the 8th Connecticut Regiment of the Continental Army.
His wartime resume reads like a history book. He was there that winter at Valley Forge in 1777-78. His accounts of that harsh winter included mention of soldiers without shoes, clothing, and the kind of food needed to sustain them. Starvation was common. Morale whipsawed with every small or large event, from news of the latest military success to news that some full wagons have come into camp with shoes or clothing on them.
Martin went on to survive the Battle of Monmouth in 1778 and the southern campaign, where he participated in the siege of Yorktown in 1781. This was the decisive engagement that effectively brought major fighting in the war to an end.
His service record indicates he served close to the entire war.
There is a quote, often attributed to Winston Churchill, that traces back to 1860 and George Graham Vest, who said, “History is written by the victors.” As a history buff myself, I’d add to that that history is sometimes written by the survivors simply because they lived to tell about it.
Martin published his memoir in 1830 under a title that would make our editors here at PJ Media cringe for its lengthiness: A Narrative of Some of the Adventures, Dangers and Sufferings of a Revolutionary Soldier. But I have to admit, it does pull you in.
Unlike books that his superiors in the military would later go on to publish, Martin’s voice as an author was much more “accessible” as the publishing world of today might describe. He was candid and conversational.
He was also into poetry when he wrote, “Just have the patience to hear me out, and I will tell you what I've been about.”
His writing reflected the view of the enlisted man, criticizing poor leadership, inadequate pay, and the indifference of civilians who failed to support the troops. Sometimes, nothing changes. These are some of the same issues today’s troops must deal with.
Still, he wrote of his great pride in having contributed to the American War for Independence.
His memoir has provided a number of historians with insights into what daily military life was like in the Revolutionary War – foraging expeditions, guard duty, camp rumors and gossip, makeshift shelters, and the daily struggle to secure provisions.
Like a lot of books on war, there are long periods of boredom, punctuated by the sudden terror that comes with war. Martin’s is one of the few written accounts of the war from the enlisted man’s point of view.
After the war, Martin wandered for a bit, settling in Maine, where he became a farmer and held certain civic roles.
His book didn’t do too much for him while he was alive, but 20th-century historians discovered it, and the rest is history, literally. Now, his book is hailed as one of the most important primary sources on the war for independence.
Samuel Whittemore (1696–1793)
At the other end of the age spectrum was Samuel Whittemore, who was born in 1696 in what was then Cambridge Farms (now Arlington), Mass. After living the majority of his days under British rule, like Martin, he decided to take up arms in 1775 against the crown.
Over the course of his life, he saw how New England transformed from a set of frontier settlements into a network of prosperous towns tied closely to British imperial trade. Whittemore was a farmer by occupation, but he had military experience. He had fought in King George’s War in the 1740s, when colonial forces fought the French and their allies.
He already understood weapons and battlefield conditions well before war broke out between the Americans and the British.
After tensions between Massachusetts colonists and British authorities had escalated rapidly, British troops marched from Boston to Concord to seize colonial military supplies. It was on Apr. 19, 1775, when local militia confronted them at Lexington and Concord. As the British retreated toward Boston, fighting erupted along the road back through surrounding towns.
As British regulars passed through present-day Arlington (then known as Menotomy), Whittemore stationed himself behind a stone wall near his home. He armed himself with a musket and pistols, waiting for the approaching soldiers.
Once the British formation came into range, he fired on them, reportedly killing one soldier with his musket and shooting another with a pistol. Drawing a second pistol, he continued firing before they overwhelmed him.
The British soldiers had rushed him. According to historical accounts, they shot him in the face, bayoneted him multiple times, and left him for dead, but he was not. He had suffered a musket ball shot through his cheek and serious bayonet wounds, but at 78 years old, he still survived.
His neighbors found him still breathing and carried him to safety and a doctor. They don’t make them like Whittemore anymore. He eventually regained his health and lived 18 more years, dying at the age of 97 in 1793.
Whittemore’s story is the stuff of legend, and so it spread throughout Massachusetts and beyond. His story inspired other patriots to keep up the fight.
His stand became something to debate among historians as to how much damage he inflicted on the enemy. But what was never up for debate were his age, his injuries, and his survival.
What these two stories illustrate is that wars like the Revolutionary War are often seen through the eyes of the generals and the politicians, but the war's narrative is written through the actions of those involved – those doing the fighting. The stories of Martin and Whittemore showed that no matter how young or old you are, there is something about freedom that resonates across generations, and that freedom is worth the fight.
