Joseph plumb Martin was an incredible American patriot, he served his country well and was one of the first to share his thoughts on this the new and better America that was arising. Born in western Massachusetts in 1760, Joseph Plumb Martin was the son of a pastor; at the age of seven, he began living with his affluent grandfather. Almost as soon as the Revolutionary War broke out in the spring of 1775, young Joseph was eager to lend his efforts to the patriotic cause. In June 1776, at the early age of only 15, Martin enlisted for a six-month stint in the Connecticut state militia. By the end of the year, Martin had served at the Battles of Brooklyn, Kip’s Bay and White Plains in New York. On his arriving at Valley Forge during the start …show more content…
of that famously long winter, Martin wrote: “Our prospect was indeed dreary. In our miserable condition, to go into the wild woods and build us habitations to stay (not to live) in, in such a weak, starved and naked condition, was appalling in the highest degree…. But dispersion, I believe, was not thought of, at least, I did not think of it. We had engaged in the defense of our injured country and were willing, nay, we were determined to persevere as long as such hardships were not altogether intolerable…”. The relationship he had with minorities at the time, and having to fight side by side didn’t make Joseph uncomfortable, his opinion about them was simply that they were a solider like any other. The course of the campaign only encouraged his initial thought and opened his mind to a new level of compassionate towards his peers at war. Martin influenced his creativity and came up with a bigger picture in the way he explained he event due to his primary ability of being at war when it took place. Martin participated in such notable engagements as the Battle of Brooklyn, the Battle of White Plains, the siege on Fort Mifflin and the Battle of Monmouth. He encamped at Valley Forge, witnessed John Andre being escorted to his execution and was also present during the climactic Siege of Yorktown. He was assigned to Light Infantry in 1778, attaining the rank of Corporal. In the summer of 1780, under Washington's order to form a Corps of Sappers and Miners, he was recommended by his superior officers to be a non-commissioned officer of this regiment, and in being selected, was promoted to Sergeant. Prior to Yorktown, the corps was responsible for digging the entrenchments for the Continental Army. During the battle, they were also a vanguard for a regiment commanded by Alexander Hamilton, clearing the field of sharpened logs called abatis so that Hamilton's regiment could capture Redoubt #10. Soldiers that were fighting during that time for the colonial independence had a pretty hard time it wasn’t just the enemy that would hurt them but multiple other factors as well.
The recruiters for the army mostly targeted to recruit less wealthy and stronger more healthy men to send to the battlefield. Some of the young men such as in Joseph’s case volunteered to fight while the others were drafted into the army. Among the discomforts that the continental soldiers had to suffer were shortages of food and multiple other supplies, long periods away from their home, sinking morale and the constant threat of death. It was not just about being at threat when they were engaged in battle with the opposing army but just as well just being there. The enemy was just one of the many threats they had. At any given time really they could fall short of food and starve to death or run out of clothes to warm themselves and suffer an agonizing death because of the cold. Another vital supply they were short on was ammunition Bullets were scarce as well as guns so every time they fired their arm it had to be for a kill because there was no margin for error, if they messed up it could be the difference between life and death. Joseph his partners in the war had to suffer to fight for what they believed in because everything was against …show more content…
them. Joseph says, “Here I endured hardships sufficient to kill half a dozen horses.” The suffering they had to thru was a lot for them.
Later on Joseph describes how they suffered, “Let the reader only consider for a moment and he will still be satisfied if not sickened. In the cold month of November, without provisions, without clothing, not a scrap of either shoes or stockings to my feet or legs, and in this condition to endure a siege in such a place as that was appalling in the highest degree.” When they had to walk in the snow they would even be bleeding and leave a trail of blood because they couldn’t even get shoes to protect their feet. Short on food and various other things which are necessary for war that they just didn’t have
anything. The opposing army was more prepared than the continental army and could just wipe them out because they had much more of basically everything. They had more soldiers, more ammunition, more food, and more supplies in general. “The British had erected five batteries with six heavy guns in each and a bomb battery with three long mortars in it on the opposite side of the water, which separated the island from the main on the west, and which was but a short distance across.” This is something else that he mentions. The British army had much more fire power and were more capable of defending their stand. Joseph describes in some details even how some of his fellow soldiers were being killed. In what he describes they were struggling a lot to be able to attack or defend. The terrain wasn’t even good for them either they were in a muddy area where the bombs or explosives would sink into it and would not make noise when it came up. “The first attempt the British made against the place after I entered it was by the Augusta a sixty-four-gun ship.” The British even had powerful ships that could make a great amount of damage to the continental army. Really it seemed like there was no hope at all for the army fighting for the liberty. They were all outgunned and outnumbered with probably very little hope but they had to stay strong and fight. They were just devastated and in need of anything really as Joseph says, “We had, as I mentioned before, a thirty-two pound cannon in the fort, but had not a single shot for it.” The British were close and the only thing really separating them was a wall they couldn’t really fight or defend just wait and hope a miracle would happen. “What little provisions we had was cooked by the invalids in our camp and brought to the island in old flour barrels; it was mostly corned beef and hard bread, but it was not much trouble to cook or fetch what we had.” Joseph says. They had food maybe not fresh or even good but enough to get them through. They had to eat what little they had even if they knew it would run out and even if it was no good but they had to just survive to be able to fight for their cause.
To make matters worse they had to deal with smallpox more dangerously than that is Lice because they rarely bathed or washed themselves or had laundered clothing. Another horrible things that Martin and his soldiers had to deal with was typhus a potential killer disease characterized by usually high fevers and red sports on the skin. Typhus took the lives of most of the Valley Forge Martin was under the brigade command of General James M. Varnum but his actual commander was Colonial John Durkee of the 4th Connecticut regiment, since Varnum was elsewhere. Washington’s continentals fairly well- supplied with food, but in the months preceding a major reason for so much privation at Valley Forge. Martin’s statement about Washington’s main army was misleading about them residing in the White Plains as they crossed the Hudson River and established winter quarters in Middlebrooks, New
Soldiers typically did two different types of work: martial or civil work. Martial work included digging entrenchments, marching, fighting, and general warfare. Civil work included cutting wood, harvesting crops, and hunting. While the soldiers got paid wages for their martial work, they expected higher compensation when performing civil work, since these usually required more skills. Most soldiers in the colonies fought using hit-and-run guerrilla tactics, but fighting was not the most important aspect of the soldier’s life. Instead, soldiers used most of their time building, digging, farming, and other grueling jobs that made them unhappy. The army increasingly looked towards its own soldiers to do work because the cost of using civilians was too high. Moreover, as the military’s numbers increased, paying soldiers became harder. Because of low wages, soldiers had to rely on illegal measures to earn money, including selling off their uniforms and stealing the goods of their fellow comrades. Soldiers often deserted because of the army broke the terms of their enlistment. When caught, almost all deserters were executed, so soldiers started to desert in larger and larger groups until finally, the entire enlisted corps started to mutiny against the officers due to unfair conditions. Since officers were usually
Long, hard days of recruit training began for the army. Every day he was up at 6am, doing physical training, learning battle tactics and how to use weapons, lunch, going out to the rifle range, dinner, and then night lessons until 10pm.
The soldiers lacked basic necessities such as clothing and food. In Document B it Dr. Albigence Waldo states, "There comes a Soldier, his bare feet are seen thro' his worn out Shoes, his legs nearly naked from the tatter'd remains of an only pair of stocks". In other words, these soldiers clothing were very worn out due to being used so often and were not provided with brand new attire. Since there were many mouths to feed, food became scarce, which left many soldiers starving. Around the camp soldiers cry
We have had to deal with, “poor food- hard lodging- cold weather- fatigue, “(Document B). In this diary by Dr Waldo, a doctor we have at camp, he has accurately described what life is like at camp. The factors that we undergo make us sick both physically and mentally, these factors make us lose all sense of empowerment to win this war that we once felt, these factors make us want to go home more than anything just to hear our mother’s voice just once more. The absence of encouragement from other colonists and countries, and how I have to go to bed with my stomach empty every single night pushes me over the edge to give up and just
According to Document A, there were 12,000 soldier in valley forge during December 1777. By February 1778 there were only 8,000 soldiers. From December to June 1,800 to 2,500 soldiers died. In December there were 2,898 soldiers sick and by February there were 3,989 soldiers sick. About 50% of soldiers were sick in February. They need help caring for the sick and dying. If I stayed I could help the sick and wounded instead of leaving all the fallen soldiers behind.
The day to day life for the regular soldier was not glorious. Many times the regiments were low on supplies such as food and clothing. They lived in the elements. Medical conditions were grotesque because of the lack of advanced equipment and anesthesia. “Discipline was enforced with brutality” as if all the other conditions were not bad enough.
Soldiers faced diseases like measles, small pox, malaria, pneumonia, camp itch, mumps, typhoid and dysentery. However, diarrhea killed more soldiers than any other illness. There were many reasons that diseases were so common for the causes of death for soldiers. Reasons include the fact that there were poor physicals before entering the army, ignorance of medical information, lack of camp hygiene, insects that carried disease, lack of clothing and shoes, troops were crowded and in close quarters and inadequate food and water.
At the start of the war, the Continental Army lacked training and organization. While the scattered guerilla tactics seemed to waste time and resources, they helped Americans stay alive. In addition, the colonists had the advantage of perseverance; they had to fight for their freedom as a nation. Another facet that helped survival was the leadership of George Washington. His knowledge and expertise was critical in making sure his soldiers stayed alive; having the home field advantage boosted his effectiveness as well. All of these assets culminated into a powerful force against the British
The Confederate soldiers had a tough time living together for years with barely any food, bathing as a rarity and carrying around 40 pounds a day wherever you went.
(It should be noted that when describing hardships of the concentration camps, understatements will inevitably be made. Levi puts it well when he says, ?We say ?hunger?, we say ?tiredness?, ?fear?, ?pain?, we say ?winter? and they are different things. They are free words, created and used by free men who lived in comfort and suffering in their homes. If the Lagers had lasted longer a new, harsh language would have been born; only this language could express what it means to toil the whole day?? (Levi, 123).)
Joseph Raymond McCarthy was born on a farm in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, on November 15, 1908. His parents, Timothy McCarthy and Bridget Tierney, were devout Roman Catholics. The Catholic faith places great emphasis on love, kindness, and charity; ideals that would soon be forgotten by a power-hungry Joseph. As the fifth child of nine children, expectations for Joseph were high. Sibling rivalries instilled in him a great desire to be the center of attention that would carry through his adult life. No one would expect such a historical impact from such simple roots.
Not only was Audie Murphy a classic American actor, he as one of the most decorated WorldWar II veterans, as well as a courageous and selfless American hero, who saved the lives of many American troops under attack in France.
Joseph Plumb Martin divided his narrative into eight different campaigns that outlined his time in the service, which lasted from 1776 to 1883. During his time in the army he suffered small pox and yellow fever, was wounded, endured fighting several times, and travelled many miles along the East. Martin related in express, yet matter of fact terms the horrors and hardships of war. He described hunger as a constant occurrence with seemingly never enough food to properly provide for the army. In one instance, during the campaign of 1780, Martin describes a time during a severe snowstorm that the army reached the “keystone of the arch of starvation.” Martin goes on to say, “We were absolutely and literally starved” and further more he says “I solemnly declare that I did not...
This essay will look at how adequately the motive ‘For King and Country’ drove men to enlist and fight in the Great War. Dedication to the monarch and jingoism was a huge motive in this period of time. Often this was more of a reason to fight than more than any other. People expressed a sense of nationalism that perhaps isn’t seen as much in Britain today. Along with the drive to fight in honour of the sovereign and Britain there are numerous other factors that encouraged men to join the army such as propaganda, unemployment, conscription and peer pressure. Some incentives could have affected the men’s decisions more than others. Certain individuals were not supporters of the Royals and therefore refuted the very idea of encountering near death on the battlefield in honour of the King. There were also reasons that persuaded men to opt out of engaging in battle leading them to bear negative criticism that labelled them cowards. If anything this led men to scorn the notion ‘For King and Country’ feeling their personal reasoning for not taking part was irrelevant and unimportant. What was deemed to be a great encouragement for one man to join the armed forces was not for another and the reasoning behind many men’s decision to enlist differed from their comrades. In some incidents men lacked any motivation at all and it was the mere case that they were called upon and requisitioned to join in the conflict.