A SOLDIER OF THE REVOLUTION
JOSEPH PLUMB MARTIN
Joseph Plumb Martin, a Connecticut militiaman, fought under General George Washington from the beginning to the end of the American Revolutionary War, like so many whose bravery and commitment made the independence of our nation possible.
During his time in the First Connecticut Brigade, Martin survived the infamous winter encampment at Valley Forge, saw action at Germantown and the siege of Fort Mifflin, fought at the Battle of Monmouth, and participated in the Siege of Yorktown, where he witnessed the surrender of Cornwallis’s army. He was just 23 years old when he mustered out at the end of the war.
Joseph Plumb Martin’s experience is a window into the hardships and triumphs of the American Revolution, a reminder of the passion for independence that prompted the patriots to endure.
“It still seems a miracle to me: how an army of volunteers – starved, naked, and suffering everything short of death, and thousands even that — should be able to persevere through eight years of war and win a country. But – we did.”
-Joseph Plumb Martin