The American Revolution is nothing short of glorified in history. As it has been said many times, history is usually written in a way that overlooks the negative aspects while venerating the positive parts. It is not often that one can read about a subject and see the parts of it that are usually hidden away. Joseph Plumb Martin is an example of history that gives light to the experience of the war that is not talked about. Since no one in the present day lived to experience what happened during the Revolutionary War, firsthand accounts like Martin’s are extremely crucial to learning about all of the perspectives during this time. Traditionally, students learn about the American Revolution in a way that is shown as an epic political battle, …show more content…
Oftentimes, the reality of political strife, losses in battle, and betrayals among one another are concepts not deeply examined when studying the Revolutionary War. This further emphasizes the importance of reading primary sources to discover more information. With Joseph Martin’s written exposition of his time as a soldier in the American Revolution, we get to analyze and dissect the glorification that surrounds it, pulling away the symbols of freedom and reason, and understanding the turmoil that civilians and soldiers alike experienced. Joseph Plumb Martin, the son of an unsuccessful clergyman, joined the rebel forces two days after Congress had officially declared independence. He was only sixteen years old, but was itching to serve for the colonial cause. Martin would be an unusual soldier, having stayed enlisted for the entirety of the war, while other men would have tapped out by then. Even though the Declaration of Independence and Common Sense by Thomas Paine were being printed and distributed around the colonies, the Continental Army struggled to get men …show more content…
His account details the hardships, including deprivation, psychological distress, and challenges while also highlighting the perseverance and endurance he and other soldiers possessed to get through the fighting. Martin, pg. 78, pg. 78. 152) Incentives and rewards to join the Continental Army served only as a way to entice men to join the army. The army was suffering from shortages of everything because civilians often sold supplies to the British army for gold and silver. Soldiers often went without necessary items like shoes, blankets, and clothing. This account pulls back the curtain on the glorified idea that soldiers mainly joined the fighting due to their expression of patriotism and love for America. While this is the case for some, it is indeed shown to us that a majority of soldiers joined the fighting in order to receive the incentives offered to get a leg up. The civilian population during the war faced as much of a struggle as the soldiers did, focusing on securing food and supplies for themselves. Some civilians were apathetic to the cause, while others were vehemently against