Ordinary Courage: The Revolutionary War Adventures of Joseph Plumb Martin

First published in 1830, this classic memoir of the American Revolutionary War relates events from the perspective of patriots who endured the hardships of long–term service in Washington′s army during the period 1776–1783. Martin himself joined the continental army in 1776 at the age of 15 and endured all the horrors of war, including killer diseases, starvation, brutal weather, and bloody combat. This updated fourth edition has once more been overseen by the celebrated scholar of US history, James Kirby Martin, who has trimmed the repetitions of the original, updated spelling and punctuation, added explanatory notes and augmented the bibliography. The book now also includes a new Afterword by Karen Guenther on movie portrayals of revolutionary–era soldiers. Martin’s memoir clearly demonstrates that the history made and recorded by ordinary people is just as compelling as that of the few famous leaders who traditionally dominate the historical limelight. Told with humor, frankness, and pathos, the work is a key primary document of the period and makes thought–provoking reading for today′s college students.

Introductory Comments ix Overview Maps of Joseph Plumb Martin′s Adventures, 1776–1783 xxiii–iv Martin′s Narrative of Adventures, Dangers and Sufferings xxv Preface 1 Chapter I: Introductory 3 Chapter II: Campaign of 1776 11 Chapter III: Campaign of 1777 39 Chapter IV: Campaign of 1778 70 Chapter V: Campaign of 1779 98 Chapter VI: Campaign of 1780 111 Chapter VII: Campaign of 1781 132 Chapter VIII: Campaign of 1782 158 Chapter IX: Campaign of 1783 168 The Revolutionary War Soldier on Film 183 Karen Guenther Suggestions for Additional Reading 188 Index 195

James Kirby Martin is the Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen University Professor of History at the University of Houston. He is the award–winning author of 12 books, including Benedict Arnold, Revolutionary Hero: An American Warrior Reconsidered (1997), and Forgotten Allies: The Oneida Indians and the American Revolution (with Joseph T. Glatthaar, 2006).