Why read A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier?

Book cover of A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier: Some Adventures, Dangers, and Sufferings of Joseph Plumb Martin

Book description

With a new afterword by William Chad Stanley

Here a private in the Continental Army of the Revolutionary War narrates his adventures in the army of a newborn country.

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Why read it?

2 authors picked A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Ray Raphael

Author

If, perchance, you have yet to encounter Private Joseph Plumb Martin’s classic memoir, stop right now and get hold of a copy. With wit, charm, and telling detail, this common soldier from the Continental Army will take you on a personal journey through the Revolutionary War. Lest we forget, “history” is composed of individual experiences, and JPMs are memorable. “Great men get great praise; little men, nothing,” he wrote. “It always was so and always will be.” No, not always. This “little man” earns praise not only for himself, but for all those men and boys who put their lives…

From Ray's list on deepening your view of the American Revolution.

Tom Shachtman

Author

The diary of an ordinary soldier who served from July 1776 through the victory at Yorktown in 1781, this book is a real eye-opener and a counterweight to the thousands of books about George Washington, his generals, and the political thinkers of the era.

From Tom's list on lesser-known figures in the American Revolution and early years.