Review
“For students, professional historians, and general readers, James Kirby Martin, a most gifted historian, has provided a superb edition of Joseph Plumb Martin’s narrative of his life as a soldier in the American Revolution.”
Robert Middlekauff, University of California, Berkeley “Ordinary Courage is a classic in American military history. James Kirby Martin has expertly edited the original version. It is wonderful to have such an excellent volume, so skillfully introduced and edited, available for students and the general readership.”
Joseph T. Glatthaar, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
“Ordinary Courage reminds the reader that the American Revolution was fought by ordinary persons thrust in to extraordinary circumstances. Joseph Plumb Martin did not advise Washington, write stirring documents, or hold an important political office, but he fought and suffered for American independence. James Kirby Martin has done an extraordinary job editing the work, with notes that provide the historical context for Joseph Martin’s experiences.”
Randy Roberts, Purdue University
“James Kirby Martin, long recognized as one of the leading historians of the American Revolution, has done us a real service in presenting a new edition of Joseph Plumb Martin’s Revolutionary War Adventures of Joseph Plumb Martin, appropriately entitled Ordinary Courage, the best memoir of a Continental soldier available.”
Don Higginbotham, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
From the Back Cover
This classic memoir describes Joseph Plumb Martin’s adventures as a patriot in Washington’s army with drama, humor, and pathos, and reminds us of the importance of the extraordinary contributions of ordinary persons to history. Joseph Plumb Martin grew up in the midst of the American Revolution. He first enlisted in the Continental Army during 1776, when only 15 years old, and went on the serve as a rank and file soldier for eight campaign seasons. During these seasons he endured all the horrors of war, including killer diseases, virtual starvation, brutal weather, and bloody combat. In the process, Martin helped create the new American nation.
This new edition is enriched by James Kirby Martin’s expanded and updated introduction, chapter headnotes, and suggestions for further reading, while new overview maps invite the reader to chart Joseph Plumb Martin’s travels throughout the war.
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