Book Review Of Ordinary Courage By Joseph Plum Martin

“I never spent a thought about numbers; the Americans were invincible in my opinion. If anything affected me, it was a stronger desire to see them.” Continental Army soldier, Joseph Plum Martin shares his experience of the Revolutionary War through his book, Ordinary Courage. The bravery, courage, and patriotism expressed throughout the novel shows off Martin’s immense strength and perseverance. The soldiers fought through the trials of starvation, disease, lack of supplies, and vicious battles against the British troops. While the majority of the colonists longed for freedom from Great Britain, Loyalist opinions were raised, causing mixed emotions about the war from the American people. The fight and perseverance of the troops brought to light a newly formed America, leading the young country to victory.
Disease
Many soldiers perished in the eight year time span of the Revolutionary War. Many of

He wrote about encounters with the enemy, the fight with starvation, and the never-ending bout with the cold. Many of the events of the war that Martin describes coincide with the general timeline of the war with a few exceptions. During the trials of war and distorted periods of time, Martin confused some details in his recollection of the war. In the footnotes of the book, the editor wrote, “Martin had only a fuzzy understanding of the beginnings of the Harlem Heights engagement of September 16.” Another example of Martin’s hazy memory is brought up in the annotations regarding the capture of Fort Lafayette. The editor writes, “Martin’s recollection is somewhat confused. The British captured Fort Lafayette at Verplanck’s (normally rendered Verplancks) Point along with its defenders, who were North Carolina troops, on June 1, the same day that they seized Stony Point. There was no prolonged