Montville Twp Historical Society Revolution War Soldier Reenactment

MONTVILLE TOWNSHIP HISTORICAL SOCIETY PRESENTS

“Joseph Plumb Martin, Revolutionary War Soldier” is reenacted by Eric Olsen at “Glimpses of the Past History
Series” at the Montville
Township Historical Society’s program, March 10 (Monday), 7:30 p.m. in the Montville Township Senior House,
356 Main, Montville.

Eric Olsen,
Park Ranger at Morristown National Historical Park, reenacts Joseph Plumb Martin, Revolutionary
War Soldier, drawing from words that he wrote during the war of his actual experiences,
dangers and suffering.  

Joseph Plumb Martin was born
in Massachusetts on November
21, 1760 to well to do parents he received a good education.  He joined the patriot effort when he was 16,
in 1775, and was assigned to the New York City area, arriving before the Long
Island Campaign.  His enlistment period
was up in December 1776 and he returned home prior to the Battles of Trenton
and Princeton.  He reenlisted in the Continental Army in June
1777, signing on for the duration of the war.

Battles he
participated in were the Battle of
Brooklyn, the Battle
of White Plains, the siege on Fort Mifflin and the Battle of
Monmouth.  He encamped at Valley Forge, witnessed John Andre being escorted to his execution and was also present
during the Siege of
Yorktown.  He became a Corporal., and later was promoted to Sergeant.  After he was
discharged from duty in 1783, he taught in New York for a year, and settled in Maine where he was a farmer, Justice of the Peace and Town
Clerk for over 25 years.  He married and
had five children.

Later in life
he became involved in a land dispute with Henry Knox, former Major-General in the Continental Army and
Secretary of War under George Washington, which did not end in his favor.

In 1818, Martin's
received a war pension in which he received $96 a year for the rest of his
life. He wrote his memoirs of the war in 1830 to speak out for war pensions and
at the time his diary met with little success. 
Later it was applauded for its historical record.  Joseph Plumb Martin lived to the age of 89, passing
away in 1850.

The program is presented
at the Montville Township
Historical Society Meeting March 10 (Monday), 7:30 p.m. in the Montville Township Senior House,
356 Main, Montville.