Critique of the book “Ordinary Courage: The Revolutionary War Experiences of Joseph Plumb Martin”, (edited by the historian James Kirby Martin).
Shows how this narrative of the American Revolutionary War was unique in the way that it presented the experiences of a simple soldier and his daily experiences. Kirby did not chose to edit the work of a prominent founding father to present a new perspective upon the war. Instead, he chose to look at the conflict through the eyes of an ordinary soldier. It shows how this work was commended for its simplicity, honesty and description of reality.
“The military narrative of the American Revolutionary War is often depicted in clear, bright shades of red, white and blue, with the “Star Spangled Banner” blaring loudly in the background. However, the lived reality of the American Revolutionary War was often quite brutal and harsh, particularly for the ordinary soldiers in the Colonial Army. The account of the Patriot soldier Joseph Plumb Martin, as related in the book Ordinary Courage: The Revolutionary War Experiences of Joseph Plumb Martin, (edited by the historian James Kirby Martin), makes this fact abundantly clear.”