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A Young Patriot: The American Revolution as Experienced by One Boy
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A Young Patriot: The American Revolution as Experienced by One Boy Paperback - 1998

by Jim Murphy

In the summer of 1776, Joseph Plumb Martin was a fifteen-year-old Connecticut farm boy who considered himself "as warm a patriot as the best of them." He enlisted that July and stayed in the revolutionary army until hostilities ended in 1783. Martin fought under Washington, Lafayette, and Steuben. He took part in major battles in New York, Monmouth, and Yorktown. He wintered at Valley Forge and then at Morristown, considered even more severe. He wrote of his war years in a memoir that brings the American Revolution alive with telling details, drama, and a country boy's humor. Jim Murphy lets Joseph Plumb Martin speak for himself throughout the text, weaving in historical backfround details wherever necessary, giving voice to a teenager who was an eyewitness to the fight that set America free from the British Empire.


Summary

In the summer of 1776, Joseph Plumb Martin was a fifteen-year-old Connecticut farm boy who considered himself "as warm a patriot as the best of them." He enlisted that July and stayed in the revolutionary army until hostilities ended in 1783. Martin fought under Washington, Lafayette, and Steuben. He took part in major battles in New York, Monmouth, and Yorktown. He wintered at Valley Forge and then at Morristown, considered even more severe. He wrote of his war years in a memoir that brings the American Revolution alive with telling details, drama, and a country boy's humor. Jim Murphy lets Joseph Plumb Martin speak for himself throughout the text, weaving in historical backfround details wherever necessary, giving voice to a teenager who was an eyewitness to the fight that set America free from the British Empire.

From the publisher

The story of the American Revolution as experienced by a Connecticut farm boy who enlisted in the army in 1776. A Young Patriot skillfully weaves together excerpts from the boy's wartime account with the author's explanatory text to create a fascinating and factual history of the American Revolution.

Only fifteen when he enlisted, Joseph Plumb Martin spent the rest of his teen and young adult years marching, working, fighting, foraging, and starving while serving under the likes of Washington and Lafayette.

Through the mix of Martin's observations and experiences, the historical context that Murphy provides, and maps and archival prints, the book vividly reveals the grit and drama of war--and a teenager who was eyewitness to a Revolution.

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

First line

Joseph Plumb Martin was born on November 21st, 1760, in the tiny Massachusetts village of Becket.

From the rear cover

Jim Murphy lets Joseph Plumb Martin speak for himself throughout the text, weaving in historical background details wherever necessary, giving voice to a teenager who was an eyewitness to the fight that set America free from the British Empire.

Details

  • Title A Young Patriot: The American Revolution as Experienced by One Boy
  • Author Jim Murphy
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition [ Edition: First
  • Pages 112
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Clarion Books, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
  • Date 1998-03-23
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Bibliography, Illustrated, Index, Maps
  • ISBN 9780395900192 / 0395900190
  • Weight 0.86 lbs (0.39 kg)
  • Dimensions 10.06 x 7.98 x 0.3 in (25.55 x 20.27 x 0.76 cm)
  • Ages 10 to 12 years
  • Grade levels 5 - 7
  • Reading level 1140
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 18th Century
    • Geographic Orientation: Connecticut
  • Library of Congress subjects Soldiers, United States - History - Revolution,
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 936038789
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

Media reviews

"A brief history based on the privately printed memoirs of Joseph Plumb Martin, who, at the age of 15, signed up for the Connecticut state militia on July 6, 1776, and stayed with the army for the next seven years. This work offers a view of the Revolutionary War missing from most books-instead of the broad sweep of dramatic events and change, readers see the daily misery, boredom, confusion, terror, and only occasional triumph of army life. Murphy provides the best of both, the drama and the grind, appeasing readers’ fascination with war without romanticizing."

Kirkus Reviews with Pointers

"Murphy presents the life of Joseph Plumb Martin, a 15-year-old Connecticut farm boy, who enlisted in the Continental Army in 1776. . . . The book is generously illustrated with black-and-white maps and reproductions; captions present information that complements rather than repeats the text. . . . An outstanding example of history brought to life through the experience of one individual." School Library Journal, Starred

"Young readers researching the military and social history of the American Revolution will find this an excellent resource." Booklist, ALA, Starred Review

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A Young Patriot: The American Revolution as Experienced by One Boy
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A Young Patriot: The American Revolution as Experienced by One Boy

by Murphy, Jim

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