Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-08-24
HERO OF THREE WARS.
Pennsylvania Who Lays Claim 30
Being Oldest Soldier.

Amos Martin, veteran of three wars.
is to-day probably the oldest man in
the world who had seen so much ac-
tive service, writes a correspondent
of the Chicago Journal He is yet
fairly active and is remarkably well
preserved for one who will in ten
more months complete IL full decades
of life. He was born in March, 1913,
at Cambellton, Scotland, and his long
life has now stretched out into three
centuries. t @ M
His first service was during the
war of 1912, as a mere boy, and he
also served under the stars and
stripes during the Mexican war and
the civil war of 1861 to 1854. He
was wounded only once, when he re-
cieved a mimic ball through his head
at the battle of Bull Run. He was a
member of company / of the One
Hundredth Pennsylvania volunteer in
fantry.
His command saw desperate fight
ing at the second Bull Run, and only
six of them emerged from that bat
tie without meeting either death or
wounds. Remarkable to relate, Amos
| Martins most distinct recollection of
the battle is not of his wound or of
the deaths of his comrades.
When he talks to you about it he
tells you of his kicking musket. He
remembers that it was four weeks be-
fore he could raise his right arm
from his cot, his sholder was SO bad
ly bruised by the recoil of his mus
ket
AS a boy of seven he was brought
to Canada by an uncle, and a few
years later he was apprenticed to a
stonecutter. He drifted to Philadel-
phia, and when the war of 1912 broke
out he enlisted as a boy of IA in the
American army. He did garrison duty
at Washington.
After the war Martin returned to
his trade and was a contractor when
| the war was declared with Mexico.
| He enlisted in the Twenty-fourth
United States volunteers. Martin
| served under Gen. Taylor and walked
nearly the entire distance across the
continent, except where transports
carried them down the Ohio river
| from Pittsburg to ST. Louis. From
there they marched to Lawrence,
Kan, and thence along the old Santa
Fe trail to Texas. The war was prac-
tically over by the time Martin and
his regiment were fully equipped and
ready for fighting.
| However, in the civil war he saw
the hottest kind of service and the
most exciting moments of his entire
| life came when the union troops were
| located on James island, attempting
! to capture Fort Sumter. He lay for
| days in sand redoubts, where it was
difficult to secure anything to eat or
and gray together, while sharpshoot.
ers picked off any exposed head.
WAS 1 ever captured? No, indeed
| made up my mind never to be taken
alive, but would have died fighting
for it would have been better to have
4 been shot than to be starved to
| DEATH" Martin says.
! After the Mexican war he located in
Beaver county, 20 miles south of New
castle, where he was first married
| After his first wife died he came tc
Lawrence county and located near
Princeton, marrying again. His sec
ond wife died in 1885,
There is no doubt about his great
age. Men of rs years of age who
| have lived in this country all theil
| lives remember Amos Martin as ar
old man when they were boys.
Martin has rarely been sick. He
says he always smokes and enjoys &
little old Scotch" He draws a pen
sion of S4S a month