Richard S. Ewell
Martin was born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, the son of Dr. William D. Martin and Sophia Dange Martin. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated in 1840, fourteenth in the class, directly behind future Confederate general Richard S. Ewell. On July 12, 1844, Martin married Mary Ann Murray Read, great granddaughter of Declaration of Independence signer George Read and General William Thompson.