Joseph Plumb Martin Joseph Plumb Martin ( November 21 , 1760 – May 2 , 1850 ) was a soldier who served during the American Revolutionary War . He published an account of his experiences as a soldier in the Continental Army in 1830 . Life . Martin was born in Becket , Massachusetts on November 21 , 1760 to the Reverend Ebenezer Martin and Susannah Plumb . At the age of seven , he was sent to live with his grandparents in Milford , Connecticut . Because his family was well - to - do ( his father studied at Yale ) , Martin was able to receive a well rounded education , including reading and writing . When he was 15 , in 1775 , he was eager to join the war effort following the Battles of Lexington and Concord . His grandparents initially opposed the idea , but agreed after Martin vowed to run away and join a naval ship as a privateer if he was not allowed to join . He joined the Connecticut State Troops in June 1776 and was assigned duty in the New York City area , arriving just before the opening of the British Long Island Campaign . His first tour of duty ended In December 1776 , and he returned home just prior to the Battles of Trenton and Princeton . After a restless winter and spring back in Connecticut , the 16 - year - old veteran reenlisted in the Continental Army in June 1777 , signing on for the duration of the American Revolutionary War . He served with the 17th Continental Regiment , also known as the 8th Connecticut Regiment under the command of General James Varnum . Martin participated in such notable engagements as 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 climactic Siege of Yorktown . He was assigned to Light Infantry in 1778 , attaining the rank of Corporal . In the summer of 1780 , under Washington ' s order to form a Corps of Sappers and Miners , he was recommended by his superior officers to be a non - commissioned officer of this regiment , and in being selected , was promoted to Sergeant . Prior to Yorktown , the corps was responsible for digging the entrenchments for the Continental Army . During the battle , they were also a vanguard for a regiment commanded by Alexander Hamilton , clearing the field of sharpened logs called abatis so that Hamilton ' s regiment could capture Redoubt # 10 . When Martin was discharged from duty when the Continental Army disbanded in October 1783 , he taught in New York state for a year , and eventually settled on Maine ' s frontier , becoming one of the founders of the town of Prospect , near modern day Stockton Springs . Over the years , he was known locally for being a farmer , selectman , Justice of the Peace and Town Clerk ( the last position being held for over 25 years ) . He married Lucy Clewley ( born 1776 ) in 1794 and had five children , Joseph ( born 1799 ) , Nathan and Thomas ( twins , born 1803 ) , James Sullivan ( born 1810 ) and Susan ( born 1812 ) . He also wrote many stories and poems over the years , most famously a narrative of his experiences during the war in 1830 . In 1794 , he became involved in a bitter land dispute with Henry Knox , former Major - General in the Continental Army and Secretary of War under George Washington ' s administration as President . Knox claimed that he owned Martin ' s farm , as well as the surrounding in an area now known as Waldo County , Maine . Martin said that this was not true , and he had the right to farm the land . In 1797 , Knox ' s claim had been legally upheld , and Martin was ordered to pay $ 170 in rent . He could not raise the money and begged Knox to allow him to keep the land . Knox denied the request . By 1811 , his farmland was cut by half , and by 1818 , when he appeared in court with other Revolutionary War veterans to claim a war pension , he owned nothing . In 1818 , Martin ' s war pension was approved and he received $ 96 a year for the rest of his life . Still , other war veterans were fighting for what they were properly owed , and in an effort to further the cause of the veterans , published his memoirs anonymously in 1830 . It was not considered a success , and mainly fell to the wayside , apparently lost to history . In 1836 , a platoon of United States Light Infantry was marching though Prospect and discovered that Plumb Martin resided there . The platoon stopped outside of his house and fired a salute in honor of the Revolutionary War Hero . Joseph Plumb Martin lived to the age of 89 , dying on May 2 , 1850 . He is buried with his wife at the Sandy Point Cemetery , outside of Stockton Springs , Maine . Joseph Plumb Martin ' s narrative . Martin ' s narrative of the war has been frequently cited by scholars as an excellent primary source for the American Revolution and not the British . It is notable that for most of the war , Martin was a mere private in the army , and his account does not involve the usual heroes of the Revolution . His narrative is considered one of the major primary sources for historians , researchers and re - enactors of the American Revolution . Scholars believe that Martin kept some type of journal during the course of the war , and fleshed it out in detail later on in his life . It is interesting to also note that while some events may be dramatized , the narrative is remarkably accurate , since Martin ' s regiment would have been present at every event he writes about , according to war records of the time . Martin ' s narrative was originally published anonymously in 1830 , at Hallowell , Maine , as " A narrative of some of the adventures , dangers , and sufferings of a Revolutionary soldier , interspersed with anecdotes of incidents that occurred within his own observation " . It has been republished in many forms , but was thought lost to history . In the mid - 1950s , a first edition copy of the narrative was found and donated to Morristown National Historical Park . The book was published again by Little , Brown in 1962 , in an edition edited by George F . Scheer ( ISBN 0 - 915992 - 10 - 8 ) under the title " Private Yankee Doodle " ; as well as appearing as a volume in Series I of The New York Times ' " Eyewitness Accounts of the American Revolution " in 1968 . The current edition , published since 2001 , is entitled " A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier : Some of the Adventures , Dangers and Sufferings of Joseph Plumb Martin " . Other current versions include a version adapted for children , entitled " Yankee Doodle Boy " and " The Memoirs of a Revolutionary Soldier " , and an annotated version entitled " Private Yankee Doodle " . His narrative is quoted in numerous works on the American Revolution , including those written by David McCullough . Martin has been portrayed on various television documentaries / dramas by Aaron Carter ( in " Liberty ' s Kids " ) , Philip Seymour Hoffman ( in the PBS series " Liberty ! The American Revolution " ) , and Rick Schroder ( in " The American Revolution " ) . First edition copies of his narrative reside in the Library of Congress , the US Army Military History Institute at Carlisle , PA , as well as the collection of artifacts at Morristown National Historical Park . The Joseph Plumb Martin Trail , named in his honor , encircles Valley Forge National Historical Park in Pennsylvania . References . Notes Bibliography