Narrative of Joseph Martin

Natalie Casas Casas, 1

AMH 2000

2-21-05

The internal struggle amongst the Americans during the American Revolution is seen prominently throughout Joseph Martin's narrative and is the result of selfishness amid the soldiers, lack of esteem among officers and their troops, and the inner battle existing among the country and the band of soldiers who fought for it. The so-called "bond of brotherhood" that Martin speaks of among the soldiers is negated by an overall ill mannered behavior throughout the eight years of war.

One of the leading causes of this internal skirmish was the selfishness of the soldiers. Generally, officers of the armed forces are thought to "stick together" or be of one accord. However, in the American Revolution soldiers have seemed to lean on caring for their own interests and not for the interest of their fellow soldiers. For example, Martin tells of how he badly injured his foot, and when rushed to see the surgeon he was

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told to wait, for the surgeon's game of backgammon was not to be interrupted by "minor affairs." Perhaps if this had been the only affair this dilemma might not have been so distasteful, but as Martin describes more examples of this disinterest of others, one can only conclude that this was all too apparent. Martin reports of his encounter with a "wounded captain" who "begged his sergeantÐ'...to help him off the field," and how the captain was disregarded until Martin stepped in to help. This situation also helped attribute to the internal battle among the Americans. Rather than risking their lives for each other (for the sake of their country), they preferably would allow their fellow colleges to die than to exert extra energy in saving them. Possibly, a reason for this apathy was the motive for entering the armed forces. Though Martin himself was "more anxious than ever" to be termed a "defender" of his country, other's he suspected their "sole motives of entering the service" was money. This man in particular who Martin refers to, selfishly, did not return to the troops after his leave of absence was expired and therefore was sought after. Whether it was the officer's oblivion to their troops

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conditions, fellow soldiers disregard for helping each other, or soldiers fleeing their duty, the American soldiers suffered a great deal due to the self-interested attitude of their men.

Another key component of the strife was the disrespect in the midst of the officers and their troops. In one instance, an officer commented to Martin about a sick soldier saying, "If he dies the country will be rid of someone who can do it no good." This illustration shows the officers lack of respect for a soldier who, by chance, fell ill. In another occasion, Martin had sprained his ankle and was ordered by his Lieutenant to stay behind for a day, and then to join them. As he sat there, a Brigadier-General passed him, and asked what he was doing; when Martin responded the General replied, "Lieutenant S___ deserves to have his throat cut." Such malicious impudence toward a fellow commanding officer can unquestionably cause division among the Americans. Another conflict, mentioned by Martin, was that of the lack of respect involving New Englander's and the Pennsylvanians (or the North and the South). Martin describes his regiment, which was a mixture of the two sides, as "two setts of people as opposite in manner and customs as light and darkness." He goes on to indicate how he'd rather be

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fighting with Indians than with southerners, and how his service with these "southern troops" was usually a conglomeration of name-calling and hard times. So once again, one may question, was the war truly against the British or was it merely a fight to see which part of the country could do their job best?

Perhaps the two most ultimate forms of disrespect