A Continental Regiment and a Soldier's Voice from the Street
A March Through The Revolutionary War
“Not only shirtless and barefoot, but destitute of all other clothing, especially blankets... they might be tracked by their blood upon the rough frozen ground.” Private Joseph Plumb Martin on the March to Valley Forge
When you're researching an ancestor who served in the Revolutionary War, you might only find a single line in a muster roll: a name, a date, maybe a rank. No story. No emotion. Just a sliver.
But if you look at the unit they served with—and the neighbors who marched with them—you can begin to piece together what life might have been like.
That’s what you can do with the 8th Continental Regiment—and the voice of Joseph Plumb Martin, one of the most relatable soldiers of the entire war.
Military. A Neighbor's Voice: Joseph Plumb Martin
Martin joined as a private in 1776 at age 15. He was no officer, no hero in Hollywood, just a clever, observant teenager, the son of a minister, with a memory like a trap and a gift for writing.
Decades later, he left us A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier, a detailed, sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking memoir of his years in the war.
Through Martin’s eyes, we get:
The collapse of American lines in New York in the Battle of Brooklyn and Manhattan
The freezing misery of Valley Forge
The siege of Yorktown
You may not have Martin in your tree—but if your ancestor served in the same regiment or campaign, Martin’s words can help you understand your own ancestor's experience. Or if a revolutionary regiment passed through your town, give you insights into the lives of soldiers during that time.
Finding a Soldier in Your Story
Want to know if someone from your neighborhood served in the revolutionary war?
Search the DAR Patriot Index for soldiers from Connecticut towns
Use the National Archives pension records to find veterans who filed claims
And once you find a name? Don’t stop there.
Look at who else was in the regiment
Read memoirs and letters from others in the same campaigns
Explore what the whole company or unit experienced—not just your ancestor
That’s where the story lives.
Know someone with Connecticut roots? Forward this post and help them rediscover their revolutionary neighbors.
https://www.nps.gov/people/joseph-plumb-martin.htm
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/joseph-plumb-martin
https://www.amrevmuseum.org/collection/joseph-plumb-martin-s-memoir
https://www.amrevmuseum.org/meet-joseph-plumb-martin-performance