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seasarahread's review against another edition
4.0
This was an assigned book in college. I really enjoyed it and have kept it for almost 20 years thinking I would have it in my own classroom someday.
slferg's review against another edition
5.0
An entertaining view of the lot of the ordinary revolutionary soldier. Martin describes the hardships and dangers of his life as a soldier - most of the time lacking food, shelter, clothing and consideration. The countryside and ordinary people were often hostile to the Continental soldier as opposed to the militia. Even after the end of the war, regular soldiers were often derided, forgotten, ignored. He approaches all of the events during the war with a sense of humor and a wry way of describing events that doesn't lessen the hardships. Only at the end, after the war does he have a definite bitterness at the treatment of the veterans.
A very good read.
A very good read.
gianaf's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I did. It really must be a historian's wet dream; it's so detailed and it really lives up to the promise of being a true tale of the life of an average joe in the American Revolution. Martin's wit and sense of humor shines through in a way that you don't really think about in writings from the time- perhaps because he is not constrained by the writing conventions of the time. Overall an entertaining and informative read.
jelina's review against another edition
3.0
Practical concerns of the day to day regulars. No sentimental wool gathering so much as arched retelling
bowienerd_82's review against another edition
4.0
An insightful and entertaining AmRev primary source document. I'll admit it took me a little while to get into the 18th century prose style, and some bits were occasionally hard to parse, but still a book well worth reading.
mustreadmorris's review against another edition
Read for HIST137: Ordinary Lives in the American Revolution with Dr. Richard Bell
marisacarpico's review against another edition
4.0
A lot of this is pretty dry and mundane, which is why it took me so long to finish. That said, as a firsthand historical document, it's incredible. I do occasionally wonder how accurate the author's recollections are so many years on. There are also too many notes and they often seem to undercut the accuracy argument. Bought this at the Hamilton house in Harlem and there are some great references to the events described in the musical though they are few and far between. Still, very interesting overall.
rlangemann's review
4.0
One of the few first-hand accounts of the Revolution. Very interesting and eye-opening.
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