Stories of Children of the Revolutinary War

[Lycos]

I thought I remembered someone who had stories about children fighting during the Revolutionary War.  Does anyone know of some factual stories that I can share?

I did find a small story about Richard Lord Jones, age 10, and Johnny Tremain is fiction.

Any other stories would be helpful.  Thanks.

[GTEngineer]

Here's my list, there's plenty to look up regarding each to make a 3 minute brief history story to put in your back pocket.

Andrew Jackson, 9 (Future president)
Christopher Seider (Snider), 11
Thomas Young, 12
Austin Dabney, 14*
Deborah Sampson, 15 (aka Robert Shirtliff)
James Armistead, 15
Joseph Plumb Martin, 15
Anna Green Winslow, 16
Peter Salem, 16* (took down Maj Pitcarin at Breed's Hill)
Peggy Shippen, 16
Sybil Ludington, 16 (the female Paul Revere)
Peter Francisco, 16
William Diamond, 16 (drummer at Lexington)
Elizabeth Zane, 16
Emily Geiger, 18
Marquis de Lafayette, 18
Phillis Wheatley, 18
James Monroe, 18 (Future president)

[desert_diver]

See the brief note on Isaac Glynney in this article https://allthingsliberty.com/2024/01/top-10-battle-of-bunker-hill-quotes/  The endnote provides a source for further reading.

[Lycos]

Thanks everyone for the references.  Much appreciated.

[Lycos]

Just as an update to this.  I did some research and found way more children than I expected.  I thought they would be a rarity in the Revolutionary War, but come to find out, it's been estimated that there were 1.5 to 2.5 percent children soldiers who served in the military during the war.  The Tennessee Child Soldier of the American Revolution has a list of 162 children buried in their state alone from the ages of 7 thru 15 years old.

I put together a small list of boys (female warriors are coming soon) as a small history moment that I have planned.

Here's the list I have so far.

Richard Lord Jones

He joined the Third Connecticut Regiment on July 1777 as a fifer.  He just turned 10.  He was known for being defiant in the face of the enemy, he and a British fifer had a bit of an exchange of words.  He was loyal to George Washington.  In Morristown, he sang for Martha Washington the song "God Save America".  She in return gave him a $3 bill which he always kept on him folded in his pocket.  He survived the war.

Reference: https://www.lmelliott.com/lauras-blog/youngest-soldier-revolution

Isaac Glynney

We did as before—reserved our fire until they came within about six or seven rods, then we showed them yankee play and drove them back again. But soon they renewed the attack and came again. But we, being destitute of ammunition, made use of ammunition called cobble stones.

Isaac Glynney was not yet fourteen years old when he served with the provincial forces at the Battle of Bunker Hill in the stead of his sick father.[3] The British twice attempted to breach the walls of the redoubt but were driven back each time by heavy provincial fire. Finally, as provincial ammunition ran low and fire slackened, the British succeeded in breaching the redoubt in a final surge. Provincial troops wielded their muskets as clubs while others hurled stones as their only defense against British bayonets.

Reference: https://allthingsliberty.com/2024/01/top-10-battle-of-bunker-hill-quotes/

Bishop Tyler

Bishop Tyler on or about the first day of March 1781, he entered Service of the United States in a company commanded by Captain Charles Miles in a corps of State troops raised by the State of Connecticut for one year. That he continued to state that he served a year as Captain Mile's waiter.  He was the age of 14 at the time.

Reference: Cox, Caroline. Boy Soldiers of the American Revolution (p. 131). The University of North Carolina Press.

Joseph Plumb Martin

On April 21, 1775, fourteen-year-old Joseph Plumb Martin of Connecticut was plowing a field about a half mile from his home when the church bells began to ring. He rushed to find out "what the commotion was" and found out that war had begun in Massachusetts. All the "male kind of the people" were volunteering to march to Boston to fight the British. Watching, Joseph wished he was old enough to join them. A year later Martin persuaded his grandparents, with whom he lived, to let him join the army. According to the law, a man had to be seventeen to join up, but recruiters seldom asked questions about a volunteer's age.

Reference: https://allthingsliberty.com/2013/04/young-people-at-war/

Ebenezer Fox

Twelve-year-old Ebenezer Fox came from a poor family in Roxbury, Massachusetts. His parents had "bound him out" to work on a neighbor's farm. He decided the Revolutionary excitement gave him a perfect excuse to run away and "set up a government of my own." He and a friend headed for Providence, Rhode Island, where they were hired as sailors on an American ship.

Reference: https://allthingsliberty.com/2013/04/young-people-at-war/

William Diamond

Sixteen-year-old (legal age, but not with today's standards) William Diamond who signed up as drummer boy in the Lexington, Massachusetts, militia company. On April 19, 1775, William Diamond beat "to arms" on his brightly painted drum. That sound brought 70 militiamen to confront approaching British regulars. Young Diamond was in the ranks when the first shots of the war were fired.

Reference: https://allthingsliberty.com/2013/04/young-people-at-war/

Unnamed 12-Year-Old Slave

Colonel William Washington (a cousin of George Washington) was dueling a British cavalry officer with sabres. Colonel Washington's sabre snapped and he was in imminent danger of death. From nowhere came his trumpeter, a young black slave about twelve years old, whose name remains unknown. The boy fired a pistol, disabling the British officer's horse and saving Colonel Washington's life.

Reference: https://allthingsliberty.com/2013/04/young-people-at-war/

More references of Child Soldiers During the War

Tennessee Children of the American Revolution (162 names as of Feb. 2024 – all between the ages of 7 thru 15 yrs old)

https://www.tndar.org/tscar/?page_id=3147

[desert_diver]

I have a copy of Joseph Plumb Martin's autobiography.  It is well worth the read.  I checked Amazon - multiple editions are available for < $10. 

[JustKim]

Thanks for sharing!

[BluegrassColonel]

The journal of Joseph Plumb Martin can be downloaded as a PDF for free from Archive.org. Be forewarned, however, that it is a very large file and takes awhile.  The file is a scan from a 1830 publication of the book and some of the text is in very poor condition (hard to read).  Printed or Kindle versions on Amazon may be more convenient.  Journal of Joseph Plumb Martin

The archive.org website has many publications of all types, many of which are in the public domain and available to download directly, including as PDF's and/or Kindle files.  Access is only as limited as one's ability to form effective inquiries in the search bar.  I suggest filtering your searches by selecting the year 1924 and before back to 1775 (or whatever year the event you are researching occurred).  That should give a result of all, or almost all, of the items that are listed being in the public domain and downloadable.

For example, there are several books and publications that describe the events of April 19, 1775 including books by Richard Frothingham (who also wrote "The Life and Times of Joseph Warren"), Frank Warren Coburn ("The Battle of April 19, 1775"), Grindall Reynolds ("Concord Fight, April 19 1775"), George Jones Varney ("The Story of Patriots' Day, Lexington and Concord") and many, many others.

Greg Seneff
"Bluegrass Colonel"

[JustKim]

If anyone has something with young girls, we would love to use them for our March Women's History Month posts!

[Lycos]

Hey JustKim,

In my short research, young girls were hard to find any information about.  Elizabeth Zane is the only one that I found.  Sybil Ludington is a good story, but it has been deemed that there is not any factual basis for the story.  Phoebe tells me that you gave her the Zane story.

Young boys were rare, and most were around 15 which was a year short of the legal age, and without birth records like we have today, it's no surprise that they could pass for 16.  Young boys were not taken into the military often due to their lack of stamina and strength of a man.  Their packs and guns were extremely heavy.  A musket was close to 10 pounds and that didn't account for anything like a tent, mess gear, bedding, coat, ammunition, canteens, etc.  No one wanted to carry all that stuff for a child unless it was their son or a boy who gained favor in some way like family friendships, etc.  Most served as fifers, drummers, waiters for officers, etc. Of course, there were exceptions of strong boys for their age, but they were rare.  Young girls would be even more rare due to the social views of the time, and once the war began to drag on the general populace did not regard the army with admiration and respect like we do today.

I have other women story examples, but they are grown women with the youngest being in their 20's or older.