The Old Revolutionary Soldier

Samuel Whittemore

There was retaliation by the colonists, with bounties being offered to anyone who killed a native man or woman. Captured soldiers and civilians were quite often tortured and killed on both sides.

It was a terrible war that only resulted in a stalemate. He does seem to have gained another war trophy, actually two, as he acquired a pair of pistols off of a defeated warrior. These pistols would come into play over a decade later. After the Pontiac Rebellion, Whittemore settled down on his farm in Menotomy, Massachusetts with his wife, children, and grandchildren. He seems to have fully supported the proclamation of an independent nation of America and kept himself quite well apprised of the early events of the revolution.

The Massachusetts militia was fighting a tough fight, but constantly retreating to keep away from the overwhelming momentum of the professional British redcoats.

How Old Were Most British Soldiers in the Revolutionary War?

This meant that the battle was a running battle and there was even fighting down in Menotomy. Homeowners fought in the doorways of their homes and militia sniped from the windows as the British began to spread out to attack. Samuel Whittemore learned of the British attack and armed himself with his prized sword and pistols, grabbed his trusty musket, and went to defend his home. By this point, Whittemore was at least 78, possibly as old as He found a position to hide and observe the British advance and when they got close enough he revealed himself and shot one of the soldiers at nearly point blank range.

American Revolutionary War

With no time to reload Whittemore drew his pistols and killed two more soldiers. Now out of ammo, Whittemore drew his captured French saber and charged the British. He was soon shot in the face by a musket at close range. His cheek was badly wounded, with a large chunk of flesh torn away by the large musket ball. Whittemore fell to the ground and waved his sword wildly while trying to rise again.

How Many British Soldiers Fought in the Revolutionary War?

He was clubbed in the head by the butt of a musket and bayoneted no less than thirteen times before being left for dead. He then drew his dueling pistols, killed a second grenadier and mortally wounded a third.

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By the time Whittemore had fired his third shot, a British detachment had reached his position; Whittemore drew his sword and attacked. He was found by colonial forces trying to load his musket to resume the fight.

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He was taken to Dr. Cotton Tufts of Medford, who perceived no hope for his survival. However, Whittemore recovered and lived another 18 years until dying of natural causes at the age of From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. A History of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Two sources, the Paige and the B. Whittemore Genealogy , cited above, give his age as 78 at the time of the conflict and 96 at death, based on his documented date of birth. Inaccuracies in his obituary and on his gravestone apparently have led to a proliferation of misinformation. In addition, the annual state commemoration is a day late per documented date of death. Archived from the original on September 29, New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Maine at Louisburg in

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