When the Drummer Met the Sergeant:
Cheshire’s Atwater's and Joseph Plumb Martin
If you were to take the gritty, mud-soaked, and often humorous memoirs of Joseph Plumb Martin and overlay them with the muster rolls of Cheshire, Connecticut, you would find that the paths of our local boys and the "Old Milford Man" didn't just cross—they were practically the same muddy trail. While Martin was recording his complaints about theoretical cooking and the terrifying effectiveness of British cannonballs, Cheshire’s own Abraham, Isaac, and Samuel Atwater were living those very same pages of history.
The Atwater Dynasty on State Street
To understand the Cheshire of 1776, you have to picture State Street. Local legend tells us that for two solid miles, every single house was owned and occupied by an Atwater. They were the bedrock of the community. When the Revolution called, the Atwater's didn't just send a representative; they sent a generation. Abraham Atwater was 60 years old in 1776—a "History Buff" of his own era, perhaps—who made the staggering decision to enlist alongside his son, Isaac. They joined Captain Bunnell’s Company of the 5th Battalion, Wadsworth’s Brigade. While Abraham and Isaac headed for the front, the younger sons, Samuel and Timothy, were ordered to stay behind in Cheshire to guard their mother, Mary Ball, and their sisters. But as Joseph Plumb Martin noted, "a young fellow... raised on a decent farm... has read just enough heroic tales to become thoroughly misinformed." Samuel Atwater, then only 19, couldn't sit still.
The "Surprise" at the Muster
Joseph Plumb Martin often wrote about the ragtag nature of the Continental arrivals. Imagine Abraham Atwater’s face when a new regiment marched into camp and he spotted his son, Samuel, leading the way as the unit’s drummer. Samuel had abandoned his post at the family farm for the beat of the war drum. This trio of Cheshire men—father, son, and drummer-son—would soon find themselves in the exact crucible Martin described in his "Reminiscence."
Parallel Paths: The Disastrous Summer of 1776
The Atwater's and Joseph Plumb Martin shared the same traumatic "education" in New York.
1. The Battle of Long Island (August 27, 1776)Martin recalls the "mud in the shoes" and the "mud in the soup" during the defense of New York. The Atwater's were right there with him. They experienced the same harrowing realization that the British didn't just outnumber them—they out-maneuvered them.
2. The Nightmare at Kip’s Bay (September 15, 1776)This is where the Cheshire story turns tragic. Martin describes the terror of being shot at for the first time. At Kip’s Bay, that terror was magnified by five British warships anchored 100 yards off the Manhattan shore, unleashing an hour-long bombardment of 80 cannons.
The Cheshire Loss:
In the "hasty retreat" that followed—the same one where Washington reportedly lost his temper and had to be restrained near 42nd Street—Isaac Atwater was killed.
The Missing Grave:
Because the British seized the ground, Isaac has no known individual grave. Like the many unnamed soldiers Martin vowed to remember, Isaac is memorialized only back home on his father’s headstone in Hillside Cemetery.
3. Harlem Heights (September 16, 1776)
The very next day, the "drooping spirits" Martin mentioned were revived. The British sounded a "fox hunt" bugle call, insulting the Americans. Abraham and Samuel Atwater likely heard that same taunt. They participated in the counterattack that gave the Continental Army its first real victory, proving they could stand toe-to-toe with the King's regular's.
While Joseph Plumb Martin eventually settled in Maine to write his memoirs, the Atwater's returned to Cheshire to build a legacy that still stands.
To truly appreciate how the Cheshire volunteers and Joseph Plumb Martin shared the same "Misery and Mud," we have to look at the specific, grueling itinerary they followed during the New York and New Jersey Campaigns of 1776–1777.While the Atwater's were serving in Captain Bunnell’s Company (5th Battalion), Martin was serving in the Connecticut State Troops. Though in different regiments, they were often separated by only a few hundred yards of trench or forest.
1. The "Grand" Entrance: The Defense of New York (Summer 1776) Before the tragedy at Kip’s Bay, both Martin and the Atwater's arrived in a New York City that was being turned into a fortress. Martin’s Experience: He arrived in New York in June, noting with his trademark wit that the city was "quite a different place from Milford." He spent his days digging "fortifications" that he suspected would be useless. He famously described the "Black Sam" (Fraunces Tavern) and the anticipation of seeing the British fleet.
The Atwater Parallel: This is exactly when Abraham and Isaac Atwater arrived to reinforce Washington. Like Martin, they would have been stationed in the sweltering heat of Manhattan, likely working on the same redoubts near the East River.
2. The Meat Grinder: The Battle of Long Island (August 27, 1776)This was the first time both the Cheshire men and Martin saw the full might of the British Empire.
Martin’s Near Miss: Martin was stationed near the Gowanus Creek. He watched in horror as the "Maryland 400" made their heroic stand to save the retreating army. He described the "terrible smell of gunpowder" and the sight of men drowning in the marsh while trying to escape the British Hessians.
The Atwater Fight: The 5th Battalion, including the Atwater's, was part of Wadsworth’s Brigade. They were positioned in the lines near Brooklyn Heights. During the retreat across the river under the cover of a providential fog, both Martin and the Atwater's were part of that "miracle" evacuation that saved the American cause from total surrender.
3. The Slaughter at Kip’s Bay (September 15, 1776)As detailed before, this is where the Cheshire story and Martin’s narrative collide in chaos.
Martin’s "Hasty" Retreat: Martin was at a different point on the line but described the British naval fire as "the most deafening roar." He recalled running so hard his "tongue hung out like a dog's" and seeing General Washington screaming at the fleeing troops, "Are these the men with which I am to defend America?
"Isaac Atwater’s Sacrifice: While Martin managed to escape toward Harlem, Isaac Atwater was lost in the panic. The British landing at Kip’s Bay (near present-day 34th Street) effectively cut the American line in two. Isaac likely fell in the crossfire between the retreating militia and the advancing Hessian grenadiers.
4. The Winter of Discontent: White Plains and Beyond After
the narrow victory at Harlem Heights, the army moved north to White Plains in October 1776.Samuel the Drummer: While Samuel Atwater beat his drum to keep the Cheshire boys in formation during the Battle of White Plains, Martin was recording the lack of footwear.
Martin’s "Dining": At White Plains, Martin famously wrote about his "feast"—a handful of parched corn and a piece of "tough beef." He noted that the only thing more abundant than the British was the lice.
Cheshire’s Service: The 5th Battalion remained active through these maneuvers, suffering the same lack of tents and blankets that Martin lamented. When Martin wrote about men leaving blood-stained footprints in the snow, he was describing the same conditions the Atwater's endured before their enlistments expired.
Detailed Comparisons:
Life in the Ranks Experience Joseph Plumb Martin's
Note The Cheshire Atwater's' Reality The Food" A little salt pork and a hard cracker... if we were lucky." Samuel and Abraham relied on supplies from merchants like Caleb Atwater, but in the field, they ate the same "firecakes" (flour and water) as Martin.
The Gear Martin mentions his grandmother’s Bible and a "dull bayonet. "The Cheshire men often brought their own fowling pieces (hunting guns) or, as noted at Kip's Bay, pikes made from scythes.
The Illness" The camp itch" and smallpox inoculations. Aaron Atwater, only 14, died in 1776—likely from the same camp fevers and dysentery Martin described as "more lethal than British lead. "
The "Uniform" "Ragged, dirty, and half-naked. "Despite their status on State Street, by the time they reached White Plains, the Atwater's' fine Connecticut coats were likely shreds of wool and mud.
The "Old Men" of the Revolution In his later chapters, Martin reflects on how the war aged him. He went in a boy of 15 and came out a "man of 22" with the joints of a 70-year-old.Similarly, when Abraham Atwater returned to Cheshire, he was nearly 70. He had buried a son in a nameless grave in Manhattan and watched his other son, Samuel, grow from a boy with a drum into a veteran. When you look at Abraham’s stone in Hillside Cemetery, you aren't just looking at a name—you're looking at the Cheshire version of Joseph Plumb Martin’s memoirs.
No comments:
Post a Comment