JAMES SELKIRK'S REVOLUTIONARY WAR: The Memoir of a Continental Sergeant

1-253290

Tells the story of a young Scottish immigrant who served in three different corps from April 1776 through June 1783 -- how they fought in several engagements that ranged from the wilderness of northern New York to the waters of Chesapeake Bay. Also contains Selkirk's personal observations and anecdotes about the daily rigors and duties common to an enlisted soldier in Continental service. Discusses how Selkirk endured over seven years of soldiering with the Continental Army and explores how the decision to write his memoir occurred as politicians and citizens debated whether the federal government should enact a pension program in support of the nation's aged and mostly impoverished community of Revolutionary-era veterans. Contains 14 illustrations.