Professional Soldiers ® - Old Soldiers Epitaph......

Professional Soldiers ® (http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/index.php)

- Attention to Orders (http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=64)

- - Old Soldiers Epitaph...... (http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37993)

Old Soldiers Epitaph......

Quote:

Samuel Whittemore (1694 - February 3, 1793) was an American farmer and soldier. He was eighty years of age when he became the oldest known colonial combatant in the American Revolutionary War.[1]

[edit] Biography

Whittemore was born in England. He came to North America in 1745 as an officer in the British Army, where he fought in King George's War. He was involved in the capture of the French stronghold, Fort Louisburg. After the war he stayed in the colonies, settling in Menotomy, Massachusetts (present-day Arlington). He subsequently fought in the French and Indian War at the age of 64, once again assisting in the capture of Fort Louisburg.[2]

On April 19, 1775, British forces were returning to Boston from the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the opening engagements of the war. On their march they were continually shot at by colonial militiamen.

Whittemore was in his fields when he spotted an approaching British relief brigade under Earl Percy, sent to assist the retreat. Whittemore loaded his musket and ambushed the British from behind a nearby stone wall, killing one soldier. He then drew his dueling pistols and killed a grenadier and mortally wounded a second. By the time Whittemore had fired his third shot, a British detachment reached his position; Whittemore drew his sword and attacked. He was shot in the face, bayoneted thirteen times, and left for dead in a pool of blood. He was found alive, trying to load his musket to fight again. He was taken to Dr. Cotton Tufts of Medford, who perceived no hope for his survival. However, Whittemore lived another 18 years until dying of natural causes at the age of 98.

A monument in Arlington, Massachusetts reads:
"Near this spot, Samuel Whittemore, then 80 years old, killed three British soldiers, April 19, 1775. He was shot, bayoneted, beaten and left for dead, but recovered and lived to be 98 years of age."

In 2005, Samuel Whittemore was proclaimed the official state hero of Massachusetts and his memory is commemorated on February 3rd each year.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Whittemore

Quite a Soldier!

Pat

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSM (Post 449732)

Quite a Soldier!

Pat

One Hard Man, thanks for the history

I want a Medal of Honor write up for Mr. Whittemore!

Above and beyond indeed!

TR

that patriot had some hard bark on him...great post...raisng my glass with friends celebrating sam!

That's quite the story. Cheers to Samuel Whittemore, a special breed of person!

and, as an 18D, a round of cheers to Dr. Cotton Tufts for putting an old soldier back together again to fight an live another day. :D (I'm sure he had nothing more than a simple M-5 bag of tricks)

"If I don't mind, it don't matter" applies at any age, evidently.

Salute.

Amazing Soldier, thanks for this post!

I used to live up the street from this monument in the center of Arlington, MA. The 10th Regiment of Foot took more wounded getting home from Lexington and Concord than they did in the battles. The basic load for the Brits was 20 or 30 rounds - the bayonet was considered the primary weapon! At the time, Arlington was called Menotomy and one British soldier wrote afterwards "We were much vexed as we passed through Anatomy" (Let the puns begin)