Joseph Plumb Martin (1760-1850)

In his book, Martin refers to some of the generals with disdain or a particular distaste. This does reflect the feeling of generals towards soldiers. However he shows soldiers did not dislike all figures of authority. The lt. col. in the battle of Brooklyn was a figure he respected, calling him a "fine officer and a brave soldier." Throughout the chapter, this occurs in several other moments and what one can identify is a sense of respect for those officers that were there with them in the front lines and shared their woes. The ones that did not treat them as lesser people tended to be more popular among troops.

While it is true that the soldiers were less organized than British or Hessian troops, Martin himself claimed they were militia. After the Kipp's Bay ordeal, they had no guidance or instruction as to how to proceed, adding to the confusion. While in the history books, the story is told as though the soldiers carried the fault for being unorganized but it stems from lack of instruction on behalf of the officers.