Jeremiah Greenman A Common Soldier in the American Revolution

Jeremiah Greenman (1758–1828): A career soldier who served for eight years, Greenman is notable for keeping a detailed personal record titled “Diary of a Common Soldier in the American Revolution.” During the war, his father moved from Newport to Westport (Acoaxet) and Jeremiah visited his family frequently. He was constantly on the move throughout the war years, traveling between Westport, Little Compton, Providence, New Bedford, Freetown, and beyond. His military service was long and varied: as a private on Benedict Arnold’s expedition to Quebec, followed by a term as prisoner of war, a sergeant in the Rhode Island Continental Army, rising through the ranks, participating in the defense of the Delaware, Valley Forge, and the Battle of Rhode Island. At the age of 25, he settled in Providence.  He later moved to Ohio, where he is buried on his family farm. 

Diary of Jeremiah Greenman

Extracts from his diary:

November 1776 in Dartmouth We hear that they exspetakt the fleat in to Newport every day / Implying Self in gitting some board from a mill clapboard to make a hen house.

December 1776 in Dartmouth

Very cold / the enimeys fleet arrived at Rhode Island / ye militia pasing to ye fery everyday / the inhabitants of ye Island gitting off what Stock they can

January 1777 at Dartmouth

Raining raw cold weather / we hear a very brisk cannading

March 1778 Continuing to Dartmouth / very cule weather/ imploying my Self in making a westcoat

April 1778 Acoaxet 

went up as far as Waterparponds 

January 1781 Continuing to Dartmouth/ implying myself in learning the Mariners art / continuing in studying navigation.

Jeremiah Greenman gravestone

His experience after the war provides a poignant example of challenges faced by veterans. Greenman explains how he missed out on the opportunities for learning a gainful occupation because of his military service. The long-term effects of his injuries have limited his physical activity. Several pension applications shed light on a somewhat desperate situation in his old age:

“I am unable to labour Occasioned by a wound received whilst in publick service on my left side and the small of my back. As to my occupation, I have none that I can follow with that prospect which many others can do … although I have been endevouring for fourteen years past to till a small portion of the land which I fought for and three different times bled to regain from British Tyrants, having devoted my youthful days to the service of my country I was deprived of the opportunity which young men generally possess of acquiring any mechanical art.

my wife is in the sixty first year of her age and very much debilitated and that this constitutes the whole of my family, the other branches being married and large families cannot contribute towards my support without embarrassing themselves and that I have not one solitary friend or acquaintance, that knows or ever heard of me, except such that has been made prior my migration to the country.”

Jeremiah Greenman is buried far from his birthplace, in the Greenman Cemetery Waterford, Washington County, Ohio. His gravestone reads: In memory of Jeremiah Greenman, an active officer in the army which bid Defiance to Britain’s Power & Established the Independence of the U.S. & who was born at R.I. Newport, 7, May 1758.

Read more:

Diary of a Common Soldier in the American Revolution An Annotated Edition of the Military Journal of Jeremiah Greenman. Edited by Robert Bray and Paul Bushnell.

Watch a video about Jeremiah Greenman at this link:

https://www.jyfmuseums.org/learn/videos/jeremiah-greenman