Posted on 07/06/2014 8:35:05 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
For the Journal of the American Revolution, Todd Andrlik compiled a list of the ages of the key participants in the Revolutionary War as of July 4, 1776. Many of them were surprisingly young:
Marquis de Lafayette, 18
James Monroe, 18
Gilbert Stuart, 20
Aaron Burr, 20
Alexander Hamilton, 21
Betsy Ross, 24
James Madison, 25
This is kind of blowing my mind...because of the compression of history, I'd always assumed all these people were around the same age. But in thinking about it, all startups need young people...Hamilton, Lafayette, and Burr were perhaps the Gates, Jobs, and Zuckerberg of the War. Some more ages, just for reference:
Thomas Jefferson, 33
John Adams, 40
Paul Revere, 41
George Washington, 44
Samuel Adams, 53
The oldest prominent participant in the Revolution, by a wide margin, was Benjamin Franklin, who was 70 years old on July 4, 1776. Franklin was a full two generations removed from the likes of Madison and Hamilton. But the oldest participant in the war was Samuel Whittemore, who fought in an early skirmish at the age of 80. I'll let Wikipedia take it from here:
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.
It’s not that they were so young, but rather that 20 year olds used to be grown ups.
I’ve always assumed they much older.
Actually, that was pretty rare for colonists.
As for the view that they were old, I think that is mainly the fault of portraits. Not because they were inaccurate, but many times they were painted much later in life. Henry Knox looks very old in his most known pix, but he was only about 25 when it ll started.
Worse, it seems even our media have perpetuated what the portraits started. Movies and shows, and even documentaries, often use oldsters to represent these people. Washington is the worst offended, perpetually shown as old and white haired. But he was only about 51 when the war officially ended! He was only 69 when he died.
That was going to be my reply. “Young” is relative. Then they had been working on farms, in the family trade since very young. They were not “young” as we think of it today.
If you are looking for a description of a badass, this is it.
He didn’t wear wigs generally.
At best he powdered his hair, but certainly not much in war.
Migrane - please tell why you have Arthur MacArthur. I take it you mean the father and not the brother of Doug?
Amazing men, amazing times.
Yes, the father. CMH winner Civil War. Charged up Missionary Ridge at Chattanooga with his Wisconsin platoon and took out the artillery pieces that were maiming the Union forces down below. He took it on his own initiative, crying out “On Wisconsin!”, and boy did they ever scoot up that ridge.
Sherman saw it and asked “Who sent those boys up that ridge?” The answer was, “Nobody!” On seeing their progress, Sherman declared, “That boy just won himself the Congressional Medal of Honor.”
Then he found he couldn’t live w/o the Army and mad a life of it, fighting Indians and taking a big hand in the protection of the Philippines.
He was making a speech around 1913, I think, at one of those gatherings of the old Civil War units. In the middle of the speech, he keeled over and died in his boots, just like he wanted to.
Don’t care how you slice it...18 is young. Just because they were running businesses and farms does not change their age. Women/girls were getting married and having children anywhere from 14-18. They were still young, but acted like adults not permanent infants. We do not allow our youth to grow up soon enough.
You know this how? The Bible does not state: “...and thus the Angel Gabriel visited Mary when she was 15 years of age.”
The regime strives to convince Pajama Boy & Julia that they are still unable to fend for themselves @ age 26 and need the fedgov to take care of them.
I have the advantage of believing in Christian Tradition that includes details like that.
Hmmm...the Apocrypha. To each his own.
“Founding Fathers” gets thrown around a lot. Technically, the Founding Fathers were the men who attended the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia—a total of 55 over all, not all of whom stuck around to sign the document.
you are right, chronologically, they were young. mentally, they were mature, spirit they were uncowed.
Do you have to be rude?
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