As Joseph Plumb Martin approaches his first "action" in the Revolution, he likens it to music. His first reaction to cannon and musket fire is not one of fear.
I understand his intrigue. It's a romantic emotion to hear music in the sounds of war. I've felt similarly as I have listened to fireworks. I've been known to lie on my back in the driveway on Independence Day, close my eyes, and listen to the fireworks. I smell the gunpowder in the air, and I think about what the Revolution must have been like. Martin is right: it does have a musical effect.
But Martin's experience quickly goes further. Early on, he finds himself dragging dead bodies out of the water, amazed by the sight of so much blood. It must be shocking for any soldier in battle. We have to empathize with every veteran who returns home with such memories.
I understand his intrigue. It's a romantic emotion to hear music in the sounds of war. I've felt similarly as I have listened to fireworks. I've been known to lie on my back in the driveway on Independence Day, close my eyes, and listen to the fireworks. I smell the gunpowder in the air, and I think about what the Revolution must have been like. Martin is right: it does have a musical effect.
But Martin's experience quickly goes further. Early on, he finds himself dragging dead bodies out of the water, amazed by the sight of so much blood. It must be shocking for any soldier in battle. We have to empathize with every veteran who returns home with such memories.
