Captain Benjamin Bartholomew's Diary

Time Period
1763 to 1825
Topics
American Revolution
Military History

Historical Context

Benjamin Bartholomew (1752-1812) was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania on January 16, 1752. Initially, Bartholomew joined the 4th Pennsylvania Battalion as a lieutenant in January 1776. When the 5th Pennsylvania Regiment was reorganized, he was commissioned as a captain. During his service, he was wounded at the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777. After recovering, he rejoined the army and served with the 5th Pennsylvania through the Yorktown Campaign. After the war, Bartholomew married Rachel Dewees, had fourteen children, and spent the rest of his life as a farmer in East Whiteland, Pennsylvania. He died on March 31, 1812. His diary, starting on May 19, 1781, and continuing through March of 1782, details his regiment's march from Pennsylvania to Virginia, mundane military life, and participation in the Battle of Yorktown in Virginia. After the British surrender, the 5th Pennsylvania traveled through Virginia to North Carolina. Bartholomew mentions Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, the arrival of French troops in Virginia, and the execution of American soldiers for desertion.

Eyewitness accounts of American Revolution soldiers’ lives are exceedingly rare, and Bartholomew’s diary provides insights into the daily activities of soldiers, both on and off the battlefield. He frequently mentions early mornings, lengthy marches, assignments requiring strenuous manual labor, and sleeping in primitive camps. Much of their time in camp focused on extensive military training through drills, which lasted anywhere from several hours to all day. Other camp duties included clearing fields to establish their camps, chopping firewood, foraging for food, digging latrines, and erecting fortifications.

Soldiers shared tents and cooked meals together in small groups known as a “mess.” Soldiers usually consumed one or two small meals a day. Ideally, their rations consisted of meat, bread or flour, and some type of vegetable. However, the Continental Army consistently struggled to distribute enough food to its soldiers mainly due to transportation issues. This often led to malnourishment and other health problems, reducing the number of soldiers fit to fight.

Soldiers’ equipment included their weapons (typically a flintlock musket and bayonet), a cartridge box for their ammunition, a haversack to hold their personal belongings and dining utensils, a canteen, and if they were lucky, a blanket. Whenever there was downtime, soldiers entertained themselves by playing marbles, cards, or dice games. But even after sundown, while most soldiers slept to recover from their exhausting days, some men were always assigned to guard duty.

To add to their struggles, Congress consistently struggled to regularly pay soldiers. Hard currency, like coins, was in short supply, so the army paid many soldiers in paper money, which was subject to high levels of inflation. To supplement their meager pay, many states issued grants of land as enlistment bonuses. However, this promise of future land did little to provide for soldiers and their families during the war itself. See below for selected excerpts from Bartholomew’s diary.

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Diary written by Captain Benjamin Bartholomew (VMHC Mss5:1 B2833:1, Bequest of Paul Mellon) 

Transcript - Selected Excerpts

(Note: edited spelling and punctuation for clarity as needed)

“Wednesday May 30th-- this day devoted to washing cleaning of arms, & was review’d at 5 Oclock -"

...

Sunday June 3d. Marchd at 11 OClock A.M. ... to Coxes Mills on goose Creek... this day being a holy day with the Neagroes, vast numbers of them paraded along the Road, which showed the Wretchedness of Slavery, three fourths of them being Naked -”

...

“Sunday June 24th. ... In the afternoon a Soldier belonging to the 4th Regiment was taken up deserting to the enemy was tried by a Brigade Court Martial & sentenced to be shot at Retreat beating [end of the day] which Just sentence was put in execution”

...

“Tuesday June 26th . March’d ½ after 12 OClock A.M. ...went in quest of Col. Simcoe [commander of the Provincial Queen's Rangers] who we had information was at Coopers Mill ... at 11 OClock A.M. the different parties return’d to the church, with some prisoners. nine Light horse, and eight men of ours wounded  we had two men kill’d. from different Reports ... the enemies loss was near twenty Killd and a number wounded... “

...

“Monday July 2d . March’d at 1 OClock A.M. ... a spy that came from the enemy was bribed by the Marquis. he informed that a Body of Horse [calvary unit] was coming up to surprise our Infantry ... they discovered our numbers & retreated...

...

“Wednesday July 4th. this being the anniversary of our Independence the whole army was drawn up & celebrated the day by a Feus de Joy [bon fire], the discharge of thirteen pieces of Cannon, ... & three Volleys from the troops, after which some maneuvers were perform’d by the continental troops ”

...

“Friday July 6th.  March’d at 8 OClock A.M... Col. Stuarts Battalion (British) had moved down to the green Springs in the morning ...the enemies whole army being drawn up to oppose our four Battalions, their line being so very extensive & nearly surrounding us, we retreated across the moors, where the other two Battalion of Infantry were form’d to cover our retreat..."

Saturday July 7th. lay still this day, sent off our wounded men, cleaning our arms”

...

“Friday Septr. 14th – his Excellency Genrl. Washington arrived at 5 OClock P.M. when there was twenty one pieces of Canon fired, he Review’d the Troops – “

...

“Sunday Septr. 30th.  ... Took possession of the Enemies out works [protective earthworks], ... this evening began to raise two works...”

...

“Friday October 19th 

this morning at 9 OClock the Capitulation was sign’d & delive[re]d ... at 2 OClock P.M. the whole of the Garrison on the York side march out, the Americans being posted on one side of the road & the French on the other and Grounded their arms. those on the Gloster side march’d out on that side & grounded their arms...”

...

“Sunday Decbr. 23d.  Snow two Inches deep.  Cloudy disagreeable day, Wrote two letters to Pennya, one to B. Davis & the other to Jno. Bartholomew...”

...

“Friday Febry 15th.  Clear and warm.  Rode to Willm. Thomas’s about 5 miles, went in the evening to a Cotten picking, no great thing.”

...

You can read more of Bartholomew’s diary by visiting our research library and asking to see “Marching to Victory: Capt Benjamin Bartholomew’s Diary of the Yorktown Campaign, May 1781 to March 1782,” (VMHC General Collection E 241 Y6 B287 2002)