Samuel Whittemore facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Samuel Whittemore
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| Born | July 27, 1696 Charlestown, Massachusetts Bay, British America |
| Died | February 2, 1793 (aged 96) Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Buried |
Old Burying Ground in Arlington, Massachusetts
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| Allegiance |  Great Britain Province of Massachusetts Bay |
| Years of service | 1775 and earlier |
| Rank | Captain (in British army) |
| Battles/wars | King George's War |
Samuel Whittemore (born July 27, 1696 – died February 2, 1793) was an American farmer and soldier. He is famous for being the oldest known fighter in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). He was 78 years old when the war began.
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Samuel Whittemore: A Revolutionary War Hero
Samuel Whittemore was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, in 1696. He grew up to be a farmer. But he also had a long history of serving as a soldier.
Early Military Service
Whittemore fought in several wars before the American Revolution.
- He was a soldier in King George's War (1744–1748). During this war, he helped capture a French fort called Fortress of Louisbourg in 1745.
- Later, he moved to a town called Menotomy, which is now Arlington.
- Some stories say he also fought in the French and Indian War (1754–1763) when he was about 64 years old. He may have helped capture the Fortress of Louisbourg again.
- He might have also joined a military trip against Chief Pontiac in 1763.
A Brave Stand at Lexington and Concord
On April 19, 1775, the American Revolutionary War began. British soldiers were marching back to Boston after battles in Lexington and Concord. American citizen-soldiers, called militiamen, were shooting at them along the way.
Samuel Whittemore was working in his fields that day. He saw a group of British soldiers coming. He was 78 years old, but he was ready to fight for freedom.
He loaded his musket (a type of gun) and hid behind a stone wall. When the British soldiers came close, he fired. He killed one soldier. Then, he used his two dueling pistols, killing a second soldier and badly wounding a third.
By the time he fired his third shot, some British soldiers reached his spot. Whittemore pulled out his sword and attacked them! The British soldiers shot him in the face and stabbed him many times with their bayonets (knives attached to rifles). They left him for dead.
But Samuel Whittemore was incredibly tough. American soldiers found him later, still trying to load his musket to keep fighting. He was taken to a doctor, who thought he would not survive. Amazingly, Whittemore recovered! He lived for 18 more years, dying naturally at the age of 96.
Remembering Samuel Whittemore
Samuel Whittemore's bravery is still remembered today.
- There is a monument in Whittemore Park in Arlington, Massachusetts. It tells his story:
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- Near this spot, Samuel Whittemore, then 80 years old, killed three British soldiers, April 19, 1775. He was shot, bayoneted, beaten and left for dead, but recovered and lived to be 98 years of age.
- In 2005, a politician named Robert Havern III suggested that Whittemore should be named the official state hero of Massachusetts. He also proposed that February 3 each year should be a day to remember him.
