James Selkirk’s Revolutionary War

BOOK REVIEW: James Selkirk’s Revolutionary War: The Memoir of a Continental Sergeant, introduced and edited by Robb K. Haberman (Westholme, 2026) $32.50 hardcover

In 1774, alone and at the age of sixteen, James Selkirk sailed from Scotland to the American colonies. Two years later, he enlisted in the Continental army and, because he could read and write better than most of his fellow soldiers, he became the company’s orderly sergeant with the responsibility of seeing to its administration. Over the next seven years and two months, he would serve in three regiments and experience combat in campaigns from northern New York to Yorktown. In 1783, for his lengthy dedicated service, Selkirk received the Badge of Military Merit, the first decoration intended for enlisted soldiers and non-commissioned officers. This book is his own account of that service.

Written from an enlisted man’s perspective, the pages contain some quite interesting entries. As might be expected, Selkirk wrote extensively about camp life and shortages of food, clothing, shelter, and pay. He also included some unique happenings like recounting when his transport ran aground and the company (including a few women and children) and ship’s crew found themselves marooned on an island in Chesapeake Bay. Spoiler: Selkirk and another man swam to a distant ship for a rescue party.

This is a very personal account and readers should not expect to find much commentary on broad campaigns. That being said, Selkirk did spend several lines writing about various movements and strategies during the Yorktown campaign. In contrast, some campaigns were barely noted at all by Selkirk. Apparently, those involved the routine boredom of the majority of soldiers’ time in the service. In like manner, detailed discussion of his units or where he went is generally lacking.

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Some readers might consider these missing elements as deficiencies in Selkirk’s writings but the editor makes up for them in multiple ways. Mr. Haberman’s introduction includes considerable information on Selkirk’s units and travels as well as broader views of the campaigns he experienced. Throughout the book, the editor includes prolific footnotes (not endnotes) reflecting the amount of research conducted in the course of preparing this book. Many, if not most, footnotes contain multiple sources (mostly primary) referencing whatever subject is being addressed.

The early nineteenth century saw a proliferation of accounts of the service of Revolutionary War veterans. Some soldiers published diaries or journals kept during their time in the army and others wrote down reminiscences of their experiences. James Selkirk’s Revolutionary War falls into the latter category.

Each form of account is very personal and local and, therefore, can contain inaccurate information when compared to the broader picture. Reminiscences typically suffer the most problems as they were written decades after the experiences and time can easily alter memory. Another factor could affect the accuracy of Selkirk’s writings. The editor writes in his introduction that Selkirk “engaged in crafting his own legacy.” Did Selkirk have this on his mind as he recounted his service? Did it impact what he wrote? There certainly is no way to know the answers to those questions.

What is known is that he failed to mention that he had been court-martialed, an event uncovered by the editor during his research efforts. Even though the army dropped the charges due to a lack of evidence, it is hard to imagine that Selkirk simply forgot about the episode especially since a guilty verdict could have resulted in his execution. This omission leaves the reader wondering if Selkirk left out or altered anything else concerning his service: a court-martial does not make for a glorious story or the building of a hero.

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One cannot be sure of everything James Selkirk had in mind when he wrote down his reminiscences. While he never says so, it is likely he wrote to advocate for government support of aging Revolutionary War veterans. A pension program had slowly been developing over the years since the war and, with the 1818 act, it had expanded to include more soldiers and dependents. More adjustments were needed, however, and the program culminated in the 1832 act that expanded eligibility to more dependents. Only a few minor alterations followed over the next few years.

Sadly, Selkirk died in 1820 before his writings could be published and have any impact on the pension program. His descendants produced at least three transcriptions of the reminiscences but this book is the first time it has been published for broad distribution. While it did not accomplish Selkirk’s likely intended goal, it now provides the public with an informative vision of the common soldier and his experiences during the Revolution.

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