Book reveals forgotten Founding Father
Novel puts Dr. Joseph Warren on the appropriate historical stage
When it comes to the American Revolution, being a Virginian I tend to think more, probably because of my sectional bias, about the roles played by George Washington, Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson.
Quite frankly, I rarely manage to put the New England patriots, particularly those from Massachusetts, in the historical picture
Williamsburg and New York City author and historical researcher Christian Di Spigna has crafted “Founding Martyr: The
Life and Death of Dr. Joseph Warren, the American Revolution’s Lost Hero” and puts the emphasis squarely on Massachusetts.
If he had lived, Warren, a Boston physician and patriot, most assuredly would have joined Samuel Adams, John Adams and John Hancock, as a Founding Father from Massachusetts. In fact, at the time he died at the Battle of Bunker Hill, he was de facto leader of the patriotic cause there.
Unfortunately, Warren died in 1775 after the battles of Lexington and Concord in which he played dramatic roles, but before the events of 1776 formed the backdrop of the war for American independence. Thus, Warren had been forgotten.
In a marvelously written and well-researched biography, Di Spigna paints a portrait of Warren that emphasizes not only his zeal and almost relentless patriotic quest, but also his exceedingly successful medical profession and how it was interwoven with his spirit of liberty.
Warren came from a family of farmers and by his bootstraps, pulled and pushed himself to attend Harvard College and to become a physician. Of course, he had excellent medical training from doctors who took an interest in his welfare and education, but Warren had the skills to push the medical envelope. By the last several years of his life, he had an enormous medical practice with several young physicians helping him cope will his patient load.
Di Spigna, a former volunteer and speaker at Colonial Williamsburg, characterized Warren as “one of the most important figures in the movement for independence,” noting that in the decade before his death the patriot was involved in almost all of the major “insurrection acts” in the Boston area.
Significant leadership included the head of the Boston Committee of Correspondence and North End of Boston Caucus, chairman of the Massachusetts Committee of Safety, and author of the 1774 Suffolk Resolves — a declaration to boycott the importation of British goods unless the Intolerable Acts were repealed.
Warren was also involved in several other activities overlooked by many historians: he dispatched Paul Revere on his famous ride and participated in the subsequent battles of Lexington and Concord.
Ronald Reagan resurrected Warren’s legacy briefly in his first inaugural address in January 1981. Reagan implored that it was time to awaken the sleeping giant, “time for Americans to act worthy of ourselves.”
To illustrate his point, Reagan said on the eve of the nation’s struggle for independence, “a man who might have been one of the greatest among the Founding Fathers, Dr. Joseph Warren, president of the Massachusetts (Provincial) Congress, said to his fellow Americans, ‘Our country is in danger, but not to be despaired of … On you depend the fortunes of America … Act worthy of yourselves.’ ”
Di Spigna’s effort puts Warren on the appropriate historical stage. So imbued by cause and spirit of liberty, De Spigna stressed Warren wanted to be at the forefront of engagements, whether they be assemblies or battles.
At the Battle of Bunker Hill, the patriots finally were overwhelmed and began to retreat. Di Spigna writes that Warren “lingered to the last, trying his best to cover his retreating men. He purposely remained behind to ensure that his patriot bothers made it to safety, and he was the last man to leave the redoubt.”
Soon afterward he was shot and killed. Warren’s legacy also failed to survive the quickly evolving days of the American Revolution. Massachusetts patriots like the Adamses and Hancock filled the void.
Di Spigna believes one of the major reasons Warren’s patriotic leadership has been overlooked is because much of the attention focused upon his battlefield death. “John Trumbull’s famous painting, ‘The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker’s Hill,’ portraying a dying and limp Warren in a Pieta-like pose” at the moment of his death, Di Spigna wrote.
“Although John Trumbull’s depiction of the scene … is romanticized and factually inaccurate, the artist successfully immortalized Warren as a martyr who fell while bravely defending the cause of American independence.”
“Founding Martyr” by Di Spigna is available at local bookstores and at Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. Kale of Williamsburg has written a number of nonfiction books of local interest, including “From Student to Warrior — A Military History of the College of William and Mary.”