The elderly cannot fight/participate in a civil war. They are limited to protecting themselves.
Au contrare:
let us not forget one of the great hero’s of our long ago:
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Samuel Whittemore (July 27, 1696 – February 2, 1793)
[1][2] was an
Americanfarmer and soldier. He was 78 years of age
[3] when he became the oldest known colonial combatant in the
American Revolutionary War (1775–83).
[4]
Contents
Biography[edit]
Whittemore was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, in 1696, the second son by that name of Samuel Whittemore and Hannah Rix, also of Charlestown.
[1][5] He served as a private in Col. Jeremiah Moulton's Third Massachusetts Regiment, where he fought in
King George's War (1744–48).
[2] He was involved in the capture of the French stronghold, the
Fortress of Louisbourg in 1745.
[6] He moved to Menotomy, Massachusetts (present-day
Arlington). Recent sources suggest he fought in the
French and Indian War (1754–63) at the age of 64, once again assisting in the capture of the Fortress of Louisbourg, and later in a military expedition against
Chief Pontiac in 1763.
[7] None of them offer documentation to support such claims, though a nineteenth century reference mentions that he had served as a "Captain of Dragoons."
[8]
Battles of Lexington and Concord[edit]
On April 19, 1775, British forces were returning to
Boston from the
Battles of Lexington and Concord, the opening engagements of the war. On their march they were continually shot at by American militiamen.
Whittemore was in his fields when he spotted an approaching British relief
brigade under
Earl Percy, sent to assist the retreat. Whittemore loaded his
musket and ambushed the British Grenadiers of the
47th Regiment of Foot from behind a nearby stone wall, killing one soldier. He then drew his dueling pistols, killed a second
grenadier and mortally wounded a third. By the time Whittemore had fired his third shot, a British detachment had reached his position; Whittemore drew his sword and attacked.
[7] He was subsequently shot in the face, bayoneted numerous times, and left for dead in a pool of blood. He was found by colonial forces, trying to load his musket to resume the fight. He was taken to Dr.
Cotton Tufts of Medford, who perceived no hope for his survival. However, Whittemore recovered and lived another 18 years until dying of natural causes at the age of 96.
[2][9]