In June 1776, 15-year-old Joseph Plumb Martin left his home in Connecticut and joined the Continental Army. He served in the army until the end of the war. In 1830, he published a memoir of his military service. Rather than battle stories, Martin shared the experiences of enlisted soldiers, portraying them, not officers, as heroes of the Revolution. Martin suggested that in honor of their service, pensions be given to surviving veterans, many of whom were poor and unable to work by 1830. In 1835, the Federal government began offering pensions to enlisted soldiers or their surviving families.