He was commissioned subsequently as the first lieutenant of the 3rd Massachusetts Light Artillery[2] on September 5, 1861, and as the battery's captain in November of same year.

Martin filed a detailed report on the artillery brigade's role in the Battle of Gettysburg.

Martin saw action at the Battle of the Wilderness and other engagements during that campaign, as well as during the Siege of Petersburg, Virginia.

He was awarded a brevet commission as a colonel at the close of the war for gallant and meritorious services.

He was the senior aide-de-camp on the staff of Governor John Davis Long with the rank of brigadier general in 1882 and was a one-term mayor of Boston in 1884.