Show Id r U 1 11 Born Years Ago Was First 11 Strenuous American Putnam Best Remembered as a New England General in in the Revolution Was a aMan Man of bf Ac Action Who Had an Adventurous Ca Career rage in in Many Places Places From From Montreal Canada to Hav Havana ana Cuba Cibat and as Far West as the Wilderness Outpost of Detroit e 0 Western Newspaper Cr Union E SCOTT WATSON VATSON SK K the average American w Who was Israel Putnam Putnam Put- Put il nam U and he e will readily bably reply readily L ugh tough gh Why he was one oneo in the o generals our ur r Ino Inot t For the mention of oft at t name stirs in him a reelection rec- rec l lection of more than one ini in- in lent i nt in the saga of our fight r liberty It may be a memory of a ar r picture he has seen t ten that n-that that of the t farmer leaving his plow the furrow and starting for Boston when 1 2 news of Concord and was brought to n. n he may remember famous painting tiThe Tile Battle of Bunker 11 ll which shows Putnam id in a splendid blue and uniform defiantly ving tVing his sword as the Britt Brit- Brit t charge up the slope with withed withed ed bayonets i f Mr Average Americans American's Collection of Putnam isn't sed on either of these pic- pic es' es es es then it may be that he hea alls a another that another that of an ani i icer er on horseback ridin riding g breakneck speed down a ag aig 19 ig g flight of stone steps dIe ale a group of soldiers look aghast at his daring For Forit it officer was also Old t i and the scene pictured s s his escape escapa from the Brit- Brit fat at Horseneck near Greenh Green- Green h Conn t t will be noticed that all of se se are action pictures for fort t was characteristic of this w Englander who was born years ago this month He Hes 3 s s indeed a man of action action- bably our first strenuous and he won the right that title long before Theodore made it popular his activities were confined to one small section the country New England to one certain period in our tory the Revolution as no most of his fellow-Amer- fellow ns believe During the span l his s very busy bus life l e he saw ac- ac act aci t 1 i on many fronts fronts from from Montt Mont- Mont t 1 1 Canada in the north to Hai Hala Ha- Ha i la i Cuba in the south and andin in m Boston in the east to the itier outpost of Detroit in the st. st Accolade of the Frontier here Jere is significance too in fact that many years before Revolution when he was wasely rely ely forty he had been given sobriquet of Old Put For Fort ForIt It t was the accolade which the frontiersmen n conferred m n a leader whose ability as a arst class class man or ose other rugged pioneer quals s commanded their respect I 1 i affection Putnam won it on New York-Canadian York frontier ring ing the French and Indian r and when the backwoods- backwoods n of that period called him Id lId Put they were saying it the same spirit that later would refer to Old kory Jackson Old Tippe- Tippe ioe zoe Harrison Old Abe Abc Linn Lin- Lin n and Old Ro Rough gh and Ready was born on January 1718 near Salem Mass 1 He Hes HeIS IS- IS the s-the s the tenth of 11 children in 1 family of Joseph Putnam e of the few men who was ave ive enough to defy the Rev Parris when the faus faUs faus fa- fa us witchcraft delusion held it village in its evil spell In 39 9 young Israel married Hani Hanh Han- Han h i Pope and the next year milted mi mi- mi- mi to Pomfret C Conn nn where had purchased a tract of land There for the next 15 S years ears he heis helS lS is busily engaged in farming d d. d Q providing a living for his p i growing famil family Y For ael rael Putnam emulated his rus sire assuring that there would be beI I race suicide in the Putnam milY-he milY ly he became the father of ur r sons saris and six daughters At kt the outbreak of the French Frencha ld a Indian war in 1755 r he joined eC B C Connecticut volunteers who companied Sir William John- John ln 0 a and his Iroquois allies in the edition against the French at ro rown wn Point Putnam had his of fire at the blood bloody Y 3 In of Lake George Georee and also on his ms first J commission that of in m in the e Connecticut u t Pro Pro- CIal troops He evidently dem- dem rated unusual ability Y as a an nn n idian Ian f fighter for he became a n Member 52 of f that remarkable s of backwoods warriors who ok OK their name f from rem their com corn y Y 14 rr GENERAL PUTNAM STARTING FOR BOSTON From a drawing by Lossing in Coffins Coffin's The Boys of or 76 courtesy Harper and Brothers mander Maj 1 Robert Rogers and who have been immortalized in Kenneth Roberts' Roberts recent book N Northwest art h west Passage One of Putnam's narrowest narrowest escapes from death occurred while he was serving with Rogers Rogers' Rogers Rogers' Rogers Rogers' Rog Rog- ers' ers Rangers in the spring of 1758 He was captured by the Indians who tied him to a tree and amused themselves by hurling hurling hurling hurl hurl- ing tomahawks at his head to see how near they could come to him and yet miss him Next they started a fire at his feet to torture torture torture tor tor- tor- tor ture him but a sudden rainstorm came up and put it it out Again the fire was kindled and Putnam was prepared to die when Colonel Colonel Colonel Col Col- Col- Col onel Marin a French officer dashed in and rescued him Putnam was sent first to Ticonderoga Ticonderoga Ticonderoga Ti- Ti and then to Montreal r where he was held as a prisoner of war until autumn when an exchange exchange exchange ex ex- ex- ex change of prisoners permitted his return to his home The next year however he was back in inthe inthe inthe the service as a lieutenant colonel colonel colonel col col- col- col onel in the British and Colonial C r ti tiC C l a alfry 1 fry r 5 z r rf r r army anny which General Amherst led against Ticonderoga Crown Point and Montreal Off to Cuba After the fall of Montreal which meant the end of the French rule in Canada England prepared to make war on Frances France's ally Spain and in 1762 sent a naval expedition against Havana Cuba Among the Colonial Colonial Colonial Colon Colon- ial reinforcements was a Connecticut Connecticut Connecticut contingent of 1000 men led by Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant Putnam The ship on which he sailed was wrecked off the coast of Cuba but by making rafts his men succeeded in reaching the shore Then they marched overland and reached Havana in time to join the main British force And as usual when they stormed Morro Castle the Spanish stronghold stronghold stronghold strong strong- hold at the entrance to the harbor harbor harbor har har- bor Old Put was in the thick of the fight He had hardly returned to his home from the Cuban expedition expedition tion when Pontiacs Pontiac's war broke out in 1763 and it wasn't long before beCore Old Put was in the field again This time he was major of a Connecticut battalion of men who accompanied Colonel Bradstreet on his expedition c to Detroit then besieged by Pontiacs Pontiacs Pontiac's Pon Pon- tiac's tines warriors Bradstreet raised the siege Then he led his force Corce back to the place on the Sandusky river where the present city of Fremont Ohio now stands to receive the pris pris- pris which the Indians had agreed to turn over to him While there Putnam helped fortify fortify fortify for for- the encampment which included included included in in- the present county fair fairgrounds fairgrounds fairgrounds grounds now called the Israel Putnam Agricultural park After the successful conclusion of this campaign Putnam returned returned returned re re- re- re turned home once more In the spring of 1765 his life was saddened saddened saddened sad sad- by the death of his w wife e and one of his daughters but he was soon in the midst of a new kind of activity to divert his mind from his troubles The passage of the Stamp Act resulted in the organization of the Sons of Liberty Liberty Liberty Lib Lib- erty and of course Old Put was one of their leaders In 1766 he was elected representative tive to the Connecticut assembly and the following year he married married married mar mar- ried Mrs Deborah Lothrop Gardiner a widow In 1772 Putnam was made a member of the Company of Military Adventurers organized by Gen Phineas Lyman who visited visited visited vis vis- the Lower Mississippi and West Vest Florida to look over the lands promised by the British government to provincial soldiers soldiers soldiers sol sol- sol sol- diers who had served in the French and Indian war However However However How How- ever nothing came of this promise promise promise prom prom- ise and four months after Putnam's Putnam's Putnam's Put Put- nam's return home occurred the Boston Tea Party and the passage passage pas pas- sage of the Boston Port Bill Boston's Benefactor When the Connecticut patriots decided to send food to their distressed distressed distressed dis dis- dis- dis brethren in Boston Putnam Putnam Putnam Put Put- nam W was the man chosen to deliver deliver deliver de de- de- de liver it on it-on on the hoof I So he set setout setout setout out on horseback driving before him Wm sheep and successfully delivered his flock after a tedious tedious tedious tedi tedi- ous trip of nearly miles The newspapers in announcing his arrival spoke of his as one of the greatest military characters of the age and a person whose bravery and character need no description Although he did not live up to the first part of that description during the Revolution there was no question of the truth of the second part After the Battle of Bunker Hill Putnam now a ma ma- jor general took part in the fighting around New York and Long Island In May 1777 he hewa hewa wa was placed in charge of the defense defense de de- de of the Highlands of the Hudson but was removed from command because of the loss of Forts Montgomery and Clinton However a court martial exonerated exonerated exonerated exon exon- him of blame for these disasters restored him to his command and he was later sent to Connecticut to superintend recruiting activities But Old HOld Put was growing old and after a few more skirmishes skirmishes skirmishes skir skir- including his famous escape from the British at Horseneck Horseneck Horseneck Horse- Horse neck he asked for a leave of ab ab- ab- ab sence In December 1779 as he set out on horseback once more to join the army he suffered a slight stroke of paralysis which ended his military career for all aU time He retired to his farm where he followed with keen interest interest interest in in- terest the march of events the events the final triumph of the patriot cause and the founding of the new nation nation nation na na- na- na tion which he had served so well until until death wrote Finis to his busy life on May 19 1790 In a cemetery in Brooklyn Conn stands a tomb upon which is engraved this epitaph Sacred be this ails monument To the memory of Israel Putnam EsquIre I Senior Major Major General General In the Armies Armlet of The United States of America Who Was born bom at Salem In the Province of Massachusetts l On the seventh day of January A. A D. D 1718 and died On Oa the nineteenth day of May A. A D. D 1790 Passenger If It thou art a Soldier Drop a tear over the dust of a nero Hero whoEver Who WhoEver WhoEver Ever attentive To the lives and happiness of his Men Dared to lead Where any Dared to follow If a Patriot Remember the distinguished and gallant services rendered thy Country By fly the tho Patriot who sleeps beneath this thI Marble II U thou art Honest generous and worthy Render a cheerful tribute of respect To a Man Mau Whose generosity was singular I Whose honesty was proverbial Who Raised liaised l himself to universal esteem And offices of Eminent distinction By ny y personal worth And a Useful Life Despite the somewhat flamboyant ant phraseology of this typical Eighteenth century epitaph it is essentially a truthful summary of Putnam's character And unlike unlike unlike un un- un- un like many of his contemporaries the passing of time and the la labors labors labors la- la bors of the debunking school of historians have not dimmed his fame As might have been expected from a man who led a life of such extraordinary activity and variety variety variety vari vari- ety even for the stirring times in which he lived he became the hero of a number of folk tales I But unlike so many legends which clustered around our early- early day notables all of these tales seem to have had a basis of solid fact Becomes Old Wolf Volt Put One of the most familiar is the story of his rus wolf hunt During his early career as a farmer near Pomfret a wolf she began preying preying preying prey prey- ing upon his flock of sheep He and his neighbors tracked her to her lair a small cave from which they were unable to dislodge dislodge dislodge dis dis- dis- dis lodge her Finally Putnam threw off his coat and waistcoat tied a rope around his legs and telling telling telling tell tell- ing the other men to pull him out when he gave the signal he took a torch and entered the cave It was so small that he had to crawl on his hands and knees but far back in it he saw the glowing eyes of the wolf When he gave the signal his helpers pulled him out so fast that his shirt was torn off and he was severely scratched and bruised Undaunted by this experience experience experience ex ex- he took his gun and crawled into the cave again The discharge of the gun in the narrow narrow narrow nar nar- row passage stunned him and he was pulled out half choked by bythe bythe bythe the gunpowder smoke But he 1 l r 21 e. e ly ys insisted upon going back into the cave and this time he emerged triumphantly bringing with him his shirt and the dead wolf Because of this feat he became known locally as Old Wolf Put and as his fame as a fighter grew during the French and Indian Indian Indian In In- dian war the wolf part was dropped and he was known as Old Put During that war he became the hero of another familiar familiar familiar fa fa- fa- fa tale While serving with the Connecticut troops near Ticonderoga Ticonderoga Ticonderoga Ti Ti- he learned that for several nights nights- in succession the sentinel at one of the posts around the British camp had mysteriously disappeared General General General Gen Gen- eral Lyman gave orders for the sentinel to call out Who Vho goes there three times if he heard any ariy noise and then if no answer came to open fire In spite of this precaution the sentinels continued to disappear The Mystery Solved Thereupon Putnam volunteered to try to solve the mystery Soon after taking his post he heard a rustling noise in the leaves as though some animal were scuffling scuffling fling about on the ground for food Peering through the darkness darkness darkness dark dark- ness he saw a huge creature which he recognized as a bear As the animal shambled toward him something in rn its gait aroused his suspicion He immediately immediately immediately im im- im- im mediately called out Who goes there as ordered repeated the challenge twice then fired Rushing forward he found the bear in its death agonies but when he turned the animal over he found enclosed in its shaggy skin a painted Indian warrior with a tomahawk clenched in his hand The mystery was solved at last The other sentinels had believed it was a real bear and had allowed allowed allowed al al- al- al lowed the daring warrior to get near enough to them to use his tomahawk before they learned of or their mistake After Putnam's turn of duty at that post no more I sentinels disappeared |