: .,:- j BOSTON: SANBORN. CARTER, BAZIN & CO. THE LIFE Oil I S A E L PUTIAM, MAJOR-GENERAL IN THE ARM OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION COMPILED PROM THE BEST AUTHORITIES. FIFTH EDITION. BOSTON : SANBORN, CARTER, BAZIN & CO., 25 & 29 CORNHILL. I? Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1846, by GEOKUK F. COOLKDGK. in the Clerk's Office for the Southern District of New York. PREFACE. THERE are three sources to which the writer of bio- graphy may repair, for materials to accomplish his work. The first is an intimate personal acquaintance with his subject, derived from long intercourse, and a daily participation in the scenes which it is his purpose to describe. The next is, a detailed narrative of inci- dents and events, taken down from the lips of his subject, giving to his delineations the spirit and au- thenticity of an autobiography. The third is found in the testimony of neighbors and acquaintances, corrobo- rated by contemporaneous history, correspondence, &c. When the veracity and honesty of the party are unimpeachable, there is no source so reliable as that which is here placed second in the list. No person can possibly be so well acquainted with the acts of another as himself. And when, to the proper appre- ciation of these acts, it is necessary to know some- thing of the motives and purposes from which they sprung, and the feelings with which they were accom- panied, this is the only source to which we can look. And when to -this is added an intimate personal ac- quaintance of a compiler of approved integrity and faithfulness, it affords the highest species of evidence in favor of his narrative, which can possibly be desired. Of this nature is the evidence in favor of the prin- PREFACE. cipal incidents in the life of General Putnam. His original biographer, Colonel David Humphreys, was intimately associated with him, having served as Aide- de-camp in his staff, during a portion of the Revolu- tionary War. He had many piru of the narrative direct from the lips of the General. That he was competent to discharge well the duties of a biographer that he was entitled to the confidence of his readers will not be questioned by any who have honestly consulted the history of the times, and weighed the opinions of those who knew him best. When General Putnam's health failed, in 1779, and he was compelled to retire from the service, Colonel Humphreys served, for a short time, as Aid to General Greene ; after which he became a member of General Washington's family, and served him as Aide-de-camp, during the remainder of his military career. That he occupied a very high place in the esteem of " the Father of his country," and of others eminent in the councils of the nation, is abundantly manifest in the correspondence of Washington. Among a multitude of letters which might be refer- red to, an extract from one only will be given. It "was addressed to Colonel Humphreys in Europe, un- der date of the 25th of July, 1785. General Wash- ington, apparently in reply to a suggestion from Hum- phreys, that he (Washington) should apply himself to preparing commentaries upon the Revolutionary War, says : " In a former letter, I informed you, my dear Humphreys, that if I had tiilents for it, I had no leisure to turn my thoughts to commentaries. * * * I should be pleased indeed to see you undertake this PREFACE. business. Your abilities as a writer, your discernment respecting the principles which led to the decision by arms., your personal knowledge of many facts as they occurred in the progress of the war, your disposition to justice, candor , and impartiality, and your diligence in investigating truth) all combining, Jit you, when joined with the vigor of life, for this task. I should, with great pleasure, not only give you the perusal of all my papers, but any oral information of circum- stances, \vhich cannot be obtained from these, that my memory will furnish ; and I can "with great truth add, that my house would not only be at your service, dur- ing the period of your preparing this work, but ( I say it without an unmeaning compliment) I should be exceedingly happy if you would make it your home. You might have an apartment to yourself, in which you could command your own time. You would be considered and treated as one of the family, and meet with that cordial reception and entertainment, which are characteristic of the sincerest friendship." Colonel Humphreys returned home in May, 1786 ; after which he was often at Mount Vernon, a member of Washington's family. It was there that he wrote the Life of General Putnam, in 1788, under the eye of Washington, and with the best possible means of knowing that great man's opinion of the subject of his work. The work was written for the Society of Cincinnati, of Connecticut, and by them, and under their sanction, presented to the world. This Society was composed of surviving officers of the Revolution, the compeers of Putnam, and the sharers and eye- witnesses of his heroic and daring achievements. I PREFACE. In addition to the testimony of Colonel Humphreys, we have that of a large number of the cotemporaries of General Putnam. Numerous letters, written at the time when, and on the spot where, the several promi- nent events occurred, as well as the verbal testimony of the few aged witnesses who yet remain among us, confirm, and more than confirm, the narrative of his original biographer. It would appear that Putnam had not been disposed to estimate his own services very highly, or to present in any very strong colors his own acts of heroism ; since Colonel Humphreys, who gathered much of his material from personal con- versations with his subject, is far more modest and unpretending, in many of his statements, than authen- tic documents, furnished both by friends and by foes of that period, would warrant. In bestowing ^the above high commendation on Colonel Humphreys, it is not intended to hold him up as infallible ; but only to say, that, with respect to the general truthfulness and fidelity of his sketches, and the degree of reliance to be placed upon his narra- tive, though there may be some slight errors and mis- conceptions, the testimony is unquestionable, and the character of the witness above suspicion. The present compilation is, of course, indebted to the original memoir, for its main outline, and princi pal incidents. It will be seen, however, to have de- viated from it, in some points, upon a careful compa- rison of authorities ; while large additions have been made from other authentic sources. Brooklyn, L. /., Oct., 1846. IN the preparation of this work, the following authorities have been consulted. There are some discrepancies among them, in relation to several points of considerable importance. Without attempting to account for these discrepancies, I have endeavored as far as pos- sible to reconcile them, by a rigid and laborious comparison of each with all the rest, and by an impartial consideration of the amount of responsibility attached to each. How far I have succeed- ed in doing justice to all, and to my subject, it must be for others to decide. The Life of General Putnam. By Colonel David Humphreys. Witt Notes an, Bird's \pting. Putnam suspended in tlie Tree. Page i>ti HIS COOLNESS AND INTREPIDITY. 27 There was a boy named Randall in the group, who was noted for being a crack marksman, and who afterwards fought bravely at Putnam's side. Fortunately, he seldom went out without his rifle, and had it with him on this oc- casion. " Jim Randall," said he, " there's a ball in your rifle. * " Yes." " Do you see that small limb that holds me here ?" " I do." " Fire at it.'* " What ! to cut you down ?" " Of course ; for what else could I ask it." " But I might hit your head, perhaps." " Shoot ; better blow out my brains at once, than see me die here by hanging, which I shall certainly do in fifteen minutes. Shoot." u But you will fall." " Jim Randall, will you fire ?" Randall brought his rifle to his shoulder. Its sharp crack rang through the forest the splinters flew and Putnam fell to the ground. He was severely bruised by the fall. He laughed it off, however, and nothing more was thought of it. Not many days after, Putnam, who could never endure the thought of being defeated in an enterprise, returned alone to that tree, and succeeded, though with the greatest difficulty, in securing the nest, which he bore away in triumph to his companions. Though we cannot apologize for the cruel act of rob- bing a harmless bird of her home and her young, nor do otherwise than censure the fool-hardiness of the boy, who could twice put his life at hazard for such a prize, we can- not but see in this incident the germ of that indomitable spirit, which was so often displayed amid the more fearful 28 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. perils of his subsequent career. His conduct, while sus- pended in the tree, displays the same coolness and self- possession, and the same promptness of action, which cha- racterized his daring leap at Horseneck, and his perilous trip down the rapids of the Hudson. As would naturally be expected from those traits of character which have already been exhibited, Putnam was eager to excel in all the manly athletic exercises, which constitute so large a part of the sports of a country village. In running, leaping, wrestling, pitching the bar, and in feats of horsemanship, he displayed great agility and physical power, and was scarcely ever second among his competi- tors. Even in the labors of the field and the wood, it was his early ambition to do the part of a man, and not to be outdone, even by his elders, in anything, which patient, persevering toil could achieve. But with all his restless activity, and his fondness for athletic amusements, he never loved a quarrel. He was not easily provoked. His disposition was frank, generous and confiding, and his uniform good humor often preserved the peace among his more inflammable companions, when, as is too often the case, the heat and excitement of their game began to wear a threatening aspect, and parties at play to assume the tone and bearing of combatants. His wit and humor gave him great influence on such occasions, and he always employed it in allaying excitement, and har- monizing and adjusting difficulties. It seems to have been his principle, that a man should never fight except with his enemy, and with him only when he could not manage him in any other way. On his first visit to Boston he was rudely assailed in the street by one of the young aristocrats of the town, who was considerably his superior both in age and size. The coarse homespun dress and awkward air of the country HIS FIRST FIGHT STORY OF CUDGE. 29 boy, as he sauntered along, gazing into the shop-windows, and wondering at the number, size and magnificence of the buildings, excited the mirth of the well-dressed and self-important city boy, whose superior education did not re- strain him from showing his contempt in the most rude and ungentlemanly manner. His insults were borne in silence for a considerable time. At length, disgusted and exaspe- rated by this unprovoked and continued abuse, and rinding that it was attracting the attention of the people who were passing in the streets, he turned fiercely upon his assailant, and gave him so complete and satisfactory a drubbing, that he was glad to haul down his colors, and beat a retreat, much to the amusement of a large number of spectators, who made a ring to watch the issue of the contest. At that period there were slaves in all the colonies. It is true, they were not very numerous in New England. Still, slavery existed, and African bond-men, and bond- women, and bond-children, were found tell it not in Gath ! in all the towns, and scattered over the farming districts of Massachusetts. It fell to the lot of one of Putnam's neighbors to have one of these slaves in his O family, who was noted and feared for his fierce, ungoverna- ble temper, and a disposition that would have served a savage or a fiend. There seemed to be no way to subdue him but with the lash ; and that, though often repeated, was far from being as effectual as could have been wished. On one occasion, when Cudge had been particularly unruly, so that his master could do nothing with him, he called upon Putnam to assist him in administering the proper chastisement. " Well, neighbor, what do you propose to do ?" he inquired. " I intend to tie him up in the barn, and give him such a flogging as he will be likely to remember." 30 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. " Very well," replied Putnam, " you catch him, and I will tie him up. You can then do what you please with him." Accordingly, the exasperated master went out into the field, seized Cudge, and brought him into the barn. Put- nam, in the mean time, had fastened his rope to a beam, and prepared a noose. Cudge resisted, and his master was obliged to exert all his strength to hold him. In this position, Putnam threw the noose over them both, so as completely to secure their arms, and render it impossible for them to help themselves, or each other, drew them up together, and left them to their reflections. Going coolly into the house, he lighted his pipe, sat down and smoked it out. Then, calling to the mistress of the house, he proposed to her to go out with him and see how the Captain and Cudge were getting along. Arrived at the barn, the good woman was almost thrown into hysterics, on seeing her husband bound up in this manner with that terrible negro, whom she feared scarcely less than she did a certain other character in black, whose name it would not be polite to mention, and of whom she regarded Cudge as the living representative, or counter- part, After a little persuasion, and some words of stronger import, Putnam unbound his prisoners, endeavoring to pacify the now doubly enraged master by assuring him, that, however disagreeable to himself, the effect upon Cudge would be better than a dozen floggings. The event justified the assertion. Cudge was so delight- ed with the joke, that he did not get out of humor for a long time after. At the same time, with that kind of instinctive regard which the slave naturally feels for his master, he could not help being hurt on his account. His heart was softened. He was more respectful and more obedient than he had ever been before. THE SLAVE DISPOSED OP. 31 The sequel of Cudge's history is too good a story to be lost ; arid, though it has no relation to the subject of this memoir, we take leave to preserve it here, for the special benefit of those peculiar friends of Africa, who claim for New England an entire freedom from the plague-spot of slavery, and from any participation in " the price of blood." By some means, his mistress had grievously offended the negro. He became so enraged, that he swore he would take her life ; and neither soothing words, nor threats, had any effect to pacify him. The family was thrown into the greatest alarm, knowing that his temper was of that ungovernably savage character that nothing "would restrain him from indulging it. In this state of things, his master devised a plan for the permanent relief of his family. Having made his arrangements, he went out into the field with his hoe in his hand, and said " Cudge, you have had rather hot work getting in the potatoes." " Yes, massa, hot enough." " Well, I am going to give you a play-day. I have sold fifty bushels, to be delivered on board a vessel at the wharf in Salem, and if you would like it, you may go in with the load." " Oh ! yes, massa ; like it very well." " You may have the whole day, Cudge. You can take your fiddle with you, and play a jig for the sailors, and so get a few coppers for yourself. " Cudge was highly pleased with the proposal, and started off in great glee. Having unloaded his potatoes, the sailors, who had been let into the secret and received their instructions beforehand, called upon Cudge to bring out his fiddle and 32 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. play them a jig, that they might have one merry dance before going to sea. The negro showed his teeth, and his fiddle too ; and presently the deck of the brig was as merry as a country ball-room at Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, the dancers were not niggardly in " paying the piper." The coppers fell on this side and that, and Cudge was somewhat discon- certed in his measure, by the necessity of breaking off and running after them, to prevent them from going out at the scuppers. Presently, one of the sailors said " Cudge, your fiddle is getting dry ; you must go be- low and rosin your bow." This was another phrase for " wetting his whistle," or taking a dram. Cudge took the hint with alacrity, and adjourned with two or three of the party to the forecastle. Here, with drinking, fiddling, singing and dancing, two or three hours passed away, and Cudge had almost filled his pockets with coppers. At length, starting up, as from a dream, he exclaimed : " Yah ! I must go up, and see how the cattle stand." He went up ; but, to his utter amazement, there was neither cattle nor cart to be seen ; no, nor houses, nor wharf. The brig was many miles out at sea, and Cudge was bound to a southern clime, where slaves could be more easily managed than on the hardy soil of New Eng- land. He went to the same market with his potatoes, and was sold for the samp account. CHAPTER II. PUTNAM'S MARRIAGE AND SETTLEMENT IN CONNECTICUT. His marriage Removes to Pomfret His prosperity as a farmer His operations as a wool-grower Ravages in his sheep-folds The veteran she-wolf Her annual visits to Pomfret Her exten- sive operations there Combination against her The pursuit- Tracked home to her den Attempts to smoke her out Putnam descends into the cave Description of the passage His sudden exit Returns with his gun Despatches his enemy Returns the third time and drags her out Triumphant procession Reception in the village Exaggerated versions of the story. IN 1739, at the age of twenty-one years, Mr. Putnam was married to Miss Hannah Pope, daughter of Mr. John Pope, of Salem, by whom he had ten children, four sons and six daughters. The following year he removed from his na- tive place, and settled upon a tract of land which he had purchased in Pomfret, in Connecticut. This is an inland town in Windham County, thirty-six miles east of Hart- ford, and situated on the Quinnebaug, or Mohegan river, one of the tributaries of the Thames. It is blessed with a good soil, and all the ordinary requisites for a thrifty and successful husbandry. In those days of comparative simplicity, the expenses of living, particularly in the farming districts, were very moderate, and easily acquired. Few of the costly luxu- ries of the present day were known. The hard and bur- densome yoke of European fashion, which grinds so many of us into the dust, was not then laid upon the colonies LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. It is a singular anomaly in the history of Independent America, that she wears, without complaint, the fetters of a voluntary slavery, ten times more expensive and burden- some than that which roused the dependent colonies to resistance, and severed for ever the bonds which had so long united them to the mother-country. Our good old fathers and mothers, particularly those who maintained the independent life of cultivators of the soil, would have scorned the servile imitation of the multitude in our day. They would have deemed it the extreme of folly to sacri- fice one real comfort to the mere outside show of equality to the rich and the great. With these simple, unaffected tastes, and no merely artificial wants to drain off all the fruits of their toil, the industrious and skilful were almost sure of success. This was the issue of Mr. Putnam's labors upon his new farm. A very few years found him in the enjoyment of a com- fortable and substantial home ; his clearings well fenced and cultivated ; his pastures handsomely stocked ; and his entire establishment, with one exception, in the full tide of prosperous increase. This exception, as it serves to illustrate the heroic and independent character of our sub- ject, and furnishes the explanation of one of the peculiar sobriquets, by which he was often distinguished among his military comrades in after life, deserves particular notice. Mr. Putnam's pastures were well adapted to the culti- vation of sheep. With his usual promptness he availed himself of this facility to carry on quite an extensive busi- ness in wool. His flocks were numerous and thrifty, and he prided himself not a little in having as extensive folds, and as good fleeces, as any in New England. He was, therefore, particularly nettled when this part of his exten- sive establishment was selected as the object of nightly THE WOLF. ravages, by some of the farmers' enemies, that were prowling about in that region. His fields had suffered occasionally from drought in summer, and mildew in har- vest. The severity of the winter had carried off some of his cattle. But these inroads upon his folds had.come to be exacted as an annual tribute, and were quite too severe to be tolerated. His losses were very great, so much se as to threaten the entire destruction of that department of his business. All this havoc appeared to have been com mitted by one she-wolf, and her annual whelps ; though it is not improbable they were sometimes accompanied by a stronger force. The young were usually destroyed in the course of the season by the vigilance of the hunters and their dogs ; but the old one was too sagacious to allow herself to be -caught, or even to be seen. She had once unwarily set her foot in a trap that was laid for her, but had escaped by leaving her toes behind. When too closely pursued to carry on her depredations any longer with safety, she would abandon the vicinity altogether for the season. But she invariably returned the ensuing winter, with another family of hungry whelps to feed. Mr. Putnam was not the only sufferer by these annual visits of the wolf. His neighbors, all around, shared in his losses, though none of them were quite as heavily taxed as he. At length, finding the nuisance intolerable, he entered into a combination with five of his neighbors to watch and hunt alternately, and never abandon the pursuit till she was destroyed. Two of them, by turns, were to keep on her track until she was overtaken, or driven home to her den. Commencing the pursuit immediately after a light fall of snow, in the opening of winter, they were soon on a trail that could not be mistaken. The accident of the steel trap had made one foot much shorter than its mate, so that the fugitive robber made her mark as she LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. went. In this manner she was pursued over hill and valley, through forest, and brake, and swamp, to the bank of the Connecticut river. Arrested in her flight here, she turnad back in a direct course for Pomfret, with the hunt- ers in close and vigilant chase. Early in the morning, the day after their return, they had driven her into a den, about three miles from the house of Mr. Putnam. Here she was carefully guarded, till a large company of men and boys had assembled, with dogs, guns, straw and sul- phur, prepared to finish the work which had been so well begun, by inflicting summary vengeance upon the common enemy. It was a scene of general interest and excitement. Rare sport was expected by some of the younger and less expe- rienced. It was soon found, however, that the enemy had chosen her retreat with good judgment ; and was pre- pared, not only to stand an obstinate siege, but to defend herself with a fierceness and bravery that were quite appal- ling. Some of the hounds, who had become heated in the chase, ventured into her fastness, but soon retreated, yelping bitterly and covered with wounds. And no ur- gency could induce them to return to the charge. It was now attempted to smoke her out. The mouth of the cave was filled with straw. The torch was applied. The smoke rolled up in heavy volumes, and filled every crevice of the cave ; but the wolf came not forth. She seemed resolved to die where she was, rather than suffer herself to be taken, or face the weapons of such a company of exasperated foes. The fumes of sulphur produced no better effect. It is probable, indeed, that the imprisoned animal was not so much annoyed by them as her tormen- tors supposed. There may have been some fissure by which they escaped, without finding their way into the inner recess of the cavern where the wolf was. HK ENTERS THE WOLf's DEN. In these -fruitless efforts to dislodge her, the time had flown by, till it now wanted only two hours of midnight. It was clear that something more effectual must be done, or all their labor would be lost. Another effort was made to induce the dogs to go in, but without success. They had had enough of that sport already, and would not budge an inch. Mr. Putnam then proposed to his servant to take a torch and a gun, and descend into the cavern and shoot the wolf. As his master doubtless expected, he declined the honor of so hazardous an enterprise. Find- ing no one in the company who was willing to attempt the perilous descent, and declaring he was ashamed to have a coward in his family, he resolved at once to go in himself, and put a certain end to the ravager of his flocks, lest she should escape by some unknown passage, and become once more the scourge of the country. His neighbors remonstrated against so mad an exposure of his life, but in vain. He was bent on accomplishing, that very night, the death of his victim. He knew that all wild animals have instinctive dread of fire. He, accord- ingly, provided himself with a quantity of birch-bark, which he tore into strips convenient for use these being the only torches which he could then command. Thus provided, he stripped off his coat and waistcoat, lighted one of his torches, and crawling on his hands and knees, without any weapon in his hand, commenced the bold descent. " The aperture of the den, on the east side of a very high ledge of rocks, is about two feet square ; from thence it descends obliquely fifteen feet ; then, running horizontally about ten feet more, it ascends gradually sixteen feet towards its termination. The sides of this subterranean cavity are composed of smooth and solid rocks, which seem to have been divided from each other by some for- 38 L : y E OF GENERAL PUTNAM. mer earthquake. The top and bottom are also of stone, and the entrance, in winter being covered with ice, is ex- ceedingly slippery. It is in no place high enough for a man to raise himself upright, nor in any place more than three feef in width. " Having groped his passage to the horizontal part of the den, the most terrifying darkness appeared in front of the dim circle of light afforded by his torch. It was silent as the house of death. None but monsters of the desert had ever before explored this solitary mansion of horror." It required no slight care and presence of mind, to keep alive the flame by which his course was guided. Though creeping on all fours, he was obliged several times to pause and renew his torch, at the imminent hazard, each time, of being left in utter darkness in the depths of the cave. " Cautiously proceeding onward, he came to the ascent, which he slowly mounted on his hands and knees, until he discovered the glaring eye-balls of the wolf, who was sit- ting at the extremity of the cavern. Startled at the sight of fire, she gnashed her teeth, and gave a sullen growl." Having fully reconnoitered the position of the enemy, and formed his plan of attack, the bold scout gave a hearty kick upon the rope, which, by way of precaution, had been secured around one of his legs. His friends, who were waiting in breathless suspense and anxiety at the mouth of the den, hearing the fierce growl of the wolf, which showed that she was yet unhurt, and supposing that Mr. Putnam must be in imminent danger, responded vigorously to the concerted signal, dragging him forth with such violence, *' that his shirt was stripped over his head, and his skin severely lacerated." Having adjusted his clothes, and loaded his gun, he took another handful of torches, and descended a second time into the narrow cave. Encumbered with his musket, this RETURNS IN TRIUMPH 39 descent was much more difficult than the first, though, armed as he" was, and somewhat familiar with the bearings and distances of his journey, and the position of his foe, it was certainly much more safe and agreeable. As he ap- proached the object of his pursuit somewhat nearer than before, she manifested the most decided symptoms of un- easiness at his presence. Her appearance was exceedingly fierce and terrible ; " howling, rolling her eyes, snapping her teeth, and dropping her head between her legs, she was evidently in the attitude, and on the point, of springing at her assailant. At that critical moment he levelled his piece, aiming directly at her head, and fired. Stunned with the shock, and suffocated with the smoke of the pow- der, he immediately found himself drawn out of the cave," though somewhat more gently than on the former occa- sion. Having refreshed himself a few moments in the open air, and given time for the smoke to clear away from the long passages of the cavern, he went down the third time to secure and bring away his prize. His shot had taken good effect. The animal lay stretched on the floor of her inner chamber, weltering in her blood. Applying his torch to her nose, and finding her perfectly insensible, he seized her by the ears ; and, giving the usual signal to his friends without, by kicking the rope, was drawn heavily, but exultingly out, dragging his victim after him. On emerging into the air, and bringing out, amid the fit- ful glare of a score or two of torches, that fearful creature, that had so long been the terror and scourge of their fields, he was received with such a shout as made the old woods of Pomfret ring again. Its echoes reverberated along the valley, and reached the wakeful ears of the anxious wives and mothers, whose fears, increasing as the midnight hour approached, had led many of them more than once to ex- 40 LIFE OF GENERAL P U T N A M . claim, " I wish they would leave the old wclf alone. I would rather lose every sheep in the fold, than have my husband or child brought home dead or wounded." The nature of that shout could not be mistaken, even by a woman. It hushed all their fears in a moment ; and when, some half an hour after, the party was seen winding down the valley, with flaming torches, escorting the victor in triumph to his home, with the trophy of his daring valor borne on a sort of litter on the shoulder of the larger boys, who claimed the honor as their perquisite for keeping awake so long the tables were all laid, and a generous hot supper provided for all the volunteers in that cold mid- night campaign. Mr. Putnam's frank, open, agreeable manners, his gene- rous spirit and uniform good humor, had already secured him the good will of all his neighbors ; while his activity, enterprise, good sense and sterling integrity of character had won for him their entire esteem and regard. He now be- came, as will naturally be supposed, the hero of the village and the surrounding country. The story of his daring ex- ploit with the wolf travelled far and wide, and received many poetical embellishments, in the course of its travels. In some cases the dimensions of the cave, and the difficulty of access to it, formidable as it really was, were greatly exaggerated. In some, the den was full of wolves, as that of Daniel was of lions ; while one version repre- sented the hero, like Samson or David, as entering her hold unarmed, seizing the wolf, and strangling her in his arms. Another substituted a bear and two cubs for the wolf, and represented the bear as going off with Putnam's sow in her mouth, \vhile he pursued her with a club, d.e- scending into the den, and destroying the whole family without the assistance of any other person. The story, with all its exaggerations, found its way into the papers THE UNRULY BULL. 41 and journals of England and France, so that Putnam came to be familiarly known abroad as " the old wolf." This was a common designation among his fellow-officers during " the seven years' war." The description of the cave, given above, is in every particular accurate and exact, and was no doubt the result of actual measurement on the part of Colonel Humphreys Mr. Putnam was a man of great personal strength, as well as courage. His frame was large and athletic. His motions were rapid, nervous and impulsive. And though he seldom undertook what he did not successfully accom- plish, it often seemed as if he rushed to an act without thought, and achieved it without a purpose. The truth was, that the movements of his jnind were as nervous and impulsive as those of his body. His perceptions were quick and accurate, and he jumped to conclusions at which other men would arrive by slow and careful inquiry. This was the true secret of his successful daring. It was not thoughtlessness, but an instantaneous perception of all the bearings of his position, and a consequent calmness and self-possession which made him master of circumstances, over which other and less active minds would have had no control. An incident is related of him at this period, which, though it may seem too trifling of itself to be preserved, will illustrate this peculiar impulsiveness, at the same time that it affords a striking proof ot his uncommon strength. He had among his cattle a very fine bull, whom he valued highly for his noble proportions and great strength, but whose fierce, unruly temper made him the terror of the whole neighborhood. Corn'ttsj up to him in the pasture one day, when he had been peculiarly savage and ugly, he suddenly seized him by the tail and twisting it round a small tree, held him fast, while he administered 42 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. a severe and effectual chastisement with an ox goad. The furious animal bellowed and tore the ground in his "rage, but it was of no avail. The rod was laid on with such determined energy and good will, that every stroke had its desired effect, while the strong arm that held him gave him no chance of escape. From that time he was master of the bull, and had only to show the rod in his hand, to make him comparatively quiet and submissive. The untiring industry and prudent husbandry of Mr. Putnam, during the ten or twelve years that intervened before the breaking out of the French War, placed his affairs on a very sound basis, and secured for him a com- fortable independence for life. And when he was after- wards called to engage in the active service of his country, in the camp and the field, and to undergo the hardships and privations of war, he had the satisfaction of leaving his family well provided for, and having a quiet retreat to fall back upon, whenever the fortunes of war should either compel or permit him to retire. In this respect, he was more favorably situated than many of his compeers, who, in hazarding their lives for a cause which was too poor to reward them for their services, sacrificed their all, and returned, when their liberties were achieved, to wear away the evening of their days amid the cares and priva- tions of poverty, as broken in fortune as in physical con- stitution. ' CHAPTER III. THE FRENCH WAR. PUTNAM'S FIRST CAMPAIGN. Mr. Putnam's general popularity Receives a Captain's commission under General Lyman His company Generally employed as rangers and scouts Nature and difficulty of that service Inaus- picious commencement of the war Sir William Johnson's success- ful expedition Its object and plan Fortifications Position of the French at Tinconderoga They attempt to arrest the English works Dieskau marches upon Fort Edward Changes his course towards Lake George Encounters Colonel Williams The battle Hendricks, the Mohawk chief Williams and Hendricks slain The retreat The assault upon Johnson's camp Repelled Dieskau a prisoner The pursuit Captain McGinnes Joseph Brant Fort William Henry built Captain Rogers His Journal Its omissions His character and subsequent history Goes on a scout with Putnam Rogers in imminent danger Rescued by Putnam Army in winter quarters Putnam returns to his family. THE fearless courage, the generous and ready benevolence, and the open, frank, confiding manner of Mr. Putnam, won the admiration and regard of all who knew him. His early popularity was remarkable ; and so enduring was it, that the few individuals who have assumed the ungracious office of detracting from his well-earned fame, have been compelled to admit the fact, while they deny him every pretension to that distinguished merit on which it should have been founded. So great was his reputation, however accounted for, that, without any previous military experience, he was appointed to a captaincy, in the regiment of Connecticut 44 LIFE OF GENERAL PUT N A II. provincials, on the breaking out of the French War. He found no difficulty in beating up recruits. His personal friends and admirers flocked to his standard, and his com- pany was soon complete. A company, not of vagabonds and bar-room adventurers, who follow the beat of a drum for the rations which it promises without the drudgery of daily toil but of hardy, industrious, respectable young men, the very flower of the yeomanry of Connecticut. None of them had been educated in the use of arms, or the evolutions of the camp and the battle-field. They had bold hearts and strong arms, and a confidence in their leader that made the service li^ht. O The regiment, of which this company composed a part, was commanded by General Lyman. Putnam's command, however, was so often detached on special and peculiar service, that it held, during all the war, rather the position of an independent corps, than that of a limb of the army. Though not specifically drafted as Rangers, nor organized under that distinctive name, the duty assigned to it, and performed by it, was of that hardy, bold, adventurous cha- racter, which is usually rendered by that portion of a well appointed army. It was a service to which the genius of Putnam was peculiarly adapted. He delighted in scenes of daring excitement. He revelled in adventure. The ordinary monotony of camp duty would have been insup- portably irksome. In the active and perilous duty of reconnoitering the enemy's posts, surprising their pickets, cutting off or capturing detached parties, waylaying eon- voys of provisions, destroying barracks and batteaux, and making prisoners, he found ample employment for his spirit of restless enterprise, as well as ample scope for that fruitfulness of invention and stratagem for which he was distinguished. Never, perhaps, was there a war between two civilized COMMENCEMENT OF THE FRENCH WAR. 45 nations in which this peculiar kind of service was so indis- pensable, or where it was attended with so great and fear- ful hazards, as this, in which the English and French con- tended for the mastery in the Western Continent. The Indian tribes were nearly all enlisted on the side of the French. The mountains, the forests, the river banks, the shores and inlets of the lakes, were infested with straggling parties of these ruthless marauders, whose stealthy movements and peculiar mode of attack, rendered them far more formidable and annoying than many times their number of ordinary soldiers. Skulking in every thicket, and prowling in the outskirts of every wood, they were ever ready to spring upon the foe ; who oftener fell by an unseen hand, than by an open enemy, against whom they might defend themselves, either by skilful manoeuvre or the prowess of their arms. To contend with the diffi- culties of such a service, and render effective aid in its prosecution, the utmost coolness, prudence, sagacity and watchfulness, as well as fertility and readiness of resource, and promptness of action, were demanded. Bold, resolute, unflinching hearts, and hands that could almost anticipate the promptings of the will, were requisite to any degree of success. The war commenced in earnest in 1755, with the unfor- tunate expedition of General Braddock against Fort Du- quesne ; the fruitless one of General Shirley against Fort ^Niagara ; and the brilliant victory of Sir William Johnson over the Baron Dieskau, at Fort Edward, on Lake George. It was in this last and successful expedition, that Captain Putnam entered upon that great theatre of honorable strife and hazardous adventure, where he won those enduring laurels, which link his name with the noblest and worthiest of our country. Ths object of this expedition was to reduce Crown 46 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. Point, and drive the French from their strong holds in and about Lake Champlain. It originated in Massachusetts, and was to be executed by the colonial troops of New England and New York, General William Johnson , a lead- ing member of the council of the latter colony, being placed in command. The troops from the different sections were to rendezvous at Albany. The greater part of them arrived at that place before the end of June ; but the artillery, bateaux, provisions, and other necessaries for the es pedi- tion could not be prepared till the 8th of August, at which time the army took up its line of march for the carrying place, between the Hudson and Lake George. General Lytnan was already there, and had commenced the erec- tion of a fortification, which was first called Fort Lyman, and afterward changed to Fort Edward. Toward the end of August, the main body moved for- ward, and encamped near the southern extremity of Lake George to which the French had given the name of Lake St. Sacrament. Here it was ascertained, by means of some Indian scouts, who had been sent out to gather intel- ligence, that a considerable party of French and Indians were stationed at Ticonderoga, on the isthmus between the north end of Lake George, and the southern part of Lake Champlain, about fifteen miles below Crown Point. Their position was admirably selected, as was proved in the subsequent history of the war, when it became a place of great strength and importance. But as yet, no defences were thrown up. Johnson was impatient to bring up his bateaux and artillery, intending to proceed wilh part of his force and seize that important pass. In the meantime, the French furnished him with sufficient employment at his own camp. Baron Dieskau was in command of the French forces. He had just received intelligence of the commencement of BATTLE OF LAKE GEORGE. 47 the works at the carrying place by General Lyman, and resolved to give him battle before his entrenchments were completed ; intending, if successful, to desolate the north- ern settlements, lay Albany and Schenectady in ashes, and cut off all communications with Oswego^ and the northern lakes. With this design, he embarked at Crown Point with. two thousand men ; and, landing at South Bay, pro- ceeded toward Fort Edward. The troops were ignorant of his purpose of attack until they arrived within two miles of the fort. Then, finding the Canadians and Indians unwilling to face the English cannon, he suddenly changed his route, and moved rapidly northward, hoping to sur- prise the camp at St. Sacrament, or Lake George. In the meantime, General Johnson being apprised by his scouts of the movements of the French Baron sent messengers to Fort Edward to warn General Lyman of his approach. One of these was intercepted and killed. The others soon returned with the intelligence that they had descried the enemy about four miles northward of the fort. It was now the 8th of September. A council of war was immediately called, in which it was resolved to send out a detachment, to intercept the enemy on his return. Hendricks, the celebrated Mohawk chief, was present at this council. When the number proposed to be sent out was mentioned to him, he replied : " If they are to fight they are too few ; if they are to be killed they are too many" It was then suggested to send out a larger de- tachment, in three separate parties. Hendricks took three sticks, and said : " Put these together, and you cannot break them ; take them one by one, and you may do it easily." The Mohawk's advice was taken ; and victory, though dearly bought, was the result. The detachment was placed under the command of 48 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. Colonel Ephraim Williams, a brave officer, who, at the head of one thousand provincials, with about two hundred Indians, met the Baron nearly four miles from the camp. That able commander, apprised of their approach, made an advantageous disposition of his men to receive them. Keeping the main body of the regulars with him in the centre, he ordered the Canadians and Indians to advance on the right and left, in the woods, in such a manner as to enclose their enemy. When the American troops were considerably within the ambuscade, the old Mohawk sachem, who, with his Indians, had been sent out as a flank guard to the detachment, was hailed by a hostile Indian. " Whence came you ?" said he. " From the Mohawks. Whence came you ?" " From Montreal." The firing, which commenced immediately after this parley, brought on the action sooner than Dieskau intend- ed, and prevented Williams and his party from being entirely surrounded and cut off. The provincials fought bravely, but rinding themselves attacked on every side by superior numbers, were compelled to retreat with con- siderable loss. Colonel Williams was among the slain Hend ricks also was killed, with a number of his Indians, who fought with great intrepidity. The loss of the enemy was also considerable. Among their slain was M. St, Pierre, who commanded all the Indians, and on whom great reliance was placed. The retreating troops joined the main body, and waited the approach of their assail- ants, now rendered more sanguine and formidable by their recent success. A little before noon, the advanced guard of the enemy appeared in sight of the American army, which was encamped in a favorable position on the banks of Lake BARON DIESKAU WOUNDED. 49 George, covered on each flank by a low, thick wooded swamp. General Johnson had just mounted several pieces of cannon, which he had most opportunely received two days before from Fort Edward ; and trees had been felled to form a sort of breastwork, which was his only cover against an attack. The enemy marched along the road, in very regular order, and in high confidence of victory. When within one hundred and fifty yards of the breastwork they made a momentary halt. A spirited attack was then made by the regulars upon the centre, while the Canadians and Indians fell upon the flanks. The distant platoon fire of the French did but little execution, so that the Americans soon recovered their spirits and determined on a most resolute defence. As soon as their artillery began to play, the Canadian militia and Indians, who were not accustomed to such terrible engines of destruction, fled in confusion and dismay to the swamps. Meeting with a warmer reception than he anticipated, and deserted by his allies, Dieskau was compelled, reluctantly, to order a retreat. His troops retiring in great disorder, were followed briskly by a party from the camp, who fell furiously on their rear, and precipitated their flight. Baron Dieskau, who had received a wound in his leg, was found leaning against a stump entirely alone. While feeling for his watch, one of the Americans, now supposed to be General Pomeroy, suspecting him to be in search of a pistol, inflicted upon him another wound, which ulti- mately proved mortal, and conducted him a prisoner to the camp. The English not continuing their pursuit, the enemy halted about four miles from the camp, at the very place where the engagement took place in the morning, and opened their packs for refreshment. While thus engaged, D 50 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. a detachment of two hundred of the New Hampshire militia, under the brave Captain McGinnes, who had been dispatched from Fort Edward to the assistance of the main body, fell upon them and completely routed them. Captain McGinnes fell in the action. A large number of prisoners were taken. For this victory General Johnson was rewarded with a baronetcy, and a gift of five hundred pounds. It was in this battle of Lake George, that Thayendane- gea, the young Mohawk chief, better known as Joseph Brant, made his first appearance on the field of war. He was only thirteen years old. In relating the particulars of the bloody engagement, some time after, he stated, that " he was seized with such a tremor when the firing com- menced, that he was obliged to take hold of a sapling to steady himself; but, after a few volleys, he recovered the use of his limbs, and the composure of his mind, so as to support the character of a brave man." He was born to be a warrior, as his history abundantly proves. " I like," said he, when some one was speaking of music, " I like the harpsichord well, and the organ still better ; but I like the drum and trumpet best of all, for they make my heart beat quick." For the purpose of securing the country from the incur- sions of the enemy, General Johnson erected a fort at the place of his encampment, which he named Fort William Henry. The remainder of the season was occupied in completing the intrenchments, with an occasional skir- mish between reconnoitring and foraging parties, but with- out any attempt, on either side, to give or provoke a general engagement. Soon after Putnam's arrival in the camp, he became intimately acquainted with a famous partizan, Captain, after- wards Major, Rogers, whose eminent services, as com- MAJOR ROGERS. 51 mander of the corps of New Hampshire Rangers, contribut- ed so much to the success of this expedition. Rogers kept a journal of his own achievements, and that of his corps, which was published in London, in 1765. It is full of stirring interest, though manifestly incorrect in some re- spects. There is a studied omission of the services, and even of the name of Putnam, so glaring as to impress the mind of one acquainted with the facts, that it was the result of some private pique, which the author was not willing to acknowledge. In some essential points, which we shall notice as we proceed, the journal differs entirely from the orderly books of the army ; and, in others, from the nar- rative which Mr. Putnam's biographer, Col. David Hum- phreys, had from his own lips. The discrepancies discover- ed relate almost exclusively to those matters in which Put- nam shared the hardship and the glory. There can be no more authentic record of such matters than the orderly books of the army ; and as to Putnam's word, it was always regard- ed, by all who knew him, as worthy of entire and implicit credit. The learned Dr. Dwight, afterwards President of Yale College, was his intimate friend. He was not a man to " give flattering titles to any," or sacrifice truth to the mere euphony of a panegyric. It was he who wrote the epitaph upon Putnam's tomb, in which, after commending his patriotism and his martial virtues, as above all praise, he speaks of him as " a man, whose generosity was singu- lar, whose honesty was proverbial," &c. Dr. Dwight al- ludes to him elsewhere in his writings, and always with the same unlimited confidence. " His word," says he, " was regarded as ample security for anything for which it was pledged, and his uprightness commanded absolute con- fidence." The omissions in Rogers' journal are the more remark- able, since it was to Putnam that the writer was once in 52 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. debted for the preservation of his life, at the hazard of his own. Whether it was Putnam's frank, open, republican simplicity of manners, or his bold and successful daring, threatening an eclipse to his own fame as a ranger, that rendered him both ungrateful and oblivious in these cases, it is impossible now to decide. It is clear, however, that he had little feeling in common with his countrymen, and that, when he performed the remarkable services ascribed to him in " the Seven Years' war," it was not as an Ameri- can, but as a loyal servant of his majesty. This loyalty he retained to the end ; and, when the war of the Revolution broke out, he was found in the British service, fighting against the liberties of the land of his birth. His journal was published in London the same year with the passage of the stamp act, and after the dispute between the colo- nies and the mother country had begun to wax uncomfort- ably warm.* Sometimes in company with Rogers, and sometimes alone, Putnam was employed in reconnoitering the enemy's lines, gaining intelligence of his movements, and taking straggling prisoners, as well as in beating up the quarters, and surprising the advanced picquets of their army. For these purposes, in addition to the regular corps of Rangers, under Captain Rogers, Putnam and his corps, as we have already stated, though not originally drafted for such a service, were assigned to these difficult and perilous under- takings. The first time the two Captains went out toge- ther, it was the fortune of Putnam to preserve the life of Rogers, by striking down with his own hands a (French- man, who was about to plunge a dagger into his heart. The object of the expedition, on which they were de- tached, was to obtain an accurate knowledge of the posi- tion of the enemy, and the state of the fortifications at See Appendix, No. 1. SAVES THE LIFE OF MAJOR ROGERS. 53 Crown Point. The fort was so situated that it was impos- sible to approach it with their whole party, near enough to effect the purpose of their mission, without being discovered. To go alone, was to expose themselves to a hazard which was hardly justifiable, on account of the swarms of hostile Indians, who infested the woods. Determined, however, not to return without an attempt to accomplish their object, the two leaders left all their men in covert at a convenient distance, with strict orders to remain carefully concealed till their return ; and crept stealthily forward, under cover of the darkness, till they reached the near vicinity of the fortress. Here they laid during the night, without making any satisfactory discoveries. Early in the morning they approached nearer, and spent considerable time in examin- ing the defences from several points of view. Having completed their observations, and obtained all the informa- tion they desired upon the several points to which their attention had been directed, they were about returning to their covert, when Rogers, being separated from his com- rade a short distance, suddenly encountered a stout French- man, who, instantly giving the alarm to a guard near by, seized his fusee with one hand, and with the other made a desperate effort to stab him. A severe struggle ensued. The guard answered the call, and there was imminent danger of having the whole garrison upon them at once. Perceiving that no time was to be lost, and that further alarm would be given, and their danger greatly increased, if he should fire, Put- nam sprang upon the Frenchman, administered a heavy blow upon his head with the butt end of his musket, and laid him dead at his feet. Thus relieved, and expecting instant pursuit, they flew with the utmost speed to the mountains, joined their party in ambush, and returned, 54 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. without further incident, to the camp. This was in the latter part of October. The fortress at Crown Point being found too strong, and too ably garrisoned, to justify an attack, and the season being now far advanced, the greater part of the army was discharged, reserving only six hundred men, under the immediate command of General Johnson, to garrison Forts Edward and William Henry. The French, in the mean time, took possession of Ticonderoga, at the northern out- let of Lake George, and fortified it strongly. The colonial troops having enlisted only for the cam- paign, Captain Putnam's term of service ended with the season, and he returned home to pass the winter in the quiet enjoyment of domestic life, and to look after the inte- rests of his growing family and his thrifty farm, With a versatility peculiar to a pioneer life, he exchanged the sword for the ploughshare, and the gilded military coat for the homespun frock, equally willing and able to till the soil, as to fight in its defence. CHAPTER IV. THE CAMPAIGN OF 1756. PUTNAM'S SERVICES AS A RANGER. Putnam re-appointed Plan of the campaign Montcalm's success at Oswego and Fort George The English put upon the defensive The active services of the Rangers Adventure of Putnam and Durkee at "The Ovens" Arrangement of the French camp The scouts within the lines Fired upon Their narrow escape Their lodgings Canteen sprung a leak Baggage train plundered at Half- Way Brook Putnam and Rogers sent in pursuit of the plunderers Successful encounter with the boats Pursued in their turn Rencontre with a superior force at Sabbath-day Point The enemy defeated and dispersed Another adventure Putnam sent out to take a prisoner Cowardly conduct of his men Defeat- ed in his object His escape His ultimate success Importance of this kind of service Putnam's peculiar fitness for it. THE plan of the campaign of 1756, as agreed upon in a council of the colonial governors, held at Albany in the early part of the season, was similar to that of the preced- ing year having for its object the reduction of Crown Point, Niagara, and Fort Duquesne. Putnam was re-ap- pointed to his command, under his old leader Major- General Abercrombie being commander-in-chief until the latter part of July, when he was superseded by the Earl of Loudoun. The expedition against Crown Point was committed to Major-General Winslow, which he was to conduct with the provincial forces alone, without any aid from the British troops, who were reserved to garrison and defend the forts. The astonishing success of Montcalm at Forts Oswego 56 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. and George, which he razed to the ground, diverted the British General from his offensive movement towards Crown Point. General Winslow was arrested in his pre- parations for this service, and ordered to fortify his own camp, in anticipation of an attack from the enemy, and an attempt to advance into the country, below the Lake Champlain,by way of South Bay or Wood Creek. Gene- ral Webb, with fourteen hundred men, was stationed at the great carrying place, near Wood Creek ; and Sir Wil- liam Johnson, with one thousand, at the German Flats, on the Mohawk, and nearly half way to Oswego. In these precautionary and defensive measures the campaign passed off without another battle. But, though a season of inactivity to the body of the army, and the commanders, it was full of stirring incident to Putnam and others, whose task it was to watch the movements, and annoy the outposts of the enemy. Adven- tures of this kind are sufficiently hazardous in the day- time ; but, when attempted in the night, they are pecu- liarly liable to accidents. Having been commanded to reconnoitre the enemy's camp, at a place called " The Ovens," near Ticonderoga, Captain Putnam took as a companion in the enterprise, the brave Lieutenant Robert Durkee. In the prosecution of the duties assigned him, he narrowly escaped being made a prisoner himself, in the first instance, and killing his comrade, in the second. It was the custom, with the British and Provincial troops, to arrange their camp fires along the outer lines of their encampment, which gave a great advantage to the enemy's scouts and patrols, laying open the whole extent of the camp to their view, and frequently exposing the sentinels to be picked off by expert marksmen. A contrary, and much more rational practice, prevailed among the French and Indians. They kindled their fires in the centre, lodged HAZARDOUS RECONNOITRE. 57 their men circularly at a distance, and posted their senti- nels in the surrounding darkness. Ignorant of this arrange- ment, and supposing that the French sentries were within the circle of the fires, the bold scouts approached the camp, creeping upon their hands and knees with the greatest possible caution, until, to their utter astonishment, they found themselves in the very thickest of the enemy. The sentinels, seeing by the light of the fires beyond that some one had passed stealthily without challenge, gave the alarm and fired. Durkee was slightly wounded in the thigh. There was, of course, no alternative but instant flight. Putnam, being foremost, and scarcely able, on turning away from the glare of the fires, to see his hand before him, soon plunged into a clay-pit. Durkee, limping briskly along, tumbled, with no gentle fall, into the same pit. Putnam, not relishing a companion so near, in such circumstances, and supposing him to be one of the pur- suing enemy, was about striking him down, when Durkee, who had followed so closely as to know what company he was in, inquired whether he had escaped unhurt. Instantly recognizing the voice of his friend, and rejoicing to find him also safe, Putnam dropped his weapon, and both, springing from the pit, made good their retreat to the neighboring ledges, amid a shower of random shot. Hav- ing reached a place of safety, they found shelter under the lee of a large log, which afforded them a comfortable lodg- ing for the remainder of the night Before composing themselves to sleep, Putnam recol- lected that there was a little rum left in his canteen. Thinking it could never be more acceptable, or useful, than at that time, he generously offered to share it with his comrade, in drinking to the confusion of the sentinel who had given them so unceremonious a salutation. On 68 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. examining the canteen, however, which hung under his arm, it was found perfectly dry, having been pierced by one of the balls that had whistled about him in his flight. The temperance men of the present day, would doubtless regard that ball as having done better service than if it had drawn the blood of an enemy. On inspecting his blanket, the next day, it was found to have been pierced in fourteen places. Whether all this boring was the work of one leaden messenger from the French camp, or of many, it must be regarded as one of those remarkable escapes, which can only be referred to the protecting agency of a special providence, of which so many instances are recorded in the annals of the American wars. During the continuance of the army at this place, an incident occurred which illustrates, in a very striking man- ner, the singular courage and ready wit of Mr. Putnam. The garrison had been exceedingly annoyed by a large, powerful, wily Indian, who prowled about the lines under cover of the night, perpetrating all kinds of mischief, and picking off the sentinels apparently at his pleasure, and always eluding the utmost watchfulness of the guards. There was one of the outposts in particular, which had shared more largely than any other in his regards. For several nights in succession, the sentinel on that post was taken off in a most mysterious manner. The commanding officer had given directions, in case any noise should be heard in the vicinity of the station, that the sentinel should call out, " Who goes there ?" three times, and then, if no answer were returned, fire in the direction of the noise. Night after night, these orders had been given, as the post was supplied with a new sentinel, but without any avail. The post was always found deserted in the morning, until it came to be looked upon as certain death to venture upon duty at that place. VOLUNTEERS AS A SENTINEL. 59 As is Casual, in well appointed armies^ the post of danger was sought for by the best men in the garrison ; and already a number of the bravest and most valuable soldiers had fallen in this hazardous service. It began to be diffi- cult to obtain volunteers. At length the post was utterly declined. The commander was making preparations to supply the place by lot, when Mr. Putnam, whose station as a commissioned officer excused him from all such duties as this, stepped forward, and solicited the honor of standing guard for the night. His offer was promptly accepted. Relying upon the rule he had already laid down, the com- mander reiterated the instructions he had given to previous sentinels, saying : " If you hear any sound from without the lines, you will call ' Who goes there ?' three times, and then, if no answer be given, fire." With these instruc- tions, and a promise to give a good accpunt of himself the next day, Putnam proceeded to his post. Having examined, with the utmost scrutiny, every tree, and shrub, and rock, in the neighborhood ; measured v;ith accuracy every point in the area around him; fixed their bearings and distances in his mind, and looked well to the condition of his musket, he commenced his monotonous tramp, to and fro, along his portion of the line His plan of operations had been fully digested in his ow& mind, before he volunteered ; and it will be seen, in the sequel, that he perfectly understood the nature of the Indian's artifice, and the manner in which he had taken advantage of the previous sentinels. For several hours, nothing occurred to attract his notice, or disturb his thoughts. At length, about midnight, his quick ear discerned a slight rustling among the grass, as of an animal stealthily approaching, or passing his post. Presently, this rustling was followed by a crackling sound, like that made by a hog munching acorns. Determined 60 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. that not even a hog should trespass with impunity upon his premises, he raised his musket to his shoulder, and adjusting his aim with great care toward the spot from which the sounds proceeded, called out, " Who goes there three times ?" and instantly discharged his piece. It was followed by a deep groan, and a struggle as of one in the agonies of death. On examining the spot, a huge Indian was found, disguised in a bear-skin, and now just breathing his last. He had been shot through the heart. From that time the sentinels paced their rounds unmolested, and the fatal outpost lost its pre-eminence as the post of danger.* In the course of the summer, a body of the enemy, con- sisting of six hundred men, attacked the baggage and provision waggons of the American army, at a place called Half-way Brook it being equi-distant from Fort Edward and Fort William Henry. Having killed the oxen, and plundered the waggons, they retreated with their booty, experiencing but little interruption from the small body of troops by whom the convoy was escorted. When the tidings of this disaster reached the camp, Captains Put- nam and Rogers were ordered to pursue the plunderers, and recover or destroy their booty. They were directed to embark with one hundred volunteers in boats, with two wall-pieces, and as many blunderbusses, and proceed down Lake George to a certain point, there to leave the bat- teaux under a proper guard, and thence to cross by land, so as to harass, and, if possible, intercept the retreating enemy at the narrows. * This incident was furnished by a gentleman of the first re- spectability, to whom it was communicated some thirty years ago, by Jared Scarborough, Esq., of Brooklyn, a neighbor and inti- mate friend of Putnam, and a sharer in some of his military enter- prises. A DOUBLE VICTORY. 61 These orders were executed with so much spirit and punctuality, that the party arrived at the spot designated for the attack a full half hour before the hostile boats came in view. Waiting under cover of the woods until the enemy, wholly unsuspicious of the ambush, entered the narrows, their boats deeply loaded with plunder, the volunteers commenced a brisk and galling fire. They poured in upon them volley after volley, killed many of the oarsmen, sunk a number of the boats, and would have cut off the whole body, encumbered as they were with baggage, had not a strong wind, favoring their des- perate exertions to escape, swept a few of them through the narrows into the South Bay, and beyond the reach of the guns of their assailants. This shattered remnant of the little fleet, pushing on with desperate speed to Ticon- deroga, reported the disaster, and gave information that Putaam and Rogers were at the narrows, with a large detachment of provincials. A fresh party, of three hundred French and Indians, was instantly despatched to intercept them on their return to Fort Edward, and cut them in pieces. Anticipating the probability of such an attempt, and being fully twenty miles from their boats, they strained every nerve to reach them before night. With incredible exertion they effect- ed their object, and were soon embarked, and moving briskly down the lake. On the following day, having pro- ceeded as far as Sabbath-day Point, they discovered on shore the pursuing party, who must have passed them un- perceived in the night. As soon as the boats came in view, the French embarked with great alacrity, and rowed out into the lake, to give them battle. They advanced in regular line, with a bold and confident air, felicitating themselves upon the certain prospect of an easy victory, from the great superiority of their numbers. Flushed with 62 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM these expectations, they were permitted to come within pistol shot before a gun was fired. Then, at a signal, the wall pieces and blunderbusses, which had been brought to rake the enemy in their most vulnerable point, were simultaneously discharged. No such broadside reception as this having been anticipated, the assailants were thrown into the utmost, disorder. The confusion and dismay was greatly increased by a well-directed and most destructive fire from the small arms. The larger pieces being re- loaded without annoyance, continued, alternately with the musketry, to make such dreadful havoc, that the enemy never recovered from the first surprise and dismay, suffi- ciently to make one vigorous effort to rally. The rout was complete. The loss of the French was very great. In one of the canoes, containing twenty Indians, only five escaped. From other boats great numbers, both of French and Indians, were seen to fall overboard. The remainder, crippled and shattered, and laden with the wounded and the dying, glad of an opportunity to abandon the scene of so mortifying and terrible a defeat, were driven back to Ticonderoga. Of the American party, only one man was killed, and two slightly wounded. Having dispersed their enemies, they landed on the Point, refreshed themselves at leisure, and then returned in good order and high spirits to the British camp, having inflicted upon an enemy vastly superior in numbers a most mortifying defeat, and an amount of loss scarcely inferior to that of some pitched battles. The loss of the French, in both engagements, could not have been less than five hundred men a heavy price to pay for their bold reprisals upon the American baggage train. Another incident occurred soon after, which, though of no great interest in itself, or in its results, will serve to illustrate the nature of the tasks imposed upon a bold and ALMOST A PRISONER. 63 active partisan ; the vigilance, fearlessness, enterprise and prudence they demanded of him, and the imminent peril to which his life was constantly exposed. The season was far advanced. It was hardly expected that there would be any active hostilities during the present cam- paign, but it was very desirable to obtain, if possible, some definite information of the strength and designs of the enemy. For this purpose Captain Putnam was sent out, with five men, to procure a prisoner from some of the straggling parties of the enemy. Approaching the camp with all the circumspection of an Indian scout, he found a place of concealment exactly adapted to his purpose, in a thicket that skirted the road leading from Ticonderoga to the Ovens. His men, whose valor for the moment got the better of their discretion, ascribing the caution of their leader to cowardice, were very unwilling to confine them- selves within this covert. It was with difficulty that they were prevented from exposing themselves in such a man- ner as to defeat entirely the object of their enterprise, and put the lives of the whole party to unnecessary hazard. The issue proved the truth of the common remark, that they who are most frold and boisterous .when no danger is near, are the first to shrink from it, when it approaches. The party had not been long within their covert, when a Frenchman and an Indian passed ; the Indian being con- siderably in advance. Watching his opportunity, when the Indian was far enough off to render any interference on his part improbable, Putnam sprang from the thicket, ordering his men to follow. After running about thirty rods, he overtook the Frenchman, seized him by the shoulder, and commanded him to surrender. His men, who were lately so bold, now realized the advantage of a place of concealment ; and, disregarding the order of their captain, left him to meet single-handed the danger of a 64 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. conflict with two of their foes. The Frenchman looking round, and perceiving no other enemy, and knowing that his Indian friend would soon be at hand to assist him, ob- stinately resisted being made a prisoner. Putnam, finding himself betrayed by his men into a perilous dilemma, and knowing that no time was to be lost, let go his hold, stepped a few paces back, and levelled his piece at the Frenchman's breast. It missed fire ; whereupon the Frenchman, seeing his advantage, gave the alarm to his Indian comrade, and sprung furiously upon his assailant. Putnam thought it prudent to retreat, and thus drew his enemy off in the direction of the place where his men were posted, and where, if they had not shown themselves too soon, he would inevitably have fallen into their hands They played their part so ill, however, that he discovered the ambuscade in season to effect his escape. It was now a dangerous neighborhood for the American scouts. The alarm had been given, and a diligent and active pursuit was sure to be the consequence. They, therefore, made a precipitate flight, and arrived without accident at their own camp. Mortified with the result of this adven- ture, Putnam dismissed his men with disgrace, selected another party, on whom he could rely with confidence, and set forth again on the same hazardous errand. Of the incidents of this adventure, we are not informed. It was brief and successful, however, as might have been pre- dicted from the character of its leader, for he never aban- doned an enterprise, while there was a reasonable hope of accomplishing it. To those who are unacquainted with the duties and dan- gers of the camp, and with the peculiar difficulties to be overcome, in a country covered with thick forests, and with but few roads besides the Indian footpaths, such insig- nificant feats as the capture of a single prisoner, or a visit HIS STANDING IN THEARMY. 65 of observation to the enemy's lines, \vill hardly appear of sufficient importance to be recorded ; and the services of the bold and able adventurers, by whom they are achieved, will, of course, be lightly appreciated. They may be assured, however, that they were viewed in a very differ- ent light by the commanders, for whose benefit they were undertaken. There were few men in the army, who could not have been better spared than these ; and, during the greater part of the campaign, they were the only men who were employed in any active service, or knew any- thing of the perils and hardships of war. In this department, no one was more useful, no one stood higher in the estimation of the commanding generals, than Captain Putnam. He was found to be possessed, in happy combination, of all the qualities required for this peculiar service. To a total insensibility to danger, he united prudence, circumspection, sagacity, and uncommon fertility of resources, which was equal to any exigency. The employment of a scout and a ranger was admirably adapted to bring out and display these peculiar qualities, though, unfortunately for their possessor, the sphere in which he operated was too limited, and the duties he per- formed of too private and confidential a nature, to secure for him a conspicuous place in the history of those times. Such services rarely receive their due award of fame, un- less the brave men who render them become their own trumpeters. They come not within the range of the ordi- nary records of the army. From their very nature, they are concealed from the public gaze at the time of their achievement. They are planned in secret, and executed in secret their efficiency and success often depending as much upon the fidelity w r ith which their secret character is maintained, as upon any other circumstance. The movements of an army, the fate of a battle the whole E 66 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. matter at issue in a war have often been decided by the information communicated to the commanders by a single scout. Yet his name is not mentioned, nor his agency acknowledged, either by the general in making up his report of the issue, or by the historian in recording it for pos- terity. The simple, phrase " The general having receiv- ed information," &c., covers it all ; while the hazards at which that information was obtained are lost sight of, and the boldness of manoeuvre, the correctness of observation, the sagacity, and sound judgment, required to render it valuable, are credited to the genius and foresight of the commander. Putnam kept no journal. A few of his adventures were partially preserved in the orderly books, and some found their way into the newspapers of the day ; while some were transmitted from friend to friend, for many years, without appearing in print. He enjoyed an uncommon popularity in the army. " He was endeared to the soldiers, hy the cheerfulness with which he shared their perils and privations, and the gallantry which suffered none to go, where he did not himself lead the way ; to his superior officers, by the energy and promptness with which he executed their commands ; and he began to rise, in the estimation of the public generally, as one who was des- tined to become distinguished in a broader field of action." CHAPTER V. THE CAMPAIGN OF 1757 Putnam promoted to be a Major Inefficiency of the British Generais Hopesof the colonies Lord Loudoun suddenly disconcerted Ge- neral Webb visits Fort William Henry Putnam reconnoitres the enemy An attack on the fort threatened Webb returns to Fort Edward Sends a reinforcement to Fort William Henry Sum- mons from Montcalm to surrender Timid policy of Webb The fortress capitulates Shameful massacre by the Indians Putnam visits the scene of carnage Unexpected assault upon Captain Little and his fatigue party Relieved by Major Putnam Diso- bedience Fire in the barracks Putnam's heroic and successful exertions in subduing the flames Narrow escape of the garrison. IN 17o7 the Legislature of Connecticut conferred on Put- nam the commission of a Major. Notwithstanding the many reverses of the Anglo-American forces hitherto, great exertions were made for opening this campaign with an army that should make success almost certain. What might have been the result, had this army been guided by a competent commander, it is impossible to say. But the British government, refusing to learn wisdom from the disasters of past years, persisted in placing the whole con- trol of the affairs of the colonies in the hands of English officers, who knew nothing of the country, and scorned to take the smallest advice from the provincials with whom they were associated. In the present instance, they were more than usually unfortunate in their selection. Of all the generals who served at any time in America, Lord Loudouu was the most incompetent to the arduous service. 68 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. He had superseded General Abercrombie about the middle of the previous campaign, and had been frightened, by the success of Montcalm at Oswego, from attempting any other measures than those of mere defence. During the winter his Lordship made large requisitions upon the colonial Legislatures for the increase of the army. The call was responded to with great alacrity. At the same time, a large fleet and army arrived from Europe, and the colonists began to look upon the speedy downfall of the power of France in America as almost certain. Their hopes were doomed to a bitter disappointment. Instead of following up, as they expected, the designs of the previous campaigns, by striking a decisive blow in the direction of Canada, and shielding their northern frontier from the continual inroads of the enemy, the commander- in-chief, under pretence of concentrating all his force upon one point, and achieving a certain and brilliant victory there, turned his whole attention upon Louisburg, in the island, of Cape Breton. It was midsummer before his preparations for this expedition were completed. When all things were ready, and his forces, both naval and mili- tary, assembled at Halifax, he learned that a powerful fleet had arrived at Louisburg from Brest, with a large reinforcement for the garrison. This disconcerted all his plans. The expedition was at once abandoned, and with it all idea of offensive operations. It required but a single demonstration on the part of the enemy to exhaust the valor of the over-discreet Earl, and throw him upon his defence. Leaving the fleet to watch the motions of the French, he returned to New York to refresh himself for the next year's campaign. Meanwhile, the French commander, Montcalm, secure with respect to Louisburg, and encouraged by the diver- FORT WILLIAM HENRY. 69 sion in that direction of so large a part of the British forces, determined to make a bold push to secure the entire possession of Lake George. The condition of Fort William Henry, the frontier post of the Americans, was such as to invite assault. It was an ill-constructed and ill-appointed fortification, occupying a small eminence, which rose gradually from the waters of the lake, near its southern extremity. It was garrisoned at that time by about three thousand men, under Colonel Munroe, while General Webb, who commanded in the northern depart- ment, was stationed at Fort Edward, about fifteen miles below, with a considerably larger force. He was an offi- cer of nearly as much courage and capacity as Lord Loudoun, and a fit representative of that nobleman in any situation where he might be placed. About the first of August, this valorous commander who always took especial care to provide for his own safety proceeded, under the escort of Major Putnam, with two hundred chosen men, to examine in person the- state of the defences at Fort William Henry. While there, Putnam proposed to go down the lake, with a party of five men, and reconnoitre the enemy's position at Ticon- deroga, and the adjacent posts. This proposition was rejected by the prudent com- mander as altogether too hazardous. At length, how- ever, he was permitted to undertake the enterprise with eighteen volunteers. They immediately embarked in three whale-boats, and set forward on their expedition. Before reaching Northwest Bay, the place where they proposed to land, they discovered a large body of the enemy on an island. Satisfied that this indicated a south- ward movement of the French, preparator3 T to an attack upon our fortresses, and desirous, in case he and his party should be cut off or taken, to put his commander upon his 70 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. guard, he immediately directed two of the boats to lie to, as if for the purpose of fishing, while he with the other returned to report progress. The general, seeing him rowing back with great speed, in a single boat, and sup- posing that the others had fallen into the hands of the enemy, sent out a skiff, with orders for the major alone to come on shore. After making his report to the gene- ral, and explaining what he conceived to be the evident design of the enemy, he proposed returning immediately, to rejoin his companions, and prosecute his discoveries still further. Webb, unwilling to part with his escort in such an alarming emergency, preferred leaving the two boats to their fate, rather than send so brave a man to bring them off. Putnam was urgent, however, and the general yielded a reluctant assent. Pushing vigorously out, he found his men where he had left them, though more intent upon the motions of the men on shore, than upon securing a very large draught of fishes. Passing on a little farther, he presently encountered a large number of boats in motion on the lake from the foremost of which he was enabled to escape only by the superior fleetness of his own, and the vigorous exertions of his rowers. Convinced, beyond a doubt, that this formidable arma- ment was destined against Fort William Henry, he hasten- ed his return to that place, and communicated to General Webb all he had seen, and his views of the object of the hostile expedition. That commander, strictly enjoining silence on the subject, directed him to put his men under an oath of secresy, and to prepare, without loss of time, to return to the head-quarters of the army. Major Putnam argued strenuously against such a desertion of the post in the moment of danger, and earnestly pleaded the duty of meeting the enemy on the shore, should he presume to MUNROE REFUSES TO CAPITULATE. 71 land. But General Webb was resolute in his decision. He would neither remain himself, nor suffer his escort to remain. Accordingly, the following day, he returned to Fort Edward, and sent up a detachment to reinforce the garrison at Fort William Henry. The day following its arrival, Montcalm invested the fortress with a force of seven thousand French and Canadian soldiers, and two thousand Indians. To resist this formidable army, there were only twenty- five hundred men in the garrison. Their commander, Colonel Munroe, was a gallant officer, and worthy of the post of danger. It was the third of August, when Mont- calm commenced the siege with a summons to surrender. In his letter to Colonel Munroe, he urged the capitulation by considerations of humanity ; declaring that he had an engine of such fearful power in his hands, that, when once set in motion, it would be impossible to check or control it. His influence over his Indian allies, to restrain them from the commission of every atrocity, would be utterly lost, as soon as the first drop of blood was shed. No writ- ten answer was given to this summons. A verbal reply was returned by the bearer, that the fort would be defend- ed to the last extremity. With this resolution, the garrison held out until the ninth. In the meantime, Colonel Munroe had found means to send several expresses to Fort Edward, soliciting relief in the most urgent manner, and declaring his inten- tion to hold out till relief should arrive. But, though the force at that place had been considerably increased by the arrival of General Johnson's troops, and the militia, Webb resolved that no succor could be afforded to the beleaguer- ed fortress. So urgent, however, were the solicitations of Sir William Johnson, that, after several days, that worthy officer, with as many as would volunteer for the 72 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM service, marched for its relief. The privilege was eagerly embraced by the provincials, including Putnam's corps. They had scarcely been gone an hour, however, when the general's heart failed him, and a messenger was dispatch- ed, ordering their instant return. It was this miserable, shameful pusillanimity, on the part of the commander of the northern department, that occasioned the loss of Fort William Henry, and the bloody tragedy that followed its surrender. When, some time after this, Putnam was a prisoner in Canada, he was assur- ed by Montcalm himself, that the siege would have, been abandoned, if this reinforcement had been suffered to go forward. He was informed of its approach by one of his Indian scouts ; who, on being questioned relative to its numbers, replied, in the figurative style peculiar to that people : " If you can count the haves on the trees, you can count them." On the receipt of this intelligence, the operations of the siege were actually suspended, and preparations were made for embarking ; while it was manifest that a new spirit was infused into the besieged by the assurance which these preparations gave, that the siege was about to be raised. Meanwhile, another runner came in, and reported that this formidable reinforcement had been recalled. The siege was, consequently, renewed with more vigor than ever. All expectations of relief were now at an end. Two of the largest guns of the fort had burst ; their ammunition was almost exhausted ; and further resistance seemed obviously unavailing. At this juncture, a letter was received from General Webb, advising a surrender, and stating, definitively, that no succor could be expected from Fort Edward. Articles of capitulation were, accordingly, agreed upon and signed Honorable terms were granted SHAMEFUL MASSACRE BY THE INDIANS 73 to the garrison, " on account of their honorable defence," as it was expressed in the articles. . They were to march out with the honors of war, with their arms and baggage, and retire under an escort to Fort Edward, with a solemn pledge of protection against the Indians. This pledge, however, was shamefully disregarded. The scene which followed is one of the darkest in the bloody annals of war, and, even at this distant day, can hardly be recited with- out a thrill of horror. The troops began their march of evacuation. The last files had scarcely issued from the gates, when the whole body of Indians attached to the French army fell upon them with the fury of hungry tigers, and commenced an indiscriminate slaughter. Great numbers were killed. Many weFe taken prisoners, and dragged off to a captivity worse than death, in the deep forests of the west. A miserable remnant escaped, among whom was the gallant Munroe, and reached Fort Edward in a most forlorn condition. Different writers have taken different views of the con- duct of the French general, in relation to this cruel massa- cre. Some declare, as the testimony of those who were eye-witnesses of the scene, that no efforts were made by the French to arrest^ these atrocities ; no protection, de- manded alike by honor and humanity, was given to those to whom it had been sacredly pledged. Others say, that the utmost exertions of the French commander were used to restrain his savage allies ; and that he and his officers did everything, except firing upon the Indians, to put a stop to the merciless butchery. For the honor of huma- nity, it is to be hoped that the latter judgment is correct; and charity inclines us to accept it. There is certainly something to sustain it, in the caution which accompanied the original summons to surrender. The panic-stricken Webb, expecting that this decisive 4 74 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. victory would be followed up by a similar demonstration against Fort Edward, sent out Captain Putnam with his corps, to watch the motions of the enemy. His previous conduct leaves us little room to doubt, that he would have abandoned his post at once, without firing a gun, if Mont- calm had turned his face in that direction. With such men as these to control the movements of the army, it is no matter of surprise, that the earlier campaigns of the Seven Years' war presented a continual series of disaster, defeat and desolation. Putnam reached the scene of carnage, just as the rear- guard of the enemy were embarking on the lake. The fort was dismantled and demolished. The cannon, stores and water-craft were all carried off. The barracks, outhouses and sutlers' booths had been fired, and were still burning, and hundreds of human bodies lay, half consumed, among the smoking ruins. More than one hundred women were found among them, some with the brains still oozing from their battered heads ; others with their hairless sculls in ghastly baldness, the entire crown having been wrenched away ; many mangled, lacerated, hacked to pieces, and violated with all the wanton mutilations of savage inge- nuity, lay entirely naked among the heaps of the slain sol- diers, as if the last effort of the wife to cling to her hus- band for protection, and the last wish of the husband to raise his arm in her defence, had brought down a tenfold vengeance upon the heads of both. To the generous, warm-hearted Putnam, whose sympathies were ever alive to the sufferings of his comrades, and whose constant aim it was to mitigate, by every means in his power, the hor- rors of war, the spectacle must have been truly appalling. We feel, as we shudder over the dreadful account, that there was some apology for the exterminating retribution, which our fathers visited upon so merciless a foe. FATIGUE- PARTY ATTACKED BY INDIANS. 75 Not long after this disaster, General Lyman succeeded to the command of Fort Edward. He immediately set himself to strengthening its defences, which the French commander resolved, if possible, to prevent, intending, at an early day, to visit it in the same manner as he had done Fort William Henry. A party of one hundred and fifty men were sent out into the neighboring forest to cut timber for the fort. To protect them in their labors, Captain Little, with fifty British regulars, was posted at the head of a morass, about one hundred rods eastward from the fort. From this station there was a narrow causeway leading to the fort, flanked on one side by the morass, and on the other by a small creek. One morning, at break of day, the attention of one of the sentinels was arrested, by what he conceived to be birds, coming up from the thicket of the morass, and flying with incredible swiftness over his head. While wonder- ing what species of bird it could be, whose flight was so rapid as to elude observation, he was suddenly enlight- ened by seeing one of these winged messengers, in the shape of an Indian arrow, quivering in the tree just over his head. A large body of savages had crept stealthily into the morass during the night, and were attempting, in this manner, to pick off the sentinel, without creating an alarm, in order to surprise and cut off the whole party. The alarm was instantly given. The Indians, finding themselves discovered, rushed from their covert upon the unarmed laborers, shot and tomahawked those who were nearest at hand, and pressed hard on the remainder, as they fled in dismay towards the fort. Captain Little and his band flew to their arms, and pouring in a well-timed and spirited fire, checked the pursuit, and covered the retreat of the fatigue-men, till those who were not wound- ed in the first onset, were enabled to reach the shelter of 76 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. the fort. His little party, being almost overpowered by superior numbers, he sent to General Lyman for assistance. But that commander, taken by surprise, ignorant of the extent of the danger, and imagining that this assault was only the precursor of a general attack from the main body of the enemy, called in his outposts, and shut the gates, -and left the brave band to their fate. Major Putnam, with his corps of Rangers, was stationed at one of the outposts, on a small island adjacent to the fort. Hearing the discharge of the musketry, and learning from his runners that his friend, Capt. Little, was in immi- nent peril of being cut 1 off, he plunged into the river, fol- lowed by his men, and waded through the water to the scene of action. Passing near the fort on his way, Gene- ral Lyman was apprised of his movement. Unwilling that the lives of a few more brave men should be exposed to what he deemed inevitable destruction, he mounted the parapet, and ordered him to proceed no farther. The bold ranger, willing to jeopard not only his life, but, if ne- cessary, his standing, in order to rescue his friend, made a brief apology, and, without waiting to ascertain whether it was satisfactory, hurried on to the scene of conflict. In a few minutes they had opened their way to the little hand- ful of regulars, who maintained their ground with the utmost gallantry. At the suggestion of Putnam, the whole party now rushed impetuously, with shouts and huzzas, into the swamp. The charge was completely successful. The Indians fled in every direction, and were pursued with great slaughter until night-fall. On the part of the chase, only one man was killed during the pursuit ; and his death was immediately revenged by that of the Indian who shot him. This Indian was one of that valuable class, called Runners a chosen body of active young men, whose principal occupation is to procure intelligence, and CENSURE EXPECTED BUT ESCAPED. 77 convey tidings ; but who are sometimes employed in cov- ering the rear on a retreat. Returning in triumph from the chase, Putnam expected a reprimand, if not something more severe, from his com- mander. It was the only instance, in the course of his military career, in which he failed to render the strictest obedience to orders. His motive in this case was highly commendable, and his apology was strongly fortified by the brilliant success of his sortie. But neither purity of motive, nor brilliancy of success, can sanction -a departure from the rigid rules of discipline, which are absolutely necessary to the maintenance of order and authority in the camp. So seductive is the influence of a brave man's example, particularly when, crowned with new laurels, he returns from some splendid achievement, undertaken in contravention of the positive orders of his superior, that, however elevated the rank of the officer, or however meri- torious the service rendered, it would not be well to pass it by unheeded. According to the ordinary usages of war, Putnam should have been subjected to a court-martial, immediately on his return. Why this usage was departed from in his case we are not informed. It is probable, however, that General Lyman, when he recovered from his alarm, and found that no assault was intended, was more ready to admit the apology of his subaltern, than he would otherwise have been, since it saved him from the painful reflection that a brave band of his own men had been unnecessarily exposed to be cut in pieces by a supe- rior force. He chose to treat his order rather as advisa- tory than peremptory, and commending the good conduct of his men, welcomed them, with a hearty good will, to their quarters. During the ensuing winter, when the army were com- fortably sheltered in their quarters at Fort Edward, a 'ire 78 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. broke out in the barracks, adjacent to the north-western bastion, Within twelve feet of these barracks stood the magazine, containing three hundred barrels of powder. The fire was so far advanced, when it was first discovered, that it raged with great violence, almost bidding defiance to every effort to extinguish it. By the orders of Colonel Haviland, who then commanded at this post, several pieces of heavy artillery were brought to bear upon the barracks, with a view of severing their supporters, and thus levelling them to the ground. The effort was unsuccessful, and the flames continued to spread with great rapidity. Major Putnam, who still occupied his outpost station on the adja- cent island, hearing the alarm, and seeing the smoke and flames rising in a dense column to the clouds, hastened to the fort to render what assistance he could. When he arrived, the flames were spreading fiercely in the direction of the magazine, which was now in imminent danger. By his suggestion, a line of soldiers was formed through a postern gate to the river, from which a constant supply of water was conveyed. Putnam, mounting a ladder to the eaves of me building, received the water, and distri- buted it upon the burning rafters, with a perseverance that had well nigh cost him his life. Notwithstanding all their efforts, the flames continued to gain upon him, but he stood to his post undaunted, completely enveloped in smoke, and so near the sheet of flame, that a pair of thick blanket mit- tens was entirely burned from his hands. Calling for ano- ther pair, which he dipped in water and kept thoroughly wet, he persevered in his perilous efforts to subdue the devouring element. Colonel Haviland, considering his situation to be too dangerous, urged him to come down, and try some other means that involved less personal expo- sure. He replied that there was no hope but in resisting the enemy inch by inch, and that a moment's suspension FIRE IN THE GARRISON. 79 of their efforts might give it an advantage which would prove fatal to them all. He therefore entreated to be suf- fered to remain, while there was the smallest chance of accomplishing anything by his endeavors. The gallant Colonel, not less astonished than charmed at the coolness and intrepidity of the Major, was encouraged to renewed exertions. He gave orders to arrest the movements of the men, who were carrying away their valuables from the fort, and animated them to redoubled diligence in their efforts to extinguish the flames, exclaiming, with the heroic enthusiasm of a true soldier, " If we must be blown up, we will all go together." At length the flames had spread over the whole extent of the barracks, and began to shoot out fearfully toward the magazine. Putnam descended from the tottering build- ing, took his station between it and the magazine, and con- tinued, from an incessant rotation of replenished buckets, to resist their further progress. His efforts were bravely and ably seconded by officers and men. So near was the fire, and so intense the heat, that the outside plank sheath- ing of the magazine was soon consumed, leaving only a partition of timber between the raging element and a de- posit of fifteen tons of powder. When this partition, already charred and smoking, was exposed to view, the consternation became general and extreme. Had a coun- cil of war been convened on the instant, it would undoubt- edly have ordered a precipitate retreat. But the heat and enthusiasm of the contest left no room for consultation or reflection. It was an hour for action, not for debate. Put- nam, still undaunted, covered with a cloud of cinders, singed and scorched on every side, maintained his position, pouring an incessant stream of water upon the magazine, until the rafters of the barracks falling in, the source of the 80 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. fire was cut off, and the safety of the remaining works en- sured. For an hour and a half he had contended with that ter- rible element. His face, his hands, his arms, and almost his whole body were blistered with the intensity of the heat, to^which he had been exposed ; and when he pulled off his second pair of mittens, the skin from his hands and fingers followed them. Several weeks elapsed, before he recovered from the effects of this exposure. His suffer- ings were great, but he was amply rewarded by the warmly expressed and kind attentions of his commanding officer, to whom his remarkable merits in the service had already greatly endeared him, as well as by the consciousness that he had been instrumental in preserving the fortress, and saving the lives of many, perhaps all of the garrison CHAPTER VL CAMPAIGN OF 1758. ABERCROMBIfi's ASSAULT UPON TICONDEROGA. Mr. Pitt Prime Minister of England Lord Loudoun superseded by General Abercrombie Putnam on a reconnoitering expedition Constructs a small parapet at South Bay Shoots a buck Starts an enemy Molang and his party Their stealthy advance Sud- denly arrested A sharp conflict in the dark The enemy defeated in an attempt to turn Putnam's flank Immense loss of the French Putnam orders a retreat Unexpected meeting with a party of friends A reinforcement Ticonderoga An expedition under General Abercrombie against the French Skirmish with advanced guard Death of Lord Howe His high reputation His death speedily avenged Putnam's kindness to the wounded A new encampment The assault The retreat Major Putnam's activity General Abercrombie responsible for the disastrous issue of the expedition. UP to the commencement of the year 1758, little else than disaster attended the arms of the British in America. So humiliating was the result, considering the formidable pre- parations that had been made for carrying on the war, and the promptness and efficiency with which the colonies responded to the requisitions made upon them, that the king was compelled, by the clamorous voice of the people, to change his ministers. A new and powerful administra- tion was formed, at the head of which was Mr. Pitt, after- ward Lord Chatham, a man whose pre-eminent talents and commanding energy of character, made, and kept, the name of his country respected in every quarter of the globe P 82 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. He assumed the helm of state in the summer of 1757, and his attention was at once directed to the conduct of the war in this country. The colonies, justly appreciating his vigor and talents, and feeling a perfect confidence in his administration, renewed their generous but exhausting efforts to recruit the army for the next campaign. The extent of their exertions can only be understpod, when it is considered that Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire supplied fifteen thousand men, at a time when their combined resources could hardly have been equal to those of any one of them at the present moment. The imbecile Lord Loudoun was recalled ; and General Abercrombie resumed the command of the Northern De- partment. Soon after his arrival at Fort Edward, he ordered Major Putnam to proceed, with sixty men, to South Bay, at the lower end of Lake George, for the pur- pose of watching the motions of the enemy, and intercept- ing their straggling parties. In compliance with these orders, the detachment marched to Wood Creek, near the point where it flows into South Bay, and immediately commenced the construction of a parapet for defence, in case of a sudden attack. The position was well chosen, on a bank, which forms a jutting precipice, overhanging the creek ten or twelve feet above the water. The para- pet was of stone, thirty feet in length, and was very inge- niously concealed from the view of any one who might be passing, by a considerable number of young pines, brought from a distance, and artfully disposed so as to imitate the natural growth. The service of a scout requires the utmost caution and silence in all his movements. It is contrary to established rules, and universal practice, to fire a gun, except at au enemy ; or to make any other noise which mio-ht expose the party to observation. From this necessary rule of MOLANG AND HIS PARTY. 83 caution, Putnam was obliged for once to deviate, on the fourth day after the completion of his little fortress. Al- though he had sent back to the camp fifteen of his men who were disabled "by sickness, his stock of provisions was quite exhausted. A tempting opportunity to eke out his supply for another day, was offered by the appearance of a fine fat buck, that issued from the wood, with intent to swim across the creek in the vicinity of his camp ; and the prudent scout ventured a single shot to bring him in. It proved in the issue an expensive meal, though it was, fortunately, so conducted by this brave little band, as to throw almost the entire cost upon the enemy. A large party of hostile Indians and French soldiers, under the celebrated partizan Molang, was, just at that time, on its way down towards the American encampment in quest of plunder. The report of Major Putnam's mus- ket had reached the ear of one of the advanced guard of this party, and created a suspicion that their motions were watched, by those who might be troublesome to them in their further progress. They, therefore, proceeded with more caution, attempting to steal a passage through the creek under cover of the night hoping thereby either to come upon their opponents by surprise, or to pass by them unnoticed into the country below. Our little fortress was so completely masked, by its artificial cover of fresh pines, as to escape detection even from the practised eye of an Indian. About ten o'clock in the evening, one of the sentinels stationed at the margin of the Bay, gave notice that a considerable fleet of canoes, filled with men, was making its way toward the mouth of the creek. Putnam imme- diately called in all his sentinels, and posted his men to the best advantage, to give the strangers a fitting recep- tion. The creek, into which the enemy soon entered, was S4 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. about thirty yards wide ; and the bank opposite to the parapet was twenty feet high. The moon was at its full, the sky was clear, and every movement of the canoes was perfectly in view. A profound silence'prevailed. It was intended to permit the van of the little fleet to pass, and commence the attack upon the centre ; and the major had given strict orders that every man should reserve his fire until he gave the signal. A few of the most advanced of the canoes had just passed the parapet, when one of the soldiers behind it accidentally struck his firelock against a stone. The commanding officer, who was in the foremost canoe, alarmed at the noise, checked the advance, repeat- ing several times, and with earnestness, the Indian watch- word, "O-wish ! " Instantly the canoes crowded together in a confused mass, with their centre precisely in front of the works, covering the creek for a considerable distance above and below. The officers appeared to be in deep consultation, and the fleet was apparently on the point of retreating into the Bay, when Putnam gave the signal to fire, by discharging his own piece. It was followed, with terrible effect, by a volley from his whole party. Nothing could exceed the apparent consternation occa- sioned by this well-concerted attack, and the inextricable confusion into which the fleet was thrown. Scarcely a bullet failed to find its victim, amidst the dense mass of the enemy beneath, whose return fire was little better than wasted on an invisible foe. The carnage continued for some time, when Molang, perceiving, from the fire of his assailants, that their numbers were small, detached a party to effect a landing below, and attack them in the rear. The movement was instantly perceived and frustrated by Putnam, who sent the brave Lieutenant Durkee, with twelve men, to prevent their landing. He arrived in good time, and drove them back with loss. Another small SUCCESSFUL RETREAT. 85 detachment, under Lieutenant Parsons, was ordered up the creek, to prevent any similar attempt in that direction. Meanwhile, Major Putnam, whose party, in the absence of these two detachments, was reduced to twenty, kept up, through the whole night, an incessant and deadly fire on the main body of the enemy, without the loss of a single man on his part. After day-break, he was advised that a party of the enemy had effected a landing, at a considera- ble distance below, and were rapidly advancing to cut off his retreat. His numbers being far inferior to those of the French, and his ammunition being almost exhausted, he ordered a hasty retreat, which was successfully accom- plished. During this long-continued action, in which the Ame- ricans had slain at least five times their own number, only two of their party, a Provincial and an Indian, were wounded. These were sent off for the camp, under cover of the night, with two men to assist them, and with direc- tions to proceed by way of Wood Creek, as the safest, though not the shortest route. But, having taken a nearer way, they were pursued and overtaken by the Indians ; who judged from the blood on the leaves, that they were on the trail of the whole party. When they were over- taken, the wounded, despairing of mercy at the hands of their pursuers, and unable to fly, insisted that their com- rades, who were unhurt, should make their escape which, on a moment's deliberation, they effected. The Provincial, whose thigh had been broken by a ball, resolv- ing to sell his life as dearly as possible, fired his piece upon toe approach of the savages, and killed three of them ; after which he was quickly despatched. The Indian, making no resistance, was made a prisoner. This tndian Major Putnam afterward saw while he was a. prisoner in Canada, and learned from him that 86 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. the number of the enemy in this encounter was five hun- dred, of whom fully one half were slain. His brave little band, now reduced to forty, had pro- ceeded along the bank of the creek a few miles, when Major Putnam, who, as usual, was in front of his men, was fired upon by a party near at hand. Not doubting that it was a party of his late antagonists, who had stolen the march upon him and headed him off, and feeling that nothing would be lost in assuming a bold countenance in so critical a position, he ordered his men to rush upon the enemy, promising soon to give as good an account of them, as of those whom they had just encountered at the creek. No sooner was his voice heard in the charge, than an instant reply, " Hold ! we are all friends ! " arrested his hostile movement, and brought his men, with their bayo- nets poised, ard their feet firmly planted for an onset, to a dead halt. A scouting party- of Provincials from Fort Edward immediately joined them. " We are friends, Major," exclaimed the leader, " and supposed we were firing upon the French." " Friends or foes," replied Put- nam, " you all deserve to be hanged, for not killing more when you had so fair a shot." It was indeed wonderful, when we consider what expert marksmen most of the provincial scouts were, and how completely the unsus- pecting Major and his party were exposed to their fire, that only one of their number was mortally wounded in this encounter. In the meantime, one of the soldiers, whose ammunition had been early exhausted, had made his way back to Fort Edward, conveying tidings of the perilous position of the party ; and General Lyman was immediately dispatch- ed, at the head of five hundred men, to cover their retreat. They met them at the distance of twelve miles from the fort, to which they all returned in safety the next day. TICONDEROGA THE ARMY IN MOTION. 87 The most active preparations were now made for an assault upon Ticonderoga, which was the strong-hold of the French in this part of America. It was an ill-con- ducted, ill-starred expedition, which we would fain pass over in silence if we could. The site of this fortress is surrounded on three sides by water. On the fourth it is protected by a loose morass, extending a considerable dis- tance. Beyond this, a line of fortification, eight feet high, was stretched from water to water, and planted with artil- lery. In front of this line, for the distance of one hundred yards, the plain was covered with large trees, cut for the purpose of defence, and arranged with their interwoven and sharpened branches projecting outwards. These im- pediments, it would seem, were quite sufficient to prevent any prudent commander from attempting to carry the works by storm. The ground was impracticable for the movement of heavy cannon ; and the engineer, who was employed to reconnoitre the position, reported that the defences might be carried with musketry. The adoption of this shallow advice was precipitated by the rumor, that the garrison, consisting of over five thousand men, was on the point of receiving a large reinforcement, by the recall of a party of three thousand who had been detached, on other 'service, to the Mohawk River. The expedition was led by General Abercrombie in person. His force consisted of sixteen thousand men, of whom nine thousand were Americans. It was attended by a very formidable train of artillery, and an ample supply of ammunition and military stores. On the morning of the fifth of July, they embarked in one hundred and twenty- five whale-boats, and nine hundred batteaux, and moved slowly, and in admirable order, down Lake George ; pre- senting a brilliant and imposing spectacle, never before seen on these quiet waters. At evening they reached 88 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. Sabbath-day Point a place already rendered memorable by Putnam's successful rencontre with his pursuers. Here they halted a few hours for refreshment, and then resumed their voyage. Being informed that the place where they first proposed to land was in possession of the enemy, they bent their course for another, where they effected a landing without opposition. It was now noon of the sixth day of July. The place of debarkation was in a cove on the west side of the luke. A short distance from this place, the advanced guard of the enemy, consisting of one battalion, was posted in a logged camp. The troops were immediately formed into four columns, and commenced their march upon the ad- vanced guard of the French, who made a precipitate retreat, after first destroying everything of value in their camp. The march was continued towards Ticonderoga, with the design of investing the place. But the woods being very thick, and some of the guides unskilful, the columns were broken, thrown into confusion, and in some measure entangled with each other. Major Putnam, whose service, as we have before explained, was often independent of the main body of the provincial forces, was at this time with Lord Howe, in the van of the rio-ht ' O centre column, assisting to thread the intricacies of the forest. As they were moving slowly onward, they heard a firing on their left. " Putnam," said Lord Howe, " what means that firing ?" " I know not," he replied, " but, with your lordship's leave, I will see." " I will accompany you," rejoined the gallant young nobleman. In vain did the Major attempt to dissuade him, by say- ing : " My Lord, if I am killed, the loss of my life will DEATH OF LORD HOWE. 89 be of little consequence ; but the preservation of yours is of infinite importance to this army." The only answer was : " Putnam ! your life is as dear to you as mine is to me I am determined to go." One hundred of the van, under Major Putnam, filed off with Lord Howe. They soon fell in with the left flank of the enemy's advanced guard, which, in retreating from its late position on the lake, had lost its way in the woods, and were now skirmishing with our left. An engagement immediately took place. Though it issued in great loss to the French, its commencement was attended with an irreparable disaster to the British and American cause, which was ominous of the fate of the expedition. Lord Howe fell at the first charge. The army could not have sustained a heavier loss. He was in the prime of manhood, of a fine person, and a win- ning address, eminent for manly virtue, and distinguished for every amiable accomplishment. He had already ac- quired an enviable military fame, which gave the most brilliant promise for the future. No British officer was ever employed in America, who had, in so short a time, endeared himself so universally to the Provincial troops, or won so extensively the esteem and confidence of the people. From his first arrival in the country, he had ac- commodated himself, in all respects, to the peculiar nature of the service, and to the customs of his New England friends. An example to the officer, a friend of the soldier, a model of military order and discipline, h^ had freely encountered every hazard, and shared in all the hardships of the cam- paign. His death was bewailed as a public loss. His fall was immediately avenged by his exasperated troops, with Putnam at their head, who charged the enemy with desperate intrepidity, broke through their rauLs, 90 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. where they were joined by several small parties of the Provincials, and attacked them again furiously in the rear. Three hundred of the enemy were killed, and one hundred and forty-eight made prisoners, among whom were five officers and three cadets. This retrograde movement brought them directly upon the front of the left wing of their own army, who, seeing them advancing rapidly over the bodies of the slain, supposed them to be French, and opened upon them a brisk and heavy fire, by which one sergeant and several privates were killed. They might thus have been cut in pieces by their own friends, had not Putnam, hazarding his own life, to save those of his com- rades, rushed in the face of the flying balls, and showing himself to his friends, put a stop to their work of slaughter. No farther progress was made on this day. The ad- vanced parties of the American army were called in, and the French kept themselves closely within their entrench- ments. Putnam remained on the field while the light lasted, employed in administering to the comfort of such of the wounded among the enemy, as could not be immediately removed. He furnished them with such refreshments as he could procure, supplied them with blankets, and offer- ing them a soldier's sympathy, assured them they should be taken to the camp on the following day, and be cared tor as friends, for an enemy disarmed and disabled is an enemy no longer. On the morning of the seventh, the Americans were again in motion, and, pushing forward, encamped at the Saw Mills, about two miles from the fort. They were nearly four times in number to that of the enemy. There can be little doubt, if they had proceeded at once to the assault, with- out giving time for the extension of the formidable abatlis, by which Montcalm had now bristled the entire space in BATTLE OF TICONDEROGA 91 front of his lines, they would have brought the campaign to a successful issue. Instead of this, however, they de- layed their movements till these works were completed ; which, while they rendered useless the heavy train of English artillery, formed impenetrable barriers to the order- ly advance of the infantry. The eighth was the fatal day fixed for the assault. Sir William Johnson, with a re-inforcement of four hundred and forty Indians, arrived in the camp at sunrise. At seven o'clock, the movement of the army commenced, being slightly impeded by a brief and unfruitful skirmish, between the rangers and a party of the enemy in ambush. These being dispersed, and the advance-guard driven in, a general assault was made upon the works, soon after ten. Notwithstanding the height of the breast-work, and the obstacles arising from the peculiar character of the de- fences, an attempt was made to scale it. This perilous service was led by Major Proby, who fell, in the first onset, within a few yards of the works. The attempt to carry them by storm was repeated several times during four hours, attended with a tremendous loss on the part of the assailants. The enemy, securely entrenched be- hind their fortifications, suffered comparatively little. Finding that the works could not be carried by light- armed troops, and the nature of the ground precluding the possibility of bringing the heavy artillery to bear, a retreat was ordered, and further operations against this post aban- doned. Major Putnam, who had acted as Aid in bringing the Provincial regiments successively to action, assisted, with his usual coolness and intrepidity, in covering the retreat, that being the post of danger, and the one to which he was generally assigned. Considering all the circumstances, this defeat was as disgraceful to General Abercrombie, as it was disastrous 92 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. to his army. The attack, though bravely attempted and boldly sustained by the soldiers, was ill-concerted and ill- timed. It was delayed until the French defences were completed ; and then abandoned, when the numbers of the assailants were more than double those of the enemy, and amply provided with all the means for investing the fortress, cutting off all communication with the surrounding coun- try, and so reducing it by famine, without the necessity of hazarding a battle on such unequal terms. Had the con- duct of this expedition been committed to American offi- cers, it would probably have terminated as fatally to Mont- calm, as his own assault upon Fort William Henry, in the previous campaign, had done to the English ; though it would not, like that, have been followed by a treacherous massacre of an unarmed and surrendered garrison. There fell in this disastrous assault, of the British regu- lars, four hundred and sixty-four killed, and eleven hun- dred and seventeen wounded ; of the Provincials, eighty- seven killed, and two hundred and thirty-nine wounded ; thirty-seven more were missing making a total of nine- teen hundred and forty-four. The loss of the French did not much exceed five hundred. CHAPTER VIL CAMPAIGN OF 1758 CONTINUED. MAJOR PUTNAM A PRISONER Putnam's perilous escape down the rapids of the Hudson Supersti- tious notion of the Indians Putnam and Rogers pursuing a party of French Rangers Lying in wait at South Bay and Wood Creek Discovered Rogers' incautious sport Molang in ambush Our Rangers threading the foresf Putnam in the van The ambush springs upon him He is made a prisoner by an Indian His perilous position during the fight The French retreat, taking Put- nam with them His cruel treatment Severely wounded in the cheek About to be burned alive Rescued by Molang Compara- tive humanity of his captor His ludicrous confinement at night Arrival at Ticonderoga Carried to Montreal Kindness of CoL Schuyler He contrives to have Putnam included in a cartel of exchange The return Story of Mrs. Howe. IN the course of this season several remarkable adventures occurred to our hero, in which the public interests were little concerned, but which are still worthy of record, as illustrating the character of the man, and the vicissitudes of the service. One day, as Major Putnam chanced to be with a few- men in his boat, on the eastern shore of the Hudson, very near the head of the rapids at Fort Miller, he was suddenly warned from the opposite shore, that a large number of Indians were close in his rear, and would be upon him in an instant. To remain where he was and be sacrificed to attempt crossing the river exposed to the almost unerr- ing rifles of the Indians or to go down the falls, with an 94 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. almost certainty of being dashed on the rocks and drowned were the only alternatives left to his choice. The In- dians arrived at the shore, in season to fire a number of balls at the bateau, before it could be fairly got under way. One man, who, being at a little distance from his party on shore, had not time to reach the boat, was instantly seized and killed. No sooner had the bateau men, by favor of the rapidity of the current, escaped beyond the reach of musket shot, than death seemed only to have been avoided in one form, to be encountered in another no less terrible. Prominent rocks, latent shelves, and abrupt descents, for near a quarter of a mile, afforded scarcely the smallest chance of escaping without a miracle. Putnam trusting himself to a Providence, whose kind- ness he had often experienced, rather than to men, whose tender mercy is cruelty, was now seen to place himself calmly at the helm, affording an astonishing spectacle of serenity. His companions, with a mixture of terroi, admiration, and wonder, saw him incessantly changing his course, to avoid the jaws of ruin that seemed to expand to swallow the whirling boat. Twice he turned it quite round to shun the rifts of rocks. Amidst those eddies in which there was the greatest danger of its foundering, at one moment the sides were exposed to the fury of the waves ; then the stern, and next the bow glanced obliquely onward, with inconceivable velocity. With no less amazement, the gazing savages beheld him sometimes mounting the billows, then plunging abruptly down ; at other times dexterously veering from the rocks, and shoot- ing through the only narrow passage ; until at last they viewed the boat safely gliding on the smooth surface of the stream below ! At this extraordinary sight, it is said that these rude sons of nature were affected with the same kind of superstitious veneration which tha Europeans in HANGING 95 the dark ages entertained for some of their most valiant champions. They regarded him as possessed of " a charmed life," and conceived it would be a sin against the Great Spirit to attempt to kill him with powder and ball, if they should ever recognise him at a future period. It will be seen, in the sequel, that some others of the same race were not affected by their impressions, or not dispos- ed to push these superstitious scruples so far, as to deny themselves the satisfaction of trying the efficacy of the tomahawk, and subjecting him to the ordeal of fire. In the month of August, Major Putnam \vas deserted by the good fortune which had hitherto attended him, and made the subject of a series of adventures and perils, which seem, in many particulars, more like romance, than a sober tale of real life. A train of baggage teams having been cut off by a large party of the enemy's rangers, a corps of about eight hundred men, under the command of Majors Rogers and Putnam,* was dispatched to head the party, and cut it off. So rapid was the retreat, however, that the enemy had reached their canoes, and embarked, before their pursuers could come up with them ; though they were not so far in advance but that their shouting was heard in the distance. Defeated in this expedition, the party was now separat- ed into two equal divisions, Rogers taking his station with one half, at South Bay, and Putnam, with the. other, at Wood Creek, twelve miles distant. It was their hope to surprise some straggling party of the enemy, or in some other way retaliate upon them the loss they had just expe- rienced. But, being discovered by the enemy's scouts, they deemed it expedient to re-unite their forces at Wood Creek, and return without delay to head-quarters, at Fort Edward. Their march was a difficult one, through thick * Holmes' Orderly Book. 96 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. woods rendered almost impassable by fallen trees, and a thrifty undergrowth. They were obliged to advance in Indian file, Putnam in the van, Captain Dalyell in the centre, and Rogers bringing up the rear. The firstnight, they encamped on the bank of Clear River, not far from the site of the old Fort Anne. The next morning, before resuming their march, Major Rogers, with a singular forgetfulness of those precautions to which rangers are often indebted, for success in their enterprises, and security to their persons, amused himself by a trial of skill with a British officer, in firing at a mark, an act of fool-hardy imprudence, which was followed by the loss of many valuable lives. Immediately on the discovery of the two parties at South Bay and Wood Creek, the celebrated French partizan, Molang, was detached from Ticonderoga, with five hun- dred men, to intercept them. He was now so near their encampment, that the report of this firing reached his ears, and guided him at once to their position. Availing himself skilfully of this gratuitous information, he hastened to lay an ambuscade in thart part of the wood through which his enemy was to pass, where he could do the most damage to them, with the least damage to himself. The march having proceeded about a mile, from their encampment, Major Putnam was about emerging from the thicket into the common forest, when the enemy, starting up from his ambush, with horrid yells and discordant whoops, commenced a furious attack upon the right of his division.* Putnam was surprised, but not dismayed. He returned the fire of his assailants, with his accustomed spirit, and immediately passed the word for the other * The incidents of this engagement, and of the captivity of Put- nam, are given, with a few verbal alterations, in the language of Colonel Humphreys. CAPTURED BY AN INDIAN. 97 divisions to advance to his support. Dalyell moved rapidly up, and a brisk engagement commenced. Though the action was widely scattered, and principally between man and man, it soon grew general and intensely warm. Ro- gers did not come up with Dalyell, but, as he afterward declared, formed a circular file between the other two divisions and the creek, so as to prevent their being taken in the rear, or enfiladed. It was a singular movement in one, who, according to his own journal, was the master- spirit of the expedition ; and, though not censured by his superiors, did not escape the imputation, in the army, of being instigated by an unworthy motive. Putnam, finding that it would be impracticable to cross the creek, determined to maintain his ground. Inspired by his example, the officers and men behaved with great bravery, sometimes fighting in masses, in open view, with as much order as the nature of the ground would allow, and then individually and under cover, after the Indian fashion, each one sheltering himself behind a tree, and act- ing in a manner independent of his party. For himself, having discharged his fusee several times, it at length missed fire, while the muzzle was pressed against the breast of a large and powerful Indian. This warrior, avail- ing himself of the unprotected attitude of his adversary, with a tremendous war-whoop, sprang forward, with his lifted hatchet, and compelled him to surrender. He was immediately disarmed and bound to a tree, while his cap- tor returned to t.he battle. Notwithstanding the capture of their bravest officer, the engagement was continued by the resolute men under Captains Dalyell and Harman. But their numbers being greatly inferior to their adversaries, they were forced to give ground for a few moments. The savages, conceiving this to be the commencement of a retreat, immediately G 98 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. made a new and impetuous onset, with redoubled cries, as if sure of victory. It was a momentary advantage which ihey gained. Our intrepid partizans having collected together a handful of brave men, gave their pursuers such a warm reception, that they, in their turn, were forced back beyond the ground upon which the action com- menced. This movement brought the tree to which Putnam was bound directly between the fire of the two parties. It is scarcely possible to imagine a more despe- rate situation ; a mark alike for every random shot of . friends or foes. The balls flew incessantly from either side. Many struck the tree, while some passed through the sleeves and skirts of his coat. So equally balanced and so obstinate was the fight, that he was kept in this trying situation more than an hour. During this time, he was twice exposed to the mischievous malice of his un- feeling enemies. A young Indian warrior coming up, and seeing the white chief confined in that awkward position, hurled a tomahawk several times at his head ; rather as if he were amusing himself with a mark, than with any settled purpose to despatch his victim. So unerring was the savage's aim, that the weapon several times grazed his skin, and stuck in the tree by the side of his head. When the young savage had satisfied himself with this amusement, one of the inferior French officers came up, and levelling his musket at his breast, attempted to dis- charge it. It missed fire. In vain did the intended victim of his malice solicit the treatment due to his situation, by declaring that he was a prisoner of war. The degenerate Frenchman did not understand the language of honor or of nature. Deaf to their voice, and dead to sensibility, he violently and repeatedly pushed the muzzle of his gun against Putnam's rib&, and finally gave him a cruel blow on the jaw with the butt-end of his piece, and left him. SEVERELY USED AND TORTURED. 99 At length the active intrepidity of Dalyell and Harman, seconded by the persevering valor of their followers, pre- vailed. They drove from the field the enemy, who left about ninety dead behind him. As they were retiring, Putnam was untied by the Indian who had made him prisoner, and whom he sometimes called master. Having been conducted a considerable distance from the place of action, he was stripped of his coat, vest, stockings and shoes ; loaded with as many of the packs of the wounded ,as could be piled upon him, strongly pinioned, and his wrists held together as closely as they could be pulled by a cord. After he had marched in this painful manner for many tedious miles, through unpleasant paths, the fatigued party halted to breathe. His hands were now immode- rately swelled from the tightness of the ligature, and the pain had become intolerable. His feet were severely scratched, so that the blood flowed freely from them. Ex- hausted with bearing a 'burden above his strength, and frantic with torments exquisite beyond endurance, he entreated the Irish interpreter to implore, as the last and only grace he desired of his captors, that they would knock him on the head and take his scalp at once, or loose his hands. A French officer, instantly interposing, order- ed his hands to be unbound, and some of the packs to be taken off. By this time the Indian who captured him, and who had been absent with the wounded, coming up, gave him a pair of moccasins, and expressed great indignation at the unworthy treatment his prisoner had received. That chief, being obliged again to return to the care of the wounded, the Indians, about two hundred in num- ber, went on before the rest of the party to the place where the whole were that night to encamp. They took with them Major Putnam, on whom, besides innume- rable other outrages, they had the barbarity to inflict a 100 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. deep wound with a tomahawk in the left cheek.* His sufferings were in this place to be consummated. A scene of horror, infinitely greater than had ever met his eyes be- fore, was preparing. It was determined to roast him alive. For this purpose they led him into a dark forest, stripped him naked, bound him to a tree, and piled dry brush, with other fuel, at a small distance in a circle around him. They accompanied their labors, as if for his funeral dirge ; with screams and sounds inimitable but by savage voices. Then they set the pile on fire. A sudden shower damped the rising flames. Still they strove to kindle it, until at last the blaze ran fiercely round the circle. Major Putnam soon began to feel the scorching heat. His hands were so tied that he could move his body. He often shifted sides as the fire approached. This sight, at the very idea of which all but savages must shudder, afforded the highest diversion to his inhuman tormentors, who demonstrated the delirium of their joy by correspondent yells, dances and gesticulations. He saw that his final hour was inevitably come. He summoned all his resolution, and composed his mind, as far as the circumstances would admit, to bid an eternal farewell to all he held most dear. To quit the world would scarcely have cost a single pang, but for the idea of home but for the remembrance of domestic en- dearments, of the affectionate partner of his soul, and of their beloved offspring. His thought was ultimately fixed on a happier state of existence, beyond the tortures he was beginning to endure, The bitterness of death, even of that death, which is accompanied with the keenest agonies, was, in a manner, past and all the concerns of time seemed * Rev. Dr. Holmes, in his Annals of America, speaking of this incident, says : " A deep scar on the cheek of that veteran war- rior (Putnam) is well remembered by the writer, who believes it was from the wound inflicted by the tomahawk." Annals, Vol. ii., p. 523. AN UNCOMFORTABLE NIGHT. 101 as nothing in the near view of eternity when a French officer rushed through the crowd, opened a way by scat* tering the brands, and unbound the victim. It was Mo- lang himself; to whom an Indian, unwilling to witness the immolation of another human sacrifice, had run and com- municated the tidings. That commandant spurned and severely reprimanded the barbarians, whose nocturnal pow-wows and hellish orgies he suddenly ended. Put- nam did not want for feeling or gratitude. The French commander, fearing to trust him alone with them, remain- ed until he could deliver him in safety into the hands of his master. The savage approached his prisoner kindly, and seemed to treat him with particular affection. He offered him some hard biscuits, but finding that he could not chew them, on account of the blow he had received from the Frenchman, and the wound of the tomahawk, this more humane savage soaked some of the biscuit in water, till it was sufficiently soft to be swallowed without effort Determined, however, not to loose his captive, though he was willing to treat him kindly, he took the moccasins from his feet, and tied them to one of his wrists ; then di- recting him to lie down upon his back on the bare ground, he stretched one arm to its full length, and bound it fast to a young tree ; the other arm was extended and bound in the same manner ; his legs were stretched apart, and fas- tened to two saplings. Then a number of tall but slender poles were cut down, which, with some long bushes, were laid across his body from head to foot ; on each side lay as many Indians as could conveniently find lodging, in order to prevent the possibility of his" escape. In this dis- agreeable and painful posture he remained until morning. During this night, the longest and most dreary conceivable, our hero used to relate that he felt a ray of cheerfulness 102 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. come casually across his mind, and could not even refrain from smiling, when he reflected on this ludicrous group for a painter, of which he himself was the principal figure. The next day he was allowed his blanket and moccasins, and permitted to march without carrying any pack, or receiving any insult. To allay his extreme hunger, a little bear's meat was given, which he sucked through his teeth. At night, the party arrived at Ticonderoga, and the pri- soner was placed under the care of a French guard. The savages, who had been prevented from glutting their diabo- lical thirst for blood, took other opportunity of manifesting their malevolence for the disappointment, by horrid gri- maces and angry gestures ; but they were suffered no more to offer violence or personal indignity to him. After having been examined by the Marquis de Mont- calm, Major Putnam was conducted to Montreal by a French officer, who treated him with the greatest indul- gence and humanity. At this place there were at this time several pri- soners. Colonel Schuyler, remarkable for his philanthropy, generosity and friendship, was one of the number. No sooner had he heard of Major Putnam's arrival, than he went to the interpreter's quarters, and inquired whether he had a Provincial Mnjor in his custody. He found Major Putnam in a comfortless condition without coat, waistcoat or hose ; the remnant of his clothing miserably dirty and ragged ; his beard long and squalid ; his legs torn by thorns and briars ;' his face gashed with wounds, and swollen with bruises. Colonel Schuyler, irritated beyond all sufferance at such a sight, could scarcely re- strain his speech within limits, consistent wiih the pru- dence of a prisoner, and the meekness of a Christian. On his remonstrance, Major Putnam was immediately treated according to his rank. He was also clothed in a decent KINDNESS OF COL. SCHUYLER. 103 manner, and supplied with money, by that liberal and sym- pathizing patron of the distressed. While on this dismal journey an attempt was made to try the strength of Putnam's nerves. Exhausted with the tedious march of the previous day, he was sleeping soundly on the bare earth, some time after the remainder of the party had shaken off their slumbers, and were preparing for a new start. A proposition was made to frighten the Major. Accordingly a musket was loaded with a double charge, faithfully rammed home, placed within an inch of his head as he lay, and discharged. Instead, however, of starting suddenly up, and staring wildly round, to see what might be the matter, he just muttered out, " That's a good one," turned on the other side, and adjusted himself for another nap. The capture of Frontenac, by Colonel Bradstreet, afforded occasion for an exchange of prisoners. Colonel Schuyler was comprehended in the cartel. A generous spirit can never be satisfied with imposing tasks for its generosity to accomplish. Apprehensive, if it should be known that Putnam was a distinguished partisan, that his liberation might be retarded, and knowing that there were officers who, from the greater length of their captivity, had claims of priority to exchange, he had, by his happy ad- dress, induced the governor to offer, that whatever officer he might think proper to nominate should be included in the present cartel. With great politeness in manner, but seeming indifference as to objects, he expressed his warm- est acknowledgments to the governor, and said, " There is an old man here, who is a Provincial Major. He is very f desirous to be at home with his wife and children. He can do no good here, or anywhere else. I believe your Excellency had better keep so m- of the young men, who have no wives or children to care for, and let this old fel- 104 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. low go home with me. 7 ' It was a well-managed artifice, and had the desired effect. Putnam was immediately released, and left Montreal, in company with his generous friend, who procured his enlargement. At the house of Colonel Schuyler, in Montreal, Major Putnam became acquainted with Mrs. Howe, the story of whose captivity and sufferings among the Indians, full of the most thrilling romance, is familiar to American readers. By the payment of a considerable sum of money, Colonel Schuyler obtained the release of this lady, and undertook to escort her in safety to her friends in New England. He also interested himself in behalf of her children, who were also in captivity, and did not remit his exertions, until they were all at liberty. Business having made it necessary that Colonel Schuyler should entrust his charge to other hands, he committed her to the protection of his friend Putnam, from whom she received those kind attentions by the way, which her forlorn condition, and the difficult cha- racter of the roads, rendered necessary and acceptable. CHAPTER VIII. THE CAMPAIGNS OF 1759 AND 1760. EXPEDITION AGAINST THE WEST INDIA ISLANDS. British successes in 1759 Putnam promoted to a Lieutenant-Colo- nelcy Large and vigorous plans of General Amherst The army in three divisions proceeds to Montreal Putnam with the General in-chief on Lake Ontario Two French vessels captured in the St. Lawrence Fort Oswegatchie capitulates The three divisions of the army meet before Montreal Surrender of that Fortress, and of all the French posts in Canada Conquest of Martinique, and all the Caribbees Expedition against Havana Putnam in com- mand of the Connecticut regiment Wrecked on the coast of Cuba Putnam's good management and discipline Opportune arrival at Havana The harbor and fortifications The Moro carried by storm The capitulation Peace in Europe Improving prospects of the Colonies. THE campaign of 1759 was distinguished by the memora- ble achievement of General Wolfe, who fell in the arms of victory, in his daring attack upon Quebec. Ticon- deroga and Crown Point were successively evacuated by the French, on the approach of General Amherst. In these advances, there was no opportunity for the usual stirring detail of partizan adventure. There is, therefore, little to relate of the subject of this work. He was raised, during this year, to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel ; was present at the occupation of both the above named for- tresses ; and was afterward employed in superintending the parties, which were detached to procure timber, and other materials, for strengthening the defences at Crown Point. 5* 106 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. In opening the campaign of 1760, General Amherst found himself in possession of the most important posts which the French had hitherto occupied in America ; and resolved, in obedience to instructions, to attempt the im- mediate and entire annihilation of that power in Canada. The Marquis de Vaudreuil, who was in command at Mon- treal, applied himself diligently to strengthen the fortifica- tions of that place ; and determined, if possible, to make a final stand against the further progress of the English For this purpose, he called in all his detachments, and collected around him the entire force of the colony. His resolution was vain. The British general, having but one point on which to concentrate his forces, very wisely and humanely prepared to collect them all at that point, in hopes, by compelling an immediate surrender, to secure a bloodless victory. For this purpose, three armies were directed to proceed by different routes, and appear at the same moment before Montreal. General Murray, with the corps which had been commanded by the victorious Wolfe, was ordered to ascend the St. Lawrence from Que- bec. Colonel Haviland, at the head of another division, sailed from Crown Point, by way of Isle-aux-Noix which was evacuated by the enemy on his approach. General Amherst, with the remainder of the forces, con- sisting of about ten thousand regulars and provincials, passing up the valley of the Mohawk, and down the Onei- da, advanced to Oswego, where he was joined by one thousand Indians of the Six Nations, under Sir William Johnson. Embarking, with his entire army, on Lake Ontario, and taking in his way the Fort of Isle Eoyale, he arrived at Montreal, after a difficult and dangerous passage, on the same day that General Murray landed at the same place from Quebec. The two generals met with no oppo- sition in disembarking their troops ; and by a happy con- NEW SPECIES OF NAVAL TACTICS. 107 currence in the execution of a well-concerted plan, Colo- nel Haviland joined them with his detachment the next day. Lieutenant-Colonel Putnam's regiment formed a part of the main division under the general-in-chief. During their progress, several incidents occurred, in which his peculiar ingenuity, as well as his intrepidity, was put to the test. Having entered the St. Lawrence, it was necessary, in order not to leave an enemy in their rear, to dislodge the garrison at Fort Oswegatchie situated on Isle Royale, at the mouth of the Oswegatchie river. The approach to this place was guarded by two armed vessels of twelve guns each, that kept possession of the stream, and rendered it impossible for the British army to proceed, as one broadside from these ships would demolish their whole fleet of boats. General Amherst was some- what disconcerted ; as he must either abandon his boats altogether, and proceed by land, or contrive some extra- ordinary means to get rid of this formidable adversary. While he was pondering what should be done, Colonel Putnam came to him, and, pointing to one of them, said : *' General, that ship must be taken." " Ay," replied Amherst, " I would give the world if she were taken." u I'll take her, Sir," said Putnam, coolly. " How ?" asked Amherst, smiling incredulously. " Give me some wedges, a beetle, and a few men of my own choosing, and I will soon put her out of your way." Amherst could not conceive how an armed vessel was to be taken by four or five men, with no other arms than a beetle and wedges. But he had known something of the ingenuity and daring of the provincial Colonel, and his skill in executing feats of peculiar difficulty. He was. 108 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. accordingly, authorized to proceed ; and furnished with everything that he desired for his experiment. In the darkness of the night, Putnam and his chosen few, in a light boat, with muffled oars, stole unperceived under the vessel's stern, and drove the wedges so firmly between the rudder and the stern-post, as to render the rudder quite immovable. They then effected their escape, in the same stealthy manner as they had come. Deprived of her helm, the ship was left at the mercy of the winds and the stream, and was soon driven ashore. In this condition she offered no resistance to the British arms, but struck her colors at the first summons. Her companion followed her example without delay, so that this victory was won without the loss of a man, or the firing of a gun, on either side. This incident is found in- "Almorfs Impartial Remem- brancer ," published in London in 1775, thirteen years before the appearance of Colonel Humphreys' Life of Putnam. That work represents the French as voluntarily running one of their vessels ashore on the approach of the British. Other historians* of the day have said, that one of the vessels having accidentally run ashore, the other was easily overcome, &c. While Knox, and after him, Mante, give all the credit of the adventure to a Col. Williamson, of the British army. From the incident of the wedging of the rudder being published at so early a date, and on British authority, it is most probable that the anecdote is true in all its particulars that Putnam first procured one of the vessels to be disabled, and that then the thousand men, under the command of Col. Williamson, joined him, and followed up the work. No man in his senses would think of approaching an armed vessel by daylight, with a view to get under her stern, and unship or otherwise * Marshall, and others. DISCREPANCIES RECONCILED. 109 destroy her rudder. The probable truth, therefore, is, that one vessel being disabled, the other yielded readily, as all accounts agree in stating. In this manner they are all easily reconciled, and the whole credit of the success placed where it belongs, to the ingenuity and daring of Putnam as Humphreys understood and intended it should be ; while he completely defeats that intention, by running the two parts of the story into one, and so leaving the main incident out of sight. It affords another illustration of the modesty of Putnam, and the little account he made of his own acts, in detailing to his biographer the movements of the army. The following is Colonel Humphreys' ac- count of the matter ; which briefly describes the onset of the boats, and the sudden surrender of the panic-struck enemy, without detailing the circumstances, which made that surrender unavoidable. "Two armed vessels obstructed the passage, and pre- vented the attack. Putnam, with one thousand men, un- dertook to board them. This dauntless officer, ever spar- ing of the blood of others, as prodigal of his own, to accom- plish it with less loss, put himself, with a chosen crew, a beetle and wedges, in the van, with a design to wedge the rudders, so that the vessels should not be able to turn their broadsides, or perform any other manoeuvre. All the men in his little fleet were ordered to strip to their waistcoats, and advance at the same time. He promised, if he lived, to join them, and show the way up the sides. Animated by so daring an example, they moved swiftly, and in pro found silence, as to certain victory or death. The people on board the ships, beholding the good countenance with which they approached, ran one of the vessels on shore, and struck the colors of the otheF. Had it not been for the dastardly conduct of the ship's company'in the latter, who compelled the captain to haul down his ensign, he 110 LIFE OF GENERAL PU7NAM. would have given the assailants a bloody reception ; for the vessels were well provided with spars, nettings, and every customary instrument of annoyance as well as defence." It was now determined to attack the fortress, which the enemy supposed they had rendered inaccessible by a high abattis of black-ash, that everywhere projected over the water. Lieutenant-Colonel Putnam proposed a mode of attack, and offered his services to carry it into effect. The proposal was approved of by the general ; and Put- nam, accordingly, caused a sufficient number of boats to be fitted for the enterprise. The sides of each boat were surrounded with fascines, musket proof, which covered the men completely. A wide plank, twenty feet long, was then fitted to every boat in such a manner, by having an angular piece sawed from one extremity, that, when fastened by ropes on both sides of the boat, it might be raised or lowered at pleasure. The design was, that the plank should be held erect while the oarsmen forced the bow, with the utmost exertion, against the abattis ; and that afterwards being dropped on the pointed brush, it should serve as a kind of bridge to assist the men in pass- ing over them. Lieutenant-Colonel Putnam, having made his dispositions to attempt the escalade in many places at the same moment, advanced with his boats in admirable order. The garrison, perceiving these extraordinary and unexpected machines, did not wait the assault, but capitu- lated. Putnam was particularly honored by General Amherst, for his ingenuity in this invention, and for his promptitude in its execution. The three armies arrived at Montreal within two days of each other. The Marquis de Vaudreuil, seeing that resistance to forces so far superior to his own would be worse than useless, proposed an instant capitulation. With EXPEDITION TO HAVANA. Ill Montreal, Detroit, Michilimakinak, and all other French posts on the lakes, were surrendered to the English ; and the conquest of Canada was thus completed, without the loss of a single drop of blood. At the Indian village called Cochnawaga, a short dis- tance from Montreal, Putnam saw the savage who had made him prisoner in the previous campaign. The Indian was highly delighted to see his old acquaintance, whom he entertained in his own well-built stone house with great friendship and hospitality ; while his guest showed no less satisfaction in having an opportunity of shaking the brave savage by the hand, and proffering him protection in this reverse of his military fortunes. The year 1762 found England in rather a gloomy situa- tion. The previous campaign had left her much exhaust- ed, and Spain, as well as the majority of the other powers of Europe, combined against her and Prussia. In the event that she should be much farther reduced, the Ame- ricans could apprehend nothing less than a speedy and energetic attempt by France to recover the lands which she had lost during the past years of the war. The colo- nies, therefore, were called upon to raise supplies, and prepare for a desperate struggle. Large bounties were offered by England to those who would enlist under her standard which were doubled by the continental author- ities. , In the meantime, a large army of British and provincials, under Admiral Rodney and General Monckton, had sailed for Martinique, an island in the West Indies, belonging to the French. On the 14th of February, 1762, that island was captured. This success was soon followed by the subjugation of all the Caribbees. Another powerful expe- dition was also sent, the same season, against Havana. It consisted of 10,000 men, thirty-seven ships of war, and 112 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. nearly 150 transports, under the command of Admiral Pococke and Lord Albemarle. These landed safely on the 17th of June ; but being foiled in all their attempts against the fortresses, the climate destroyed a great num- ber of them, so that, in less than two months, their numbers were reduced about one half. At this gloomy crisis aid arrived from the colonies. A body of Provincials, composed of five hundred men from the Jerseys, eight hundred from New York, and one thou- sand from Connecticut, were sent to reinforce his Lord- ship. General Lyman, who raised this regiment of one thousand men in Connecticut, being the senior officer, was appointed to the command of the whole, consequently the immediate command of his regiment devolved upon Lieut- enant-Colonel Putnam. The fleet, in which these men embarked, sailed from New York, and ultimately arrived safely in Cuba, though not without perilous accidents by the way. While on the coast of that island a terrible storm arose, and the transport, in which Lieutenant-Colonel Putnam had embarked with five hundred men, was wrecked on a reef of craggy rocks. The weather was so tempestuous, and the surf, which ran mountain-high, dashed with such violence against the ship, that the most experienced sea- men expected she would go to pieces. The rest of the fleet, so far from being able to afford assistance, with diffi- culty rode out the gale. In this situation, strict military order was maintained, and all those people, who best understood the use of tools, were instantly employed in constructing rafts from spars, planks, and whatever other materials could be procured. Strong lines were secured to each of these rafts, and run out from the ship, as they put off towards the land. When the first had, with inconceivable hazard and difficulty, SHIPWRECK HAVANA REDUCED. 113 reached the shore, these lines proved of infinite service, in preventing the others from driving out to sea, as well as in dragging them athwart the billows to the beach, and keeping up a constant communication with the ship. By these means every man was finally saved. As soon as all were landed, Lieutenant-Colonel Putnam fortified his camp, that he might not be exposed to injury or insult from the inhabitants of the neighboring dis- tricts. Here the party remained unmolested several days, until the storm had so much abated as to permit the con- voy to take them off. They soon joined the troops before Havana, who, having been several weeks in that unhealthy climate, began to feel its effects severely in the gradual reduction of their numbers, and the transformation of their camp into a hospital. The opportune arrival of the Pro- vincial reinforcement, in perfect health, contributed not a little to forward the works which were in progress, and to hasten the reduction of that important place. But the Provincials suffered so miserably by sickness afterwards, that very few of their number ever found their way home again. The entrance into the harbor of Havana is by a narrow channel, the east side of which is secured by a fort of great strength, and deemed quite* impregnable, called El Moro. The west is protected by another, called ElPunto. Lord Albemarle, having command of the land forces, amounting to fourteen thousand men, of whom four thousand were Provincials, commenced the siege of the Moro. After suffering incredible hardships, and surmounting the most appalling obstacles, the besiegers obtained possession of the covered way, which led to the fortress, made a lodg- ment before the right bastion, and sprung a mine, which threw down a part of the works, and left open a small breach The soldiers, now ordered to storm the place, H 114 LIFE C F GENERAL PUTNAM mounted the breach, under command of Lieutenant Forbes, supported by Lieutenant-Colonel Stuart, and en- tered the fort with such order and intrepidity, as entirely disconcerted the garrison. Four hundred Spaniards were either cut in pieces, or perished in attempting to escape by water to the city. The remainder threw down their arms, and received quarter. The British troops, now in possession of the castle, and having completed their own batteries, on an eminence that commanded the city, were enabled to plant sixty pieces of cannon in position to play effectively on the place. Thus fortified, Lord Albemarle sent a flag of truce, with a summons to the governor to surrender. The haughty Spaniard replied that he should hold out to the last ex- tremity. The batteries, however, were opened with such effect the next morning, both against the city and the Pun- tal, that a deputy was sent out about noon, to settle the terms of capitulation. A cessation of arms immediately ensued, and the city of Havana, with a district extending one hundred and eighty miles westward, and embracing about one fourth part of the island, with the fortresses and the ships in the harbor, were surrendered to His Britannic Majesty. Soon after this event, the combined powers, finding that war with Great Britain, whether by land or sea, was only a losing game, proposed terms of peace, which removed the dark cloud that had so long hung over the prospects of the colonies. CHAPTER IX. THE PONTIAC WAR. Results of the late contest between England and France Condition, character, and hopes of the Indians Pontiac, the Otoway chief- His first successes and plan of Union Movements of General Amherst Captain Dalyell ordered to Detroit His bold sortie from the fort His glorious death Putnam, now a Colonel, accom- panies Col. Bradstreet to Detroit Supplies thrown into the fortress Pontiac, overawed by the superior numbers of his enemy, pro- poses conditions of peace Colonel Putnam's letter from the camp Enlarged views and bravery of Pontiac Review of Colonel Putnam's military career His high reputation as an officer Re- tires to his farm Honorable testimonials of public confidence Domestic affliction. TILL the year 1758 or 1759, it seemed doubtful whether France or England would have the ascendency in the New World ; and in particular, whether the British should not be confined to a narrow slip of land on the shores of the Atlantic. The superior population and wealth of the English colonies, and the immense superiority of the British navy over that of France, and particularly the energy of Pitt's Administration, turned the scale in favor of England. Great joy was diffused throughout the British dominions ; but in no place was it felt, in a higher degree, or with greater reason, than in America. For one hun- dred and fifty years France and England had been con- tending for American territory ; and for the last half of that period there had been but little intermission of active hostilities, or of those irregular border difficulties, which 116 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. are scarcely less annoying or destructive than actual war. There were no precise, well-defined boundaries to the possessions of the two nations ; but both were willing to enlarge them in any direction. They possessed much, but coveted more. Neither was backward to make encroach- ments on the other ; and both were prompt to repel them when made, or supposed to be made, on themselves. Throughout this period, especially the last half of it, in addition to the unavoidable calamities of war, indiscrimi- nate massacres had been so frequently and extensively committed on numerous settlers, dispersed over many hundred miles of exposed frontier, that it has been sup- posed the British colonies lost in this way not less than twenty thousand inhabitants. War assumed a most ter- rific aspect among the colonists. Not confined to men in arms, as is common in Europe, aged persons, women, and children, were frequently its victims. The tomahawk and scalping knife, carried to the fire-sides of peaceable, help- less families, were applied promiscuously to every age and sex. It was hoped that the reduction of Canada would close these horrid scenes for ever, with respect to the northern and middle colonies. As the Indians could in future derive supplies from none but the English, and as they would be no longer exposed to the seductiveness of French influ- ence, it was confidently expected that they would desist from their depredations, and leave the colonies to pursue the advantages gained in this long and expensive contest. In this expectation they were disappointed. Some of the Indians laid down their arms, but many of the tribes on the western frontiers still continued hostilities not, as be- fore, to sustain or restore the French dominion, but appa- rently with a view to regain, for themselves, some of that ancient power which both the contending parties had com- THE INDIAN CONFEDERACY. 117 bined to wrest from their hands. It is not improbable, indeed, that they were instigated in a great measure by the catholic priests who still remained among them, and who possessed unbounded influence over their minds. Even at that early day, however, they seem to have had a prophetic intimation of the fate that awaited them, from the continual influx and rapid increase of the Euro- pean race. The most sagacious of their leaders saw, even then, as in a vision, that they had nothing to expect from the pale-faced intruders upon their territories but per- petual encroachment, treacherous, over-reaching negotia tion and diplomacy, and the ultimate extermination of theii whole race. In a conference between some of the Ame rican governors and the Six Nations, soon after the peace of 1761, a warm dispute arose concerning certain lands, which the Indians asserted had been seized by some English settlers under a fraudulent conveyance. Popula tion, too, augmented so rapidly during the interval of peace, after England had acquired the mastery of the con tinent, that the colonists soon overran their prescribed limits ; and, as a chain of forts had been constructed round the most important lands of the Indians, they perceived that the English, by fate or by design, were about to extirpate them, or drive them back upon the distant moun- tains of the west. Under these impressions, the truth of which has been so signally realized, the Shawanese, the Delawares, and the tribes along the Ohio, this side Missis- sippi, and about Detroit, concerted a plan, in 1763, to attack, at one and the same time, all the English posts and settlements in their neighborhood. O Under Pontiac, the celebrated to way chief, and other highly gifted leaders thirty-six of whom were now united under this confederacy they succeeded in getting pos- session of several important posts, which the French had 118 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. surrendered, and were proceeding to concentrate a for- midable power on the northern lakes. General Amherst, who still remained in command, immediately ordered strong reinforcements to forts Pitt, Detroit and Niagara those of Le Boeuf, Venango, Presque Isle and Michilimacki- nack, being already in possession of the Indians. Captain Dalyell, of whom we have had occasion to speak in ano- ther place as the faithful friend and intrepid fellow-soldier of Colonel Putnam, commanded the first party destined for Detroit, with orders from General Amherst to raise the siege, by dispersing the Indians. On his arrival, he suc- ceeded in effecting an entrance into the fortress, without a O ' conflict with the enemy who invested it. Major Glad- wine, who commanded the garrison, satisfied that with this reinforcement the place could hold out against the besiegers, while they were still too few to hazard an open encounter, would fain have dissuaded Captain Dalyell from offering them battle. But the latter, relying on the disci- pline and courage of his men, replied : " God forbid that I should ever disobey the orders of my general," and imme- diately disposed them for action. His force consisted of only two hundred and fifty men. Those of Pontiac were vastly superior in numbers. The conflict, which com- menced at two o'clock in the morning, was obstinate and bloody. The Indians, on every side, kept up a galling fire from behind trees and fences, and threatening to sur- round and enclose Captain Dalyell and his party, compelled him reluctantly to retreat. Having gained a temporary shelter, and halted to breathe, he saw one of his bravest sergeants lying on the ground at a little distance, wallow- ing in his blood from a severe wound in his thigh, and desired some of his men to run to his relief. They declin- ed the service, as too hazardous. Dalyell, declaring " that he would never leave so brave a soldier in the field, COMMANDS A REGIMENT AT DETROIT. 119 to be tortured by the savages," went alone to his rescue. As he was endeavoring to raise the wounded man from the ground, a volley from the enemy was poured in upon them, and they both fell dead together. How do such acts of heroic disinterestedness and self-sacrifice, elevate the cha- racter of the true soldier, and eclipse the proudest laurels of the mere conqueror ! The Indians still maintaining their position, Colonel Bradstreet was sent the following year, 1764, with a force sufficient to reduce them. To this force Connecticut con- tributed a regiment of four hundred men, under the com- mand of Putnam who had now received the commission of a colonel. The old Indian chief, who has been before mentioned as his captor, and whom in that relation he had called master, was also on this expedition, at the head of a hundred Cochnawaga warriors. He had made peace with the English, and was now marching side by side with his former prisoner, to fight with the ancient enemy of his tribe. Joseph Brant, the celebrated Mohawk chief, took part also in this expedition. Meanwhile, Detroit continued to be closely blockaded, and the garrison suffered extremely from fatigue and the want of provisions. On the third of September, a schooner, dispatched from Niagara with twelve men and six Mo- hawk Indians, with provisions for the relief of the garrison, arrived in the river. She was immediately attacked by three hundred and fifty Indians in boats, but, by the admi- rable skill and bravery of the little band on board, she was carried safely into the fort, with the loss of the master and one man killed, and four wounded. Saved from certain death by this seasonable supply of provisions, the garrison held out till the arrival of the forces under Colonel Bradstreet. Overawed by the supe- rior numbers now arrayed against them, and feeling that 120 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. all farther efforts would be worse than vain, the Indians withdrew, without battle, and proposed conditions of peace ; which, after long delays and frequent changes of terms, were duly arranged and ratified in the course of the following season. As this expedition afforded little opportunity for brilliant services, or daring achievements, we have nothing to say for Colonel Putnam save that, as usual, he was always at his post, ready for any service that might be required of him, and weary of nothing so much as inaction. The following letter, supposed to be the longest he ever wrote, will give some idea of the state of the frontier settlements at that time, and of the difficulties they had to encounter in dealing with the Indians. It was addressed to Major Drake, of Norwich, Connecticut, and was published in the Boston Gazette, of December 24th, 1764. " Camp Sandusky, near the Carrying Place, } October 7, 1764. ! " DEAR SIR : " I can tell you the land here is good enough, and sup- pose you will think it strange if I should tell you, that in many places in this country, there are ten or twenty thou- sand acres of land in a place, that have not a bush or twig on them, but all covered with grass, so big and high that it is very difficult to travel and all as good plough-land as ever you saw ; any of it fit for hemp ; but there are too many hemp birds among it, which will make it very unhealthy to live among. " Detroit is a very beautiful place, and the country around it. We sent out an officer, and three Indians, to the Delawares and Shawanese from Presque Isle, who returned and were illy used. We sent the like number from San- dusky, but all before any one returned. CAPTAIN KING'S TALK. 121 " From Sandusky we sent Captain Montieur and Cap- tain Peters, from Maumee we sent Captain Morris of the 17th, and one Thomas King with three Indians. Captain Morris returned some time ago, and was much abused, and stripped, and whipped, and threatened to be toma- hawked, but had his life spared in case he would return. Captain Thomas King and three of the Kanawawas pro- ceeded. This Captain King is one of the chiefs of the Oneida Castle ; and about ten days ago King came into Detroit, and had left all the Kanawawas, who gave out for want of provisions, and could not travel ; he supposed they ail perished in the woods. And three days ago he arrived here, and yesterday he had a conference with the Indians ; and when all assembled, he made a speech to them. After some talk with them, he expressed himself in this manner : " * Friends and Brothers : I am now about to acquaint you with facts, too obvious to deny, I have been, since I left you, to Monsieur Pontuck's (Pontiac's) camp, and waited on him to see if he was willing to come in, and make peace with our brothers, the English. He asked me what I meant by all that, saying, " You have always encouraged me to carry on the war against the English, and said, the only reason you did not join me last year was the want of ammunition, and as soon as you could get ammunition, you would join me." ' " King said there was nothing in it, at which Pontuck produced six belts of wampum, that he had had the last year from the Six Nations, and said, ' The English are so exhausted, they can do no more, and one year's war, well pushed, will drive them into the sea.' " King then made a stop for some time (when he added), ' Brothers, you know this to be true, and you have always deceived me.' At which the Six Nations were all angry, 6 122 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. and this day they are all packing up to go off; and what will be the event I don't know, nor don't care, for I have no faith in an Indian peace, patched up by presents. " Yesterday, Captain Peters arrived, which is the last party we had out. Capt. Peters says the Wyandots are all coming in ; but the Delawares and the Shawanese are not coming, np durst they come, for they are afraid that, if they should come hese, Colonel Bouquet will be on their towns and castles. For he has sent to them to come and make peace, and, on the contrary, if they should go to him we should be on them. They intend to be still until Bouquet first comes to them, and then send out and make peace, if possible ; if not, to fight him as long as they have a man left. But, believe me, they wait to get some advantage of us before they try for peace, Capt. Peters says Bou- quet is within thirty miles of their towns, and believes he is to make peace with them ; for Colonel Bradstreet had orders from General Gage, eight days ago, to make no peace with them, but to march and meet Bou- quet. But, on calling a council of war, and examining the Indians and Frenchmen, who were acquainted with the road, it was found to be thirty leagues to travel by land, and nothing to carry any provisions but on men's back, which, allowing for hindrances, must take forty Jays to go and come. There are four large rivers to pass, two of which must be crossed with rafts, and that very difficult. Considering the season of the year it was judged im practicable. And here we are, and for what I know not, nor when we are to leave it, " I am, &c. " ISRAEL PUTNAM." It gives us an exalted view of the conscious power and fearless courage of the brave chiefs, who, at this time, HIS RAPID PROMOTION. 123 commanded the Indian tribes on the frontier, to find them boldly meditating the utter annihilation of the British power in America, or to use the expressive language of Po;itiac, hoping " by one year's war, well pushed, to drive them into the sea." The colonies, at this time, numbered probably more than two millions of inhabitants, and were rapidly increasing. They had powerful armies, backed by others still more powerful, sent from Europe for their pro- tection. They had numerous well-appointed fortresses, with all the terrible engines of war, which civilized science had invented. They had numberless large towns and po- pulous cities, and their millions were all banded together, as one, for the common defence ; while the Indian tribes, divided among themselves, and inflamed against each other by the never-ceasing feuds of a hundred ages, knew no bond of union, and acknowledged no common head, who could harmonize their councils, or concentrate their power toward one point. They realized the prophetic charac- ter of the father of the wandering tribes of Arabia, " His hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him." Ten years had now elapsed, since Putnam, at the call of his country, relinquished the peaceful pursuits of rural life, for the stirring scenes and perilous duties of the camp. He entered the service without experience, but with a high reputation for personal bravery. He had risen regu- larly through every grade, from the command f a com- pany to that of a regiment. He had won the confidence of his superiors, and the affectionate regards of his men ; and now, the great object of the war being accomplished, and peace secured to the colonies on every side, he returned to the bosom of his family, and to the shades of private life, his brows crowned with enduring laurels, and his name, 124 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. encircled with the halo of fame, associated with the best and bravest in the land. The part he had acted in " The Seven Years' War," was one of peculiar hardship and peril. Always in the van, when charging the enemy, and in the rear, when a retreat was ordered stationed among the outposts when the army was in camp scouring the woods or the lakes with a handful of men, or creeping stealthily alone into the enemy's lines his was ever the post of danger. But he encountered and achieved it all with a chivalrous indiffer- ence to personal danger, and an inexhaustible fruitful- ness of resources, which, while it excited the envy of a few, commanded the admiration of all. His military knowledge was all the fruit of his own experience and observation, the result of that strong common sense, that ready ingenuity in adapting himself to the circumstances in which he was placed, and that perfect coolness and self- possession in seasons of danger, for which he was emi- nently distinguished, and which qualified him, without the previous advantages of education, for the important stations he was called upon to fill. " Personal bravery," says Mr. Peabody, " is perhaps the cheapest of the military virtues ; but there was some- thing cool, daring and unostentatious in that of Putnam, which attracted equally the wonder of the cultivated and the rude. In the words, recorded by a personal friend* upon his monument, he had always l dared to lead where any dared to follow.' His disposition was full of the frankness of the soldier, united with a kindness and gene- rosity, not always found in union with the sterner quali- ties, demanded by the life of camps ; an extended inter- course with others had refined the asperity of his manners, * Dr. Dwight DOMESTIC AFFLICTION. 125 without impairing the simplicity of his genuine New Eng- land character." In laying aside his uniform, and returning to his plough, and to the pleasures of domestic life, he lost nothing of that respect and esteem, with which the brave soldier and the accomplished officer had been regarded. Success had not inflated him with pride, or made him forgetful of his old connections. He possessed the entire good will and confi- dence of his neighbors and fellow-citizens, and stood very high in the public estimation, throughout the country, for integrity, courage and pairiotism. IS'o sooner was the sword laid away in its scabbard, then he was called, by the united voice of his fellow-citizens^ to counsel and aid them in the management of their civil affairs. And, during the entire interval of repose, between the French war and that of the Revolution, he was employed, by their choice, to fill the higher municipal offices, and to represent the town in the General Assembly of the colony. But who ever enjoyed sunshine in this life, which clouds did not darken ; Or found repose, which affliction did not mar ? Returning in peace to the bosom of his family, after so long a period of toil and danger, from so many vicissitudes of fortune, by land and sea, from weary marches and perilous adventures, from conflicts, single- handed, with a lurking foe, and the terrible melee of the battle-field, and " the imminent deadly breach," the veteran soldier might have promised himself, at least a brief interval of pure enjoyment, amid the loving and loved ones that clustered about his fireside, and graced and cheered his table. But he had scarcely returned to his home, when it was visited by the severest of earthly be- reavements. The wife of his youth, the mother of his children, was smitten by the shaft of death. After ten years of exposure to danger in almost every form, he came 126 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. back, in full health and vigor, and with a heart yearning for the bliss which can only be found at home, to witness the dying struggle, and receive the dying blessing, of her who had been his counsellor and his comforter, and the chief joy of his existence, for a quarter of a century. It was a heavy stroke, and deeply and bitterly was it felt, though he murmured not against Him who dealt the blow. After a considerable period of widowhood, Colonel Put- nam married again. His second wife was Mrs. Deborah Gardner, the widow of John Gardner, Esq., the fifth pro- prietor of Gardner's Island. She was a native of Pomfret, the daughter of Mr. Avery, one of Putnam's neighbors. She accompanied him in most of the campaigns of the Revolutionary War, and died at his Head Quarters, in the Highlands, in 1777. Her youngest son, Septimus Gard- ner, entered the army, under his step-father, and died at Peekskill, about the same time with his mother. Mr. Putnam had no children by his second marriage. CHAPTER X. CAUSES OF THE REVOLUTION. The Navigation Acts Writs of -Assistance Stamp Act Resistance in the colonies Activity and zeal of Colonel Putnam Stamp officers compelled to resign Case of Mr. Ingersol His public resignation at Weathersfield Putnam's interview with the Go- vernor Prevalence of the same spirit Results Stamp Act repealed A season of tranquillity Putnam opens a public house General Lyman's mission to England Obtains a grant of land on the Mississippi Proceeds with Putnam and others to locate it Forms an establishment at Natchez Putnam returns to take part in the agitations of the country. THE causes which led to the Revolutionary War, and the establishment of American Independence, are too gene- rally understood to require detailed explanation here. The oppressive enactments of the mother-country, on the one hand, and the bold and spirited resistance of the colo- nies on the other, had already awakened feelings of no amiable character on both sides of the water. And, while the heroes and patriots of the provincial army were fight- ing bravely, side by side with the officers and soldiers of the crown, and learning the art of war in their campaigns against their French neighbors, the contest had already begun which was to divide them into separate armies, and array them in deadly hostility to each other. The Navigation Acts of 1651 and 1660, and others of a still later date, placing severe restrictions upon American commerce, had been the subject of frequent rononstrflnce, 128 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. and had often been either quietly evaded or openly violat- ed. The " writs of assistance," or general warrants, ordered in 1761, for the discovery of contraband articles, which had been imported into the country without the payment of the established duties, were met by the bold and spirited denunciations of Thatcher, Otis, and the Adamses, nobly seconded by the voice of the people, so far as it could be heard through the press. The actual enforcement of the. laws, by the confiscation of smuggled goods, in 1763, increased the excitement, and alarmed the staunch lovers of liberty in the colonies. The first formal declaration of a settled purpose on the part of the ministers to tax the colonies directly was made by Mr. Grenville, prime minister of George III., in 1764. It was not only received with a burst of indignation in America, but met by an able and talented opposition in the British Parliament. The consequences were foreseen by those who best understood the American character, and valued the privileges of the British Constitution. But the ministers, backed by the obstinacy of the king, were not to be diverted from their purpose. The Stamp Act was passed in March, 1765, by a large majority of both houses of Parliament. When the news of the passage of this Act reached America, a general indignation spread throughout the country, breaking forth, in some places, in acts of outrage and violence, and in others assum'ng the spirit of calm but determined resistance. At Boston and Philadelphia the be.lls were muffled, and rung a funeral knell. At New York the Act was carried through the streets, with a death's head affixed to it, and styled " The Folly of Eng- land and the Ruin of America." When the stamped papers arrived in the country they were, in many places, seized and destroyed ; the houses of those who sided with MR. JNGERSOL, THE STAMP-OFFICER. 129 the government were violently entered and plundered ; the stamp officers were compelled to resign their commissions ; and the doctrine was openly asserted, on every side, that England had no right whatever to tax America, or to claim a dollar of her money without her own free con- sent. Among those who entered most zealously into these measures of remonstrance and open resistance, was Colonel Putnam. With his accustomed fearlessness and impetu- osity, he set his face against every movement toward put- ting this hateful system of oppression into execution. By a concert of action throughout the colonies, the people had determined, in order to prevent the stamped paper from, being distributed, that the stamp-masters should not enter upon the execution of their offices. That appointmentjju Connecticut, had been conferred upon a Mr. Ingersol, t>f New Haven, a very dignified, sensible, and learned native of the colony ; who, upon being solicited to resign the trust, did not, in the first instance, give a satisfactory answer. He, probably, did not like the bold and peremp- tory style in which the application was made to him ; preferring rather to show his patriotism by his own free act, than by the dictation or compulsion of his fellow- citizens. The people, however, were resolute, and would not allow a moment's hesitation or delay. At the instigation of Colonel Putnam who was prevented from joining the party in person by an accident which had recently befallen him a large number of the substantial yeomanry of the province assembled at a convenient rendezvous in one of .the eastern counties, and proceeded in a body towards New Haven, to demand and receive the resignation of Mr. Jngi-rsol. Another similar body of self-constituted rulers was to have formed a junction with them in Branford. On I 130 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. the arrival of the eastern company at Hartford, they were informed that Mr. Ingersol was on his way to that place, where he was expected to arrive the next day, to claim the protection of the assembly. They, accordingly, took up their quarters there for the night having first posted their patrols on the southern and western avenues, to prevent the possibility of his arrival without their know- ledge. The next morning they resumed their line of march, and met Mr. Ingersol in Weathersfield. They immediately made known to him the errand on which they had come, giving him to understand that the people were resolute in their purpose, and not to be trifled with. After a little dignified hesitation, the worthy man yielded to the law of necessity, and., mounting on a round table, in the midst of his judges, read aloud the following paper : " Weathersfield, Sept. 9th, 1765. " I do hereby promise, that I never will receive any stamped papers which may arrive from Europe, in conse- quence of an Act lately passed in the Parliament of Great Britain ; nor officiate as stamp master or Distributor of Stamps, within the colony of Connecticut, either directly or indirectly. And I do hereby notify to all the Inhabit- ants of his Majesty's colony of Connecticut (notwithstand- ing the said office or trust has been committed to me) not to apply to me, ever after, for any stamped paper ; hereby declaring that I do resign the said office, and execute these Presents of my own FREE WILL AND ACCORD, without any equivocation or mental reservation. " In witness whereof, 1 have hereunto set my hand. " J. INGERSOL." Having finished the reading, he was desired to shout three times, " Liberty and property," which was respond- ed to by three loud and hearty huzzas from the assembled INTERVIEW WITH GOV. FITCH. i31 multitude. He was then invited to dine with some o{ the principal men of the party and the place, by whom he was treated with the greatest respect and politeness. After this, he was escorted by about five hundred horse to Hart- ford, where he again read his resignation, amid the un- bounded acclamations of the people. All this was done in that quiet and orderly manner, which distinguished the lawful assemblages of the people, for purposes of counsel and the common defence, from the turbulent and ill-con- sidered outbreaks of an excited, irresponsible mob. The utmost urbanity and good humor prevailed, and jokes were freely exchanged, and kindly received, by both parties. During the progress of the cavalcade to Hartford, Mr. Ingersol, who rode a white horse, was asked what he thought, to find himself attended by such a numerous and motley retinue. He immediately replied, with a smile, " that he had now a clearer idea, than he had ever before conceived, of that passage in the Revelations, which de- scribes Death on the pale horse, and hell following A/'?n." Soon after this, Putnam, having so far recovered as to be able to attend to his ordinary duties, was deputed, with two other gentlemen, to wait on the Governor of the colo- ny, in relation to the same subject, and with the same resolute purpose of preventing the introduction of the hated papers into any part of the colony. The conversation that took place between Governor Fitch and Colonel Putnam on this occasion, will serve well to illustrate the spirit of the times, and the resolute character of the men, on whom the duty devolved of representing and leading the people. The object of the conference having been explained, and the Governor satisfied that the people were immovable in their determination to resist the slightest encroachment upon their rights, he asked, in some concern, addressing himself to Colonel Putnam 132 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. " What shall I do, if the stamped paper should oe sent to me by the King's authority ?" " Lock it up," replied Putnam, " until we shall visit you again." " And what will you do then ?" " We shall expect you to give us the key of the room, in which it is deposited ; and, if you think proper, in order to screen yourself from blame, you may forewarn us, upon our peril, not to enter that room." " And what will you do afterwards ?" " Send it safely back again." " But if I should refuse you admission ?" " In such a case your house will be levelled with the dust in five minutes." Such interviews and scenes as this, could not fail to pro- duce a deep impression of the difficulty of enforcing the obnoxious law. In some of the colonies it was never at- tempted. The stamped paper was never sent into Con- necticut ; and it was supposed, at the time, that a report of Putnam's plain talk with the Governor, and the con- strained resignation of the stamp-officer at Hartford, de- terred them from trying the experiment in that quarter. The same spirit prevailed op every side. The Provin- cial assemblies were unanimous in their reprobation of the measure, and one long, loud note, not of remonstrance only, but of defiance, was heard from the masses of the people from north to south. Its echoes reached the ears or the infatuated legislators on the other side of the Atlan- tic and convinced them of the futility of attempting to rivet paper chains upon a people born to freedom, and jealous of thf slightest encroachment upon their rights. The Revenue System was accordingly abandoned for a season. The Stamp Act was repealed on the 18th of March, 1766. The news was received in America with lively expressions INN-KEEPING THE OLD SIGN. 133 of joy and gratitude. Public thanksgivings were held. Trade with England, which had been suspended, was re- newed, and the importation of British goods encouraged, and a general calm, without a parallel in history, imme- diately succeeded the storm, which had raged with such threatening violence. During this short season of tranquillity, Putnam resumed )iis agricultural employments, which he pursued with his accustomed vigor, though slightly interrupted by two acci- dents, one of which deprived him of the first joint of the thumb of his right hand, while the other was attended with a compound fracture of his right thigh, which short- ened that leg nearly an inch, and made him slightly lame during the remainder of his life. He also, at this time, threw open his house for the accommodation of the pub- lic. The old sign, which swung before his door, as a token of rest and good cheer for the weary wayfarer, is now to be seen in the Museum of the Historical Society of Connecticut, at Hartford. It represents General Wolfe, in full uniform, his eye fixed, in an expression of fiery ear- nestness, upon some distant object, and his right arm ex- tended, in emphatic gesture, as if charging on the foe, or directing some other important movement of his army. The sign seems to have fared hardly in one respect, being plentifully sprinkled with shot-holes, which gives the young hero the appearance of having been deeply pitted with the small-pox. The Provincial officers and soldiers, who survived -the expedition to Havana, having deputed General Lyman to receive their portion of prize-money, he repaired to Eng- land for that purpose. He was charged, at the same time, with a commission from a company in America, called " Military Adventurers," to solicit from the crowu a grant of land on the Mississippi. 134 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. The delays, vexations and disappointments, atten, ig this business, so chafed the spirit, and wounded the manly pride of General Lyman, that he sunk into a state of despondency and mental imbecility, and retiring to a solitary place, resolved never more to expose himself to the indignities and disappointments of public life, and de- termined never more to return to his native land, .lest he should be reproached with the failure of his mission. In this state of morbid depression, he was visited by some of his own family, who crossed the Atlantic in quest of him, and succeeded in finding his place of retreat. By their kindness, sympathy, and good nursing, he was soon restor- ed to his wonted health and activity, and once more re- paired to London, to prosecute the object of his mission. After several years, thus consumed in attendance upon court, the grant was obtained, and General Lyman re- turned home, comparatively successful. Colonel Putnam, with several other gentlemen, accompanied his old com- mander, in 1774, in a tour to the far west, to explore the tract, and make preparation for settling it. Such an ex- pedition was not accomplished with as much ease, seventy- five years ago, as at the present day. The steamboat was not known. The railroad had not been dreamed of. A trip to Oregon is not more difficult now, than was the pio- neer jaunt to the Mississippi, then. After a tedious voyage to the Balize, and a laborious passage up the river, and weeks of toilsome engineering, they succeeded in estab- lishing the metes and bounds of their grant, and locating the portions of the several grantees. This done, they all returned to Connecticut, with the intention of encourag- ing emigration, and planting a colony of industrious thriv- ing Yankees on the banks of the Great River. General Lyman returned thither in the course of the following season, and formed an establishment at Natchez, where NOTES OF PREPARATION. 135 he remained till his death. Colonel Putnam placed some laborers, with provisions and farming utensils, on his sec- tion of the grant ; and, from his well-known enterprise and energy of character, would no doubt have pushed the speculation to a successful issue, had not the clouds, which began to gather anew over his devoted country, thrown a deep shade over all such prospects, and diverted his thoughts from enterprises of private gain, to devising and executing measures for the public weal. It was now manifest to every observer, that the affairs of the colonies had reached a crisis that, in the language of Washington, " the once happy and peaceful plains of America were either to be drenched in blood, or inhabited by slaves." The season for petition and remonstrance was gone by. The time for action had arrived. The future was big with events of immeasurable importance to the interests, not of the American colonies merely, but of humanity. The present was destined to be an epoch in the history of human progress. And the men, to whom Providence had assigned the task of directing the great struggle, by which it was to be achieved, were equipped for the service, and ready to take their posts. Under these men, as councillors and leaders, the people instinc- tively ranged themselves. The athletic frame, the bold and active mind, the prompt, determined air, and tried courage of Colonel Putnam, added to his large experience in military affairs, his ardent patriotism and untiring zeal, marked him out as one of the leaders, and gave him a con- spicuous rank among them. By his advice and assistance, measures were extensively taken, in his own province, to prepare for the worst that might come. New life was in- fused into the militia. The men. and even the boys, who were capable of bearing arms, were urged, and assisted, to devote themselves diligently to systematic exercise in the 136 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. military art. Voluntary associations were formed among them, for regular practice in military manreuvres and drill- ing, and the execution of all the varied evolutions of the camp and the field. The militia trainings of that period bore no resemblance to the spiritless and purposeless farces of our day. They had an object, lofty, solemn, momen- tous, and were conducted with a spirit that made every soldier feel himself a man, and gave to every officer the aspect and bearing of a hero. Every village had its mili- tary school, and its miniature camp, where children learn- ed the art of Avar from their fathers, and where the scarred veteran acted over again the scenes of his youth, and taught the striplings to emulate them. Such were the notes of preparation that indicated the coming crisis. CHAPTER XL AGITATIONS PRECEDING THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE Duties on glass, paper, tea, &c. Board of trade Resistance Asso- ciations 10 suspend commercial intercourse with England Othei measures Brief view of the difficult position of the colonies Resolution of leading men The part taken by Colonel Putnam His conferences with British officers His opinion of the result of a war His confidence in American women Committees of correspondence An alarm Putnam's letter Defence of his course. THE repeal of the Stamp Act was accompanied by another declaratory Act, designed as a sort of salvo to the national pride of British Legislators, affirming that the Parliament had power to bind the colonies in all cases whatever a sufficient warning, it would seem, that the repeal was but a temporary truce, in the war against American rights. That truce was shorter than was at first anticipated. Tak- ing advantage of the absence of Mr. Pitt, who was confined by sickness in the country, Mr. Townshend, then chan- cellor of the Exchequer, introduced a bill into Parliament, in 1767, imposing duties on glass, paper, painters' colors, and tea, which was immediately passed, and approved by the king. A bill was also passed, establishing a board of trade in the colonies, independent of colonial legislation ; and others equally at variance with the known views of the Americans, as well as with the fundamental principles of the British constitution. On the revival of this scheme of oppression, the old 138 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. spirit of resistance revived in all its force. The colonial Assemblies protested earnestly against it. The columns of the public papers were filled with spirited essays from the ablest political writers of the day, setting forth, in the clearest manner, the fallacy of the principles, and the injustice of these measures of the ministry ; and appealing earnestly to the people to resist them, even to the last extremity. Otis, the Adamses, Patrick Henry, and many others, stepped boldly forth to the defence of American liberty, and kindled a flame which was not to be quenched, but by the entire independence of the colonies from the domination of their unnatural step-mother. Some of them, by their fearless denunciation of British oppression, and their uncompromising advocacy of the doctrine of resistance and independence, rendered themselves so peculiarly obnoxious to the crown, as to be honored with a special exemption from the promise of pardon, which was subsequently offered to all who would return to their allegiance, and quietly submit to any burden which royalty, moved and instigated by a tyrannical ministry, might be pleased to lay upon them. Associations were immediately formed, and agreements entered into, to abstain entirely from the use of the articles enumerated in the bill, and to suspend, as far as possible, all commercial intercourse with the mother-country, till the policy of colonial taxation shoold be utterly and for ever abandoned. All foreign luxuries were dispensed with ; domestic manufactures of every kind were freely encouraged ; and other measures adopted, to show to their British taskmasters, that all the advantages and con- veniences of a lucrative commerce would be sacrificed in a moment, sooner than they would forego one jot or tittle of their birthright, as free born Englishmen. The. excite- ment grew warmer and warmer. Difficulties thickened DIFFICULT POSITION OF THE COLONIES. 139 on every side. The colonial Assemblies were repeatedly threatened, dissolved, and broken up, only to meet again, with a sterner purpose of resistance, and bolder resolves than before. Soldiers were quartered upon the citizens, and stationed about the legislative halls, to overawe the people, and intimidate their advisers ; who only became the more bold and unyielding, at every new demonstration ot the power that was destined to enslave them. It was in the midst of these excitements, that Colonel Putnam made his exploring tour to the banks of the Mis sissippi. The season of his absence was one of pecu liar agitation and ferment, and he returned to find the storm of civil discord raging violently, and ready to burst over his devoted land. The first blood of the American Revolution had been spilt, in the massacre of the fifth of March, at Boston ; and other scenes of agitation had been enacted, which portended the coming conflict, and warned every patriot citizen to be ready at his post, to meet the impending crisis. It was clearly foreseen that it would not terminate but in blood. It was a time to try men's souls. America was thinly populated, divided into thir- teen separate governments, with many conflicting interests, and sectional jealousies, to distract her councils, and divide and weaken her strength ; without a head, without an army, without a treasury, and without credit. The odds against them were fearful, in case of actual outbreak, their antagonist being by far the most powerful nation on earth, both by sea and land, and capable of commanding the resources of nearly all Europe. She had also a tre- mendous advantage, in having the reins of government, in all the colonies, in her own hands ; and holding possession of the fortified posts, with a large part of the arms and ammunition of the country. Besides this, the people of America were as truly loyal as any in the wide spread 140 ' LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM dominions of the king. They were proud of their ances- tors and their father-land. They prized highly the privi- leges of the British constitution ; and nothing short of a melancholy persuasion, that the principles involved in these measures of the ministry were subversive of every hope of liberty, guaranteed to them by that constitution, could have induced them to raise the standard of revolt. There were still many Americans, and among them some of the ablest and most intelligent men in the country, who held fast their allegiance to the king, and discoun- tenanced every act of resistance as arrant rebellion. Some, too, of the most experienced officers, who had served in the French War, and who well understood the military power of England, shrank from so unequal a contest, and frowned upon every measure which seemed calculated to widen the breach, and provoke an ultimate recourse to arms. In such circumstances, it required more than ordi- nary decision and courage to become a leader ; for though success would win for them enduring laurels, a failure would consign them all to the ignominious fate of rebels. Fortunately for us and the world, the crisis produced the men who were equal to its utmost exigency. Counsellors and statesmen, bold, sagacious, and far-seeing, resolved to hazard everything dear, sooner than relinquish one of the principles of liberty, for which alone they contended, were found in every province. Brave soldiers, and com- petent officers, men of ample military experience were not wanting, who were ready at a word, to leap into the breach, and lead their undisciplined fellow-citizens to bat- tle with the veteran troops and well-trained legions of the old world ; preferring the prospect of an early grave, or a prison and a halter, to the certainty of chains worse than those of iron, which can only enslave the body. Among the foremost and most conspicuous of the latter HIS POSITION DEFINED. 141 class, vas Colonel Putnam, whose courage and patriotic zeal was well and widely known, and who possessed the entire confidence of the people, not only of Connecticut, but of the sister provinces. He entered at once, and heart- ily, into the preparatory measures, which signalized the trying interval between the first blood-shedding at Boston, and the actual opening of the grand drama at Lexington. By reference to the papers, and official documents of that period, we find him an active and zealous partizan in the affairs of the colonies, watching, as a sentinel at his post, the signs of the times, and urging, with all his accustomed impetuosity and energy, every expedient to rouse and keep alive the spirit of resistance, and evade or prevent the exe- cution of those hateful laws, which threatened to enslave them. Boston was, at that time, the head-quarters of what the Safglish were pleased to term " the rebellion," and the point upon which they concentrated their severest enactments, and their first military preparations to subdue the refractory colonies. Putnam was often there. He was familiarly known to General Gage, the British com- mander-in-chief, Lord Percy, Colonel Small, and many others, with whom he had formerly served, in the " Seven Years' War." His character, for all that constitutes a brave soldier and an able commander, was well known and highly appreciated among them ; while his personal qualities had endeared him greatly to those who had been most familiar with him, in war and in peace. As the crisis approached, and the storm of war seemed inevitable, the conversation often turned, from a warm dis- cussion of general principles, to matters of more personal concern. But Putnam was not a man to hesitate about consequences, when his mind was settled, and his resolu- tion fixed upon principles. When, therefore, he was questioned, by his British friends, as to the part he should 142 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. take, in case the dispute should proceed to actual hostili ties, he always replied, and with an energy that left no doubt of the sincerity and heartiness of his determination " I shall take part with my country in any event ; and, whatever may happen, I am prepared to abide the conse-s. quences." When asked whether he, who had witnessed the prow- ess of the British arms, and their repeated victories by sea and land, did not believe them equal to the immediate con- quest of a people, who did not own a single ship, and who had neither armies, nor commanders, nor munitions of war he replied, with equal confidence, " I can only say, jus- tice would be on our side, and the event with Providence. And, if the combined forces of Great Britain and her colo- nies, required six full years to drive the French out of Ca- nada, I apprehetid it will be no easy task, for British troops alone, to enslave a country, much more extensive and populous than Canada. Besides, men fighting on their own soil, in defence of their altars, their hearths and their liberties, have an advantage, in the sacredness of their cause, over the mere mercenaries, who fight only for pay, with nothing at stake on the issue, but the idle breath of fame. For my part, I fully believe you will find it no easy matter to conquer these American provinces, poor as they are." On one occasion, he was asked, with an expressive sneer, if a well-appointed army of five thousand British veterans might not march, without serious molestation, from one end of the continent to the other. " No doubt they could," he replied, with animation, " if they behaved themselves civilly, and paid well for everything they wanted. But," he added, after a moment's pause, " if they should attempt it in a hostile manner, the American women, if the men were out of the way, would meet them AN ALARM. 143 with their ladles and broomsticks, and put them to rout, before they had measured half the oreadth of the land." Such was the substance of frequent amicable discussions, which took place between the advocates of the crown on the one part, and the bold American leaders on the other, indicating clearly the nature of the contest, in which they were soon to engage, but never resulting in conviction in the minds of the disputants. Among the measures of preparation and precaution, which were generally adopted, and ably sustained, in all the colonies, was the appointment of committees of vigi- lance and correspondence, whose duty it was, to keep the whole people informed of whatever occurred in any part of the land, that should alarm the fears, or awaken the jea- lousy of the most sensitive defenders of liberty. Colonel Putnam was chairman of such a committee, for the district in which he resided, and,s such, incurred a large share of the displeasure of the British party, for his sleepless vigilance, and prompt, untiring zeal. A gentleman, in New York, writing to a friend in Anna- polis, under date of September 6th, 1774, says : " Two days ago, we were alarmed by the arrival of an express from Colonel Putnam, of Connecticut, to the committee of this city, with the intelligence that a certain person was just come to his house from Boston, to acquaint him that on affray had happened between the people and the troops in Boston. Colonel Putnam, upon this advice, alarmed the whole country, moving them to arm themselves, and take the road to Boston which they actually did, inso- much that, the postman says, that the roads were covered with people." This proved to be a false alarm, and the part which Colonel Putnam took in it, was the subject of no little comment in those papers of the time, that were still in the 144 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. British interest. One of General Gage's defenders, in a letter to Peyton Randolph, of Virginia, written at this juncture, says : " Colonel Putnam, of Connecticut, with a. zeal, not according to knowledge, alarmed that and all the southern provinces, and the whole country was in mo- tion." To show the spirit of the man, and the excited state of the country at this time, we give the following extract from Colonel Putnam's letter, explaining and justifying the part he took in the affair. After stating how the story came to him, by a Captain Keys, purporting to be an au- thorised messenger from Boston, he adds : " Now I submit it to the determination of every candid and unprejudiced reader, whether my conduct, in writing the above-mention- ed letter, merits the imputation of imprudence, as asserted by said writer, or whether they would have me tamely sit down, a spectator of the inhuman sacrifice of my friends and fellow-countrymen. * * * And pray, what easier way could I have proceeded, than in writing to one of the militia captains, whom I desired to forward the intelligence to the adjacent towns, when I really believed the story to be true ? Which having done, I mounted my horse, and made the best of my way towards Boston, having only four gentlemen to accompany me. Having proceeded as far as Douglass, which is about thirty miles from my house, I met Captain Hill, of that town, with his company, who had been down within about thirty miles from Boston, and had just returned. He informed me that the alarm was false, and that the forces of Worcester and Sutton were on their return. I then turned my course home- wards, without loss of time, and reached my house about sun-rising on Sunday morning, taking care to acquaint the people on the road, that they need not proceed any fur- ther. CAUSE OF THE ALARM. 145 " I believe the alarm was first occasioned by Mr. Ben- jamin Hallowell, who, going into Boston in a great fright, informed the army that he had killed one man, and wound- ed another, while they were pursuing him from Cam-' bridge, aud the country were all in arms, marching towards Boston, which threw the military into great consternation. * * In the midst of this hurry and confusion, a post was dispatched into the country, but by whom, or to an- swer what purpose, I cannot tell. But what took place in consequence of it, is evident. General Gage's apprehen- sions of danger were so great, that he speedily began to fortify the entrance to the town, to prevent a surprise from the enemy without."* The agitation, here referred to,, was that which resulted from General Gage's taking possession of the powder in the Arsenal, at Charlestown. The Arsenal was situated in the north-west part of the town, between Medford and Cambridge. About two hundred of the British troops, in thirteen boats, passed silently up the Mystic River, during the night of the 1st of September; and, disembarking at a convenient place, proceeded to the powder-house, and carried off the entire quantity of powder deposited there, amounting to nearly three hundred barrels. Intelligence of this transaction was rapidly circulated ; and, in the morning, several thousand inhabitants of the neighboring towns assembled at Cambridge, principally in arms, and were with difficulty restrained from marching into Boston, to demand a delivery of the powder, and, in case of refu- sal, to attack the troops. Amidst the noise and confusion attending this affair, there sprang up a rumor, that the fleet and troops were firing on the town of Boston. It flew through New England with such rapidity, that, in less than twenty-four hours, there were between thirty and * Am. Arch., 4th Series. Vol. i., p. 942. J 146 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. forty thousand men in arms. The roads to Boston were thronged in all directions. And there can be no doubt, that, if the report which caused all this excitement had proved true, General Gage would, at that time, have been attacked in his citadel, and his whole military force anni- hilated at a blow. At that date, his force was compara- tively small, and the fortifications, which he afterwards relied on to protect him from incursions from the country, were not yet erected. It was the serious aspect of this occasion, and the determined air of the people who gathered by thousands from all sides, at the first tap of the drum that suggested the necessity of such defences. CHAPTER XII. FIRST ACT JN THE DRAMA OF THE REVOLUTION. Condition of the colonies Preparations for war Pitcairn's and Smith's secret expedition to Concord Skirmish at Lexington Stores destroyed at Concord American yeomanry roused Diffi- cult retreat of the British In danger of being cut off Reinforced by Lord Percy Closely pursued, and severely handled by the Americans Narrow escape of Major Pitcairn His pistols The alarm Putnam at his plough Flies to Cambridge Boston in- vested Organization of the army Putnam's position General Ward American officers tempted with bribes General Gage's treatment of the Bostonians Fortifications round Boston Hazard- ous exploit Skirmish at Noddle Island Exchange of prisoners. IT was in this state of general excitement, and individual alarm and watchfulness, that the war of the Revolution broke upon the colonies. They were, in a great measure, unprepared for any serious conflict, but were unanimously resolved to submit to extermination at the point of the bayonet, rather than yield to oppression under the forms of law. They had no army, though almost every man and boy in the land was ready to step into the ranks, at a moment's warning. Their legislative assemblies were forcibly dis- solved ; the inhabitants were formally declared rebels ; and an army sent to Boston to subdue them. On the dissolution of the Assembly of Massachusetts, its members met a;ain, and resolved themselves into a O / Provincial Congress. They appointed committees of *' safety," and " supplies," and voted to raise and organize 148 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. an army of twelve thousand men. They also made arrangements for the immediate enlistment of one fourth part of the militia, as minute-men, to be ready for action at a moment's warning. Similar preparations, proportion- ed in extent to the population of each, were made in the other colonies. Military stores and ammunition were purchased, and magazines provided, in suitable places, for their reception. Meanwhile, the Americans carefully abstained from all offensive acts. The first aggression was on the part of General Gage. Having previously seized, and conveyed to Boston, the ammunition and mili- tary stores in the provincial arsenals at Cambridge and Charlestown, he proceeded, on the night of the 18th of April, 1775, to dispatch a force of eight hundred men, under the command of Colonel Smith and Major Pitcairn, to destroy those at Concord. This expedition was planned in profound secrecy ; and the greatest precautions were taken to prevent the intelli- gence of it from going out in advance, to alarm the peo- ple. But the Yankees were too wakeful to be taken by surprise. The patriots of Boston, by some means, became acquainted with the Governor's design, and Dr. Warren immediately dispatched confidential messengers along the supposed route, to prepare for their reception. At Lex- ington, a little more than half way to Concord, where they arrived about daylight, on the morning of the 19th, the British troops met with the first appearance of hostile resistance. About seventy men, under command of Cap- tain Parker, were drawn up on the green. Major Pit- cairn, supposing the voice of a British officer, backed by such a force as he had at his feet, would be quite sufficient to subdue a single company of raw militia, rode up to their line, and cried out, in an insolent tone, " Disperse, you rebels, throw down your arms and disperse." Not being BATTLE OF LEXINGTON. 14S obeyed, he discharged his pistol, and ordered his soldiers to fire. Several of the militia were killed, and the rest, feeling it was useless to contend with numbers so greatly superior, retreated and dispersed, but only to gather again, with large reinforcements from every quarter. The detachment proceeded, without further interrup- tion, to Concord, destroyed a part of the stores deposited there, and made a hasty retreat. But the militia of all the surrounding country, having been alarmed, assembled in great numbers. A smart skirmish ensued, and several were killed on both sides. To retreat through such a country, where every man was an enemy, if not a disci- plined soldier, and where every house, and tree, and fence, sheltered one or more expert marksmen, each capable of picking off his man at any reasonable distance, was no easy matter. The Americans hung upon their rear, and harassed them on every side, and would inevitably have cut the whole detachment in pieces, had not Lord Percy, with a reinforcement of nine hundred men and two field pieces, met them at Lexington. Lord Percy formed his detachment into a square, in which he enclosed Colonel Smith's party, who, according to Stedman, " were so much exhausted with fatigue, that they were obliged to lie down for rest on the ground, their tongues hanging out of their mouths, like those of dogs after a chase." The enemy, now amounting to about seventeen hundred men, having halted an hour or two at Lexington, recom- menced their march, but the attack from the Provincials was renewed at the same time, and an irregular, yet very galling fire was kept up on each flank, as well as in front and rear. The close firing from behind stone walls, by good marksmen, put them in no small confusion ; but they, on their part, kep< up a brisk retreating fire on the militia and 150 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. minute-men. A little after sunset, they reached Bunker's Hill, where, exhausted with excessive fatigue, they re- mained during the night, protected from further annoyance by the guns of the Somerset man-of-war, which was so situated as to rake the neck, and so prevent their pursuers from gaining access to Charlestown. The following day, they crossed over to Boston, carrying with them ample evidence to satisfy General Gage, that the work of enslav- ing the colonies would be no farce. The British lost, during this expedition, in killed, wounded, and missing, nearly three hundred men ; the loss of the Provincials being less than one third that num- ber. During the retreat from Lexington, Major Pitcairn's horse was shot under him. The Major fell with him, and only escaped being made a prisoner, by feigning himself dead. His pursuers, coming up, pulled his pistols from his holsters, and leaving him unmolested, kept on their march. When they had passed out of sight, he took to nis feet, and, by a singular good fortune, succeeded in escaping their vigilance, and overtaking his friends. His pistols were presented to General Putnam, on his arrival at Cambridge, and were his constant companions through all his subsequent military career. They are still in the possession of one of his grandsons, John P. Putnam, Esq., of Western New York. They are represented as being of exquisite workmanship.* * There was another relic of the old hero, the remains of which may, perhaps, at some future day, become the property of one of the bol 1 watermen on the Ohio. We refer to the good old musket that killed the wolf, and accompanied its owner through all the perils of the Seven Years' War. It is said to have been dropped overboard, in the Ohio, as the General, in one of his western expeditions, was crossing that river in a boat. THE COUNTRY IN ARMS. 151 With the rapidity of lightning, the intelligence spread on every side, that American blood had been shed by the British troops at Lexington. It was the signal and decla- ration of war. The country was all in motion. The mili- tia, on all sides, seized their arms, which had been kept in constant readiness, and rushed to the scene of action. In the course of a few days, a line of encampment was formed from Dorchester, through Roxbury, Brookline, Cambridge and Charlestown, to. the Mystic River, thus completely environing the British troops in Boston, with an army of twenty thousand men. The alarm, which was carried by a man with a drum on horseback, found Putnam ploughing in the field. Cap- tain Hubbard, afterwards a quarter-master in the army, was in the adjoining field. They were both ready for ac- tion in their own way. Hubbard was a cool, systematic, orderly man. He walked quietly home, put things in order, filled his knapsack, and took his way to the camp. Putnam merely unyoked his team from his plough, and bidding his boy to go home, and tell his mother where he was gone, mounted his horse, and dashed away down the road towards Boston. In twenty-four hours he was there, a distance, in those days, of nearly one hundred miles. He attended a council of war at Cambridge, on the 21st, where the parole, in honor of his arrival, was " Putnam."* Finding the British confined to Boston, and invested with a sufficient force to watch their movements, and being especially requested by the Legislature of Connecticut, then in session, to meet them for the purpose of consulta- tion, he returned at once to Hartford. Having assisted in levying and organizing a regiment, under authority of the Legislature, by whom he was promoted to be BrJgadier- General, he hastened back to Cambridge, from which * Orderly Book. 152 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. place he was absent only one week, leaving orders for the troops to follow as speedily as possible. Among those troops, Knowlton, Durkee, and many others, who had served with him in the French and Indian Wars, were foremost to enlist under the banner of so able and tried a commander. Collected, as the American forces were, from different and independent provinces, they were without a common head, and liable to all the difficulties arising from personal jealousy and military pride, in arranging their respective stations and commands. Some of the best officers took offence at the position to which they were assigned ; and some absolutely refused obedience to those who were ranked above them. For the most part, however, the utmost harmony and good feeling prevailed. To remedy, on their part, the difficulties arising from this cause the Council of Connecticut passed a resolution, advising the Governor " to order the officers and soldiers of the pro- vince to be subordinate, and yield obedience to the General and commanding officer of Massachusetts Bay, while act- ing in that province, and until the Governor should see fit to order otherwise."* Whatever may have been the case with other officers, it appears that General Putnam's estab- lished reputation, and universal popularity, secured for him the confidence of all, and raised him at once to the post of honor and of danger. The supreme command, by the above resolution, was vested in Major-General Ward. Putnam, as appears, among other evidences, from the following extracts from letters of the time, held a separate command under him, at an advanced post, which it was deemed of great importance to defend ; and was regarded, at the time, as but little inferior to the commander-in- chief. The first is from Jedediah Huntington to Jonathan * Am. Archives, 4th Series, vol. ii., page 1039. HIS POSITION IN THE ARMY. 153 Trumbull, jr., Governor of Connecticut, dated Cambridge, April 27th, 1775, and says : " General Ward is at Rox- bury. General Putnam is commander-in-chief at this place. They have both of them too much business upon their hands." The second is from an intercepted letter of one of the British soldiers in Boston, to his friends in England, dated April 30, 1775 : " The whole country is in arms against us, and they are headed by two of the Generals that headed our army in the last war. Their names are Ward and Putnam." * They were both distinguished in the French War, and bore an active part, the former as a Lieutenant-Colonel, the latter as a Major, in the disastrous storming of Ticonderoga, under the command of General Abercrombie ; and now, by a singular concurrence of events, were associated in the direction of an army, in open hostility to their old commanders, and comrades in arms. Ward, as Major-General, and commander-in-chief of the Massachusetts troops, was first. His head-quarters were at Cambridge, and Putnam was his principal execu- tive officer in that wing of the army ; his immediate com- mand being a central and advanced position, on the north- ern bank of Charles River, in Cambridge, and the same spot where Smith and Pitcairn's detachment landed, on the night of the 17th of April, in their stealthy march to Lexington. Wooster and Spencer, who were his superiors in rank in his own province, were stationed at Roxbury, with the right wing of the army under the com- mand of Lieutenant-General Thomas. One of the measures resorted to by the British com- manders, to weaken the forces of their adversaries, was an attempt to win over to the king, by bribes of gold and offices of distinction, some of the ablest and bravest of our * Am. Archives, 4th Series, vol. ii., page 423. 7* 154 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. military leaders. With some, among whom were Rogers, William Stark, &c., they were successful. But Putnam, John Stark, Henry Lee, and many others, spurned the pro- posal with a contempt and dignity becoming their true- hearted patriotism, and the claims of their injured country. In the case of Putnam, the bait held out was a Major- General's commission in the British establishment, and a large pecuniary compensation for his services, as well as a handsome provision for his sons. " These facts," as Mr. Everett happily remarks, in his memoir of General Stark, " show that the course pursued by the gallant and patriotic officers, who had distinguished themselves in the Seven Years' War, and who hastened to range themselves on the side of the Revolution, was not a hasty and unreflecting adhesion to the popular cause. They prove that the question was presented to the mind of (Putnam) as one to be weighed deliberately, and that he decided for his country, against the influence of author- ity and temptation, to which many a mind would have yielded. His mind, however, was made up from the first." And he never wavered or hesitated in the choice he had made. The inhabitants of Boston, finding their commerce broken up, and themselves cut off from all communication with the country, began to be seriously distressed for pro- visions. General Gage, taking advantage of this distress, promised to allow them all to leave the town, if they would first deliver up their arms. The terms were rea- dily complied with. But the General, having received their arms, basely refused to let the people go. It would seem that he wished to hold them for his own security, to guard against an attack from their friends without. At least, such was the charitable construction put upon his INTRKNCHMENT S S K I K M I 8 H . 155 breach of faith, by the poet Trumbull, in the first canto of McFingal : " So Gage, of late agreed, you know, To let the Boston people go ; Yet, when he saw, 'gainst troops that brav'd him, They were the only guards that saved him, Kept off that satan of a Putnam From breaking in to maul and mutt'n him, He'd too much wit such leagues to observe, And shut them in again to starve." The first object of the besieging Generals was to construct a line of intrenchments, which, if not a sufficient protec- tion against actual assault, would serve to inspire an undis- ciplined and inexperienced army with confidence in their position. In devising and completing these defences, the ingenuity, industry, and fine humor of General Putnam were of the greatest service. The lines went up with astonishing rapidity ; and, in less than a month, the ex- tended camp of the American army, stretching from Dor- chester to Chelsea, a circuit of not less than twelve miles, was so fortified in every assailable part, as to secure every practicable pass from Boston to the country. The remains of those simple, impromptu redoubts are still to be seen in many places along the line of the encampment. Having completed their intrenchments, 'the next care of the American commanders was to cut off, as far as possi- ble, such sources of supply as lay within the reach of the enemy. For this purpose, an expedition was set on foot to drive off the live stock from the islands in Boston Bay. Those nearest the encampment, and the most important, were Hog-Island, and Noddle-Island the latter being now known as East Boston. From Chelsea to the former of these, the water is scarcely two feet deep, at low tide. It, therefore, required neither bridges nor boats to effect 156 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. the passage. The space between the two islands is also fordable at low water. On Saturday, the 27th of May, at eleven o'clock in the morning, a party, consisting of between twenty and thirty men, passed over to Hog-Island, and commenced driving off the stock that was there. They were interrupted in their operations, and drawn into a skirmish with a party of marines who were stationed there to protect the stock asssisted by another party in a schooner and sloop, that were instantly dispatched to their aid from the fleet in Boston harbor. They succeeded, however, in securing and killing a considerable number of horses and cows, as well as in bringing down several of the British marines, upon whom they kept up a steady and well-directed firing during their retreat. Having cleared Hog-Island, notwithstanding the oppo- sition of the marines, and effected their retreat to Chelsea, without the loss of a man, they drew up on the neck, and sent for a reinforcement, to complete the object of their expedition. This was immediately furnished. It con- sisted of three hundred men, with two field pieces (four pounders), under the command of General Putnam. War- ren, who had not then received his appointment in the army, accompanied him as a volunteer. Being obliged to wait the time of the tide, it was near nine o'clock in the evening before they reached the island. General Putnam then went down to the beach, and hailed the schooner, demanding an immediate surrender, and promising good quarters in case of a quiet submission. This demand was answered by two cannon shot from the schooner ; which was immediately returned by a discharge of the American field-pieces. From this time, a heavy fire was kept up on both sides, till near eleven o'clock, when the firing from the schooner ceased. Her decks had been EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS. 157 completely swept by the pieces and small arms of the Americans, and her crew was now obliged to abandon her and take to the boats a considerable number of which had been sent from the ships to their assistance, with a rein- forcement of marines. The schooner being thus deserted, drifted on shore* About break of day, the provincials, having first stripped her, carried some hay under her stern, and set her on fire the men in the sloop, meanwhile, keeping up a small fire upon them. About the same time, a heavy cannonad- ing was commenced at Noddle-Island (East Boston) Hill, by a fresh party of marines from the British fleet; notwith- standing which, Putnam plied the sloop so briskly, that she was soon entirely disabled. To prevent her from sharing the fate of the schooner, she was towed off by the boats, and thus the conflict ceased. The expedition was entirely successful, having been effected by the loss of one man only killed, and four slightly wounded one by the bursting of his own gun, and another losing only his little finger. The loss of the British was twenty killed, and fifty wounded, besides four double fortified four pounders, twelve swivels, and a quantity of rigging, sails, clothes and money, taken from the schooner.* It also brought away from the keeping and use of the British, several hundred sheep and cattle, and secured them for the benefit of the Americans. A number of prisoners having been taken on both sides, in the various skirmishes since the battle of Lexington, arrangements were made for an exchange to take place on the 6th of June. General Putnam and Dr. Warren were appointed to conduct the prisoners, on their part, to the place of meeting. Entering Charlestown about noon, under the escort of Captain Chester's company of Wea- * Am. Archives, -1th Series, vol. ii., pages 719 and 874. 158 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. thersfield infantry the elite corps of the army and marching slowly through it, they halted at the ferry ; where, upon a signal being given, Majors Moncrief and Small landed from the Lively, to receive the prisoners, and to see their old friend, and comrade in arms, General Putnam. They had served together in the Seven Years' War ; had shared the dangers and hardships of the camp, in a common cause ; and had learned to regard each other with that peculiar respect and affection, which brave men and good soldiers always feel for their comrades, and which they are ever as ready to recognize in a foe, as in a friend. Their meeting was truly cordial and affection- ate.* Their present differences were forgotten for the moment, and, when the wounded privates had been sent on board the Lively, Major Small, Major Moncrief, and the captive officers, repaired with General Putnam and Dr. Warren to the house of Dr. Foster, where an enter- tainment was provided for them. About three o'clock, a signal was made from the Lively, that the exchange prisoners were ready to come on shore ; upon which General Putnam and Major Moncrief went down to the ferry to receive them. They then returned to their company at Dr. Foster's, and spent an hour or two in a very agreeable manner. Between five and six o'clock they parted ; Major Moncrief, with his released officers, 'going on board the Lively, and Putnam and Warren, with their new found friends, returning, under the same escort as before, to Cambridge. The whole affair was conducted with the utmost decency and good humor * The late Governor Brooks, of Massachusetts, who was present at this interview, stated, that when Putnam and his British friends met at Charlestown, they ran into each other's arms, and kissed each other, to the great diversion and astonishment of tRe country people of the army. KIND TREATMENT OF PRISONERS. 159 neither party realizing at all, that in ten short days they would be arranged in bloody conflict, each using his utmost endeavor to maim, capture, or destroy, the other. To those who have not been trained to arms, it seems impossible that men who truly love, admire, and respect each other, should be capable of being excited, by the beat of a drum, the blast of a trumpet, or the voice of a commander, to such desperate and savage exertions for mutual destruction. But such is war. It is greatly to the credit of the American army, at this period, which they maintained throughout the whole war, that the British officers, on parting with their captors, expressed the most grateful acknowledgments for the kind and generous treatment they had received during the term, of their captivity. The privates, who were all woundea men, did the same in the strongest terms some of them with tears, expressing their grateful sense of the tender- ness which had been shown to them in their miserable situation. A writer of that day, in describing the scene, and contrasting the treatment of American prisoners among the British, with that of their prisoners in our camp, con- cludes with the following sensible remarks : " Compassion is as essential a part of the character of a truly brave man, as daring ; and an insult offered to a person entirely in the power of the insulter, savors as strongly of cowardice, as it does of cruelty." In this quality of compassion and generosity to his foes, General Putnam was not excelled by any officer in the army. He was sometimes reproach- ed, by those of a sterner character, for carrying this virtue too far, and showing too much lenity to the enemies of his country. He was incapable of a lasting resentment, and never regarded a foe unarmed as any longer a foe, or a prisoner as other than an unfortunate friend. The position of the contending parties was peculiar, 160 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. The Americans greatly outnumbered the British, but were, at the same time, altogether inferior to them in arms, am- munition, and all the other means of active warfare. They had full knowledge of the force and equipments of the enemy, and of most of their plans and designs. The Bri- tish General, on the other hand, was ignorant of the real strength of his antagonist. He, therefore, quietly suffered himself to be shut up, for several weeks, in his narrow quarters in Boston ; looking down upon an enemy whom he affected to despise, but whom he did not dare to invite to a general engagement. That enemy, too sensible of his own weakness to provoke an engagement, yet daily acquir- ing the means and the power to meet it, when it should become inevitable, was calmly, hopefully awaiting the issue ; equally resolved to yield nothing to fear, and to hazard nothing by presumption. CHAPTER XIII. THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL. An intrenchrnent ordered on Bunker Hill Divisions in the Council respecting this measure The detachment The Peninsula of Charlestown Detachment pauses at the foot of the Hill A dis- cussion Breed's Hill selected for a redoubt Colonel Gridley Description of the redoubt Industry and spirit of the men Sur- prise of the British Severe cannonade Preparations for a battle Putnam goes to Cambridge for reinforcements General Ward's opinion Putnam's position His desire to, fortify on Bunker Hill Landing of the British " The Breastwork" The rail fence Accessions to the American force Warren, Pomeroy, Stark, Reed, &c. Putnam's activity Terrible slaughter among the British They retreat Captain Callender British compelled to retreat again and again Burning of Charlestown Putnam's reception of the incendiaries Arrival of Captain Foster with a wagon-load of powder Heavy loss of the British Storming the redoubt The retreat Putnam bringing up the rear Intrenchment on Prospect and Winter Hills. THE American commanders, having ascertained that the British intended to take possession of the heights of Charlestown, as a vantage ground from which to dislodge them from some of their intrenchments, and thus make a way into the country, resolved, by a sudden and secret movement, to defeat the project, by advancing to that position a. portion of the left wing of their own camp. Putnam, who had already carefully examined the ground, was strenuously in favor of this movement, and had urged it again and again in council, with all the argu- ments at his command. In common with Prescott, and 162 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. other veterans, who understood the character of the Ame rican soldiery, and knew the immense advantage to the order and discipline of the army, which would be derived from active and hazardous service, he had repeatedly pro- posed to lead a party which should invite an engagement with the enemy. Nothing short of this, it was held, would satisfy the army, or the country, who were growing weary of their fruitless inaction. It was with peculiar satisfac- tion, therefore, that they hailed the decision of the Coun- cil, to occupy the heights of Charlestown, and show a bold front to the enemy. The measure was ably opposed by some of the best and bravest men in the Council, and there were obstacles in the way of its accomplishment, which would have appalled any other men, than those who planned and achieved it. One of these was the want of powder. There were, at that time, only eleven barrels in the public depots, and sixty-seven barrels in all Massachusetts scarcely enough, under the most prudent management, for one day's fight- ing. To this objection, General Pomeroy answered that he was ready to lead his men to battle with but five car- tridges a-piece. They were all experienced marksmen, and would fire no random shots ; and if every American killed his five, they would have but little occasion for more powder. Ward and Warren objected, that the enterprise would bring on a general engagement, for which they were by no means prepared. To this Putnam replied, " We will risk only two thousand men. We will go on with these, and defend ourselves as long as possible ; and, if driven to re- treat, we are more active than the enemy, and every stone- wall shall be lined with their dead. And, at the worst, suppose us surrounded, and no retreat, we will set our country an example, of which it shall not be ashamed, and PRELIMINARIES TO THE BATTLE. 163 teach mercenaries what men can do, who are determined to live or die free." Warren walked the floor, then paused, and leaned on his chair. " Almost thou persuadest me, General Put- lam," he said, " but I must still think the project rash ; if you execute it, however, you will not be surprised to find me at your side." " I hope not," replied Putnam, " you are young, and your country has much to hope from you, in council and in the field. Let us, who are old, and can be spared, begin the fray. There will be time enough for you hereafter, for it will not soon be over."* The bolder counsels prevailed, and orders were issued to Colonels Prescott and Bridge, and the regiment of Colonel Frye, to be prepared for an expedition with all their men, who were fit for service, and with one day's provision. The same order was issued to one hundred and twenty men of General Putnam's regiment, under the command of the brave Captain Knowlton, and one com- pany of artillery, with two field pieces. Putnam having the general superintendence of the expedition, and Colonel Gridley, the chief Engineer, accompanied the troops. Putnam's eldest son was a Captain under him. His youngest, only sixteen, was a volunteer. At sunset his father said to him, " You will go to Mrs. Inman's to-night as usual ; stay there to-morrow, and if they find it neces- sary to leave town, you must go with them." From this order, and the attending circumstances, the young man knew there was to be a military movement of some impor- tance, in which his father would participate. " My ima- gination," says he, " figured him as mangled with wounds, and no one near to aid him. I earnestly entreated permis- * Statement of Colonel Daniel Putnam, as given by Colonel Swett. 164 LIFE OF G E N E RA L PUTNAM. sion to accompany him. ' You, my dear father, may need assistance, much more than Mrs. Inman ; pray, let me go where you are going.' ' No, no, Daniel, do as I bid you,' was the reply, which he affected to give sternly, while his voice faltered, and his eyes filled, as if entering into my feelings. He added, ' You can do little, my son, where I am going, and there will be enough to take care of me." The peninsula of Charlestown is a mile and one-eighth in length, from east to west, and two-thirds of a mile across, from north to south. The Mystic River forms its north- ern, and the Charles River its southern border the dis- tance between them, at the Neck, being only one hundred and thirty yards. A narrow channel, separates it from Boston on the east. Bunker's Hill commences at the Neck, and rises abruptly to the height of one hundred and thirteen feet, and then, falling off in a gentle slope towards the east, stretches, in a low ridge, for a considerable dis- tance along the shore of the Mystic, and parallel with Breed's Hill. Breed's Hill, which is eighty-seven feet high, commences near the southern extremity of Bunkei Hill, and extends towards the south and east, the two summits being distant from each other one hundred and thirty rods. The ground on the east of Breed's Hi'l, as well as on the north, between that and the village before mentioned, is low and marshy, constituting what was called the slough. The village of Charlestown was on the south side of the hill, and had begun already to extend itself a little upon its slope. Morton's Point, where the ground was also somewhat elevated, the hill being thirty-five feet above the level of the water, forms the north-eastern ex- tremity of the peninsula, with a narrow channel between that and Noddle Island. It is now the site of the Charles- town Navy Yard, the hill having been levelled for the THE PLACE TO BE FORTIFIED. 165 mutual accommodation of the town and the Navy Yard. The peninsula was traversed, on its northern side, by a narrow road, which, branching off at the Neck from the main avenue to the village, ran over Bunker's, and swept entirely around Breed's Hill, approaching very near the summit of the latter on its southern side. The detachment, drafted for this expedition, consisting of about one thousand men, under the immediate command of Colonel Prescott, were assembled on the common at Cambridge, at an early hour on the evening of the 16th of June, where prayers were offered by Rev. President Langdon, of Harvard College. Immediately after dark they commenced their silent march through Cambridge and across the Neck, Colonel Prescott leading the way. He was attended only by two sergeants, carrying dark lan- terns, open only in the rear. Arrived at the base of Bunker's Hill, they found the wagons laden with intrenching tools, and then only were the men made acquainted with the nature and purpose of their expedition. A serious question now arose among the leaders. The order, directing the expedition, desig- nated Bunker's Hill as the position to be taken and forti- fied. But it was perceived at once, by the experienced eye of the sagacious men, who influenced that little coun- cil, that intrenchments upon that elevation would be of little avail, unless the advance post on Breed's Hill was first secured. The water in the adjacent channel being very deep, the Neck and the Hill were completely com- manded by the ships-of-war on either side, while the dis- tance was too great to render the place of any advantage, in restraining and annoying the enemy in Boston, which, as well as the ships in the harbor, was easily commanded by Breed's. Much time was consumed in deliberation, before they could decide upon taking the responsibility of 166 LiFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. deviating from the letter of their orders, and acting upon their own judgments. It was only after repeated and urgent warnings from Colonel Grid ley, that longer delay would defeat their plans altogether, not leaving them time enough to complete their fortifications, that they came to a decision. They then yielded to the bolder counsels of Putnam, to occupy first the position nearest the enemy, with a view to erecting the principal work there, and a subsidiary one on Bunker's Hill, for the protection of the rear, and as a rallying point in the event of their being driven from the other. Having arrived at this decision, Colonel Gridley pro- ceeded immediately to lay out the works, which he plan- ned with a genius and skill, that would have done honor to the most experienced engineer in the veteran armies of the old world. The redoubt on the summit of the hill was about eight rods square. The southern face, looking towards Charlestown, was deemed the most important, and consequently was furnished with the strongest defence. The eastern side commanded a very extensive field, stretching down towards Morton's point. In a line with this, running down the northern declivity of the hill to the slough, a breastwork was thrown up, separated from the redoubt, at its southern extremity, by a narrow passage- way, or sally port, protected in front by a blind. In the rear of the redoubt, was a passage, or gate-way, opening toward the slough. It was midnight, before the first spade entered the ground. It was then within four days of the Summer Solstice. They had, consequently, but about four hours to work, before the dawning light would disclose their operations to the enemy, and expose them to an immedi- ate cannonading from the batteries in Boston, and the ships in the harbor. But, such was the spirit and resolu- SURPRISE OF THE BRITISH. 167 tion of the whole party, officers and men, that the work was effected in that brief space. Instructed and stimulated by Putnam and Prescott, who did not fear a spade, or a pick-axe, any more than a sword or a musket ; and feel- ing that life and liberty alike depended on their success, they performed prodigies of labor, during that notable night surpassed only by the prodigies of valor, by which they signalized the following day. The works being in a state of promising forwardness, and every man cheerfully doing his whole duty, Putnam repaired to his camp, at an early hour, to make all necessary preparations for the coming crisis. The crisis came with the dawning light. When the British officers, aroused at peep of day by their startled sentinels, beheld their daring foes above them, overlooking their whole position with formidable entrenchments, which had sprung up as by enchantment in the night, they could scarcely credit the evidence of their own senses. It was instantly perceived, that, if the Americans were not driven from their bold position at once, Boston would be no longer tenable by the British. A council of war was called, which directed an immediate assault. Meanwhile, as preparations for the assault were going on, a brisk but unavailing fire was opened upon the Ame- ricans, from the armed vessels and floating batteries, and from the battery on Copp's Hill. No sooner did the report of this cannonade reach the ear of Putnam, than he has- tened back to the scene of action. The streets of Boston were in full view ; and the busy preparations of the Bri- tish were easily discerned and understood. It was mani- fest that they were soon to come to the trial of strength with the veteran troops of the old world. The prospect inspired Prescott with new ardor ; but some of his officers, fearing that men, who were exhausted by the unintermit- 168 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. ted toils of the night, and who were now entirely without water and provisions, would be incapable of performing the service required of them, earnestly desired that a request should be sent to the' camp for their relief. Pres- cott refused to admit the proposition, declaring that the men who had raised the works were best able to defend them, and best entitled to the honors of victory. After much persuasion, however, he consented to despatch a messenger to General Ward for refreshments. This mes- senger was Major Brooks, afterwards distinguished by his faithful services in war, as well as by the highest civil honors in the State. General Putnam, on discovering the design of the ene- my, returned immediately to Cambridge, and urgently advised that a reinforcement should be sent to Colonel Prescott's aid, and that his men should be supplied with suitable refreshment, before the action should commence. His application for reinforcements was unsuccessful. Gene- ral Ward was strongly impressed with the idea that the Bri- tish would land on Lechemere's Point, or Inman's farm, in Cambridge, and make an assault upon the camp, and so cut off the rear of the party in Charlestown. He was the more convinced of this, as the scanty depots of ammunition and military stores, on which the salvation of the American army depended, were at Cambridge and Watertown, and the. British could in no way gain so decided an advantage over them, as by securing or destroying them. And this had been the direct object of all their active operations hitherto. It appears, also, that a formidable party in General Gage's council of war, among whom were Gene- rals Clinton and Grant, were urgently in favor of making their attack at this place. Ward, therefore, thought it unsafe to weaken his own force, as that would not only invite an attack, but render it difficult to repel it. On the HIS POSITION IN THIS BATTLE. 1G9 same grounds, he resisted the earnest solicitation of Put- nam's troops to follow their commander to the battle, assuring them that theirs was the post of danger, and, consequently, of honor. Such being the position of the army, it is manifest that Putnam, though he superintended the expedition to fortify the hill, had no definite command in the battle which ensued. His camp and his men, with the exception of Captain Knowlton's company, were at Inman's Farm, a point which General Ward regarded as most liable to attack, and most important to be defended. On that point, it was necessary that General Putnam should keep a watchful eye, in order to prevent a surprise. His atten- tion was, consequently, divided .between his own post which it was his first duty to defend and the scene of the battle, from which he could not persuade himself to be absent. And it was not until the British had landed, and the fight commenced, that he was relieved from all apprehension in relation to the expected attack upon his own camp, and at liberty to give his undivided attention to the enemy. The cannonading from the British ships and floating batteries, though kept up incessantly during all the morn- ing, effected nothing. The Americans kept on steadily at their works, suffering more from hunger and fatigue, than from the fire or the fear of the enemy. Putnam was very anxious to avail himself of the time required for the Bri- tish troops to prepare for engagement, to throw up another redoubt, according to the original plan, and in obedience to orders, on Bunker Hill. He, accordingly, with a hand- ful of men, commenced an intrenchment on that summit, which, if it could have been completed so far as to afford a tolerable protection to his troops, would have enabled him to check the advance of the British, and prevent them 8 170 'LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. from occupying the redoubt on Breed's Hill. The two summits were within gun-shot of each other, the former, which was nearly thirty feet higher, having complete com- mand of the latter. It was late before this intrenchment was begun, and other and warmer work soon required its abandonment. A little after noon, a large detachment of British soldiers, under command of General Howe, supported by General Pigot, Colonels Nesbit, Abercrombie and Clarke, and other distinguished officers, landed on Morton's Point. The breastwork, extending from Prescott's Redoubt to the slough, still left an undefended pass over the " ridge," towards Bunker's Hill. Putnam instantly ordered Captain Knowlton to cover that pass, for which purpose an extem- pore and perfectly original defence was constructed. A rail fence, which traversed " the ridge," was pulled up and placed a few feet from another of the same kind, and the intermediate space filled in with new mown hay. Behind this shadowy parapet, they watched the move- ments of the enemy, prepared and resolved to give him a worthy reception, as soon as he should be ready to ad- vance. The rumor of a probable engagement spread rapidly on every side ; and marty* private citizens, as well as some brave officers not on duty, flew to arms, and volunteered their services. "Of the latter were Generals Warren and Pomeroy, each with his musket and cartridges, prepared for the hardest service, and inspiring, with their presence and their \vords, a new courage into the hearts of the brave men, whose deeds of valor and self-sacrifice were to consecrate that day to the cause of liberty. When Warren came upon the field, he was met by Putnam, who said to him : " I am sorry to see you here, General Warren. I wish you had left the day to us, as I WARREN AND POMEROY, VOLUNTEERS. 171 advised you. From appearances, we shall have a sharp time of it. But, since you are here, I will receive your orders with pleasure." Warren replied : " I came only as a volunteer ; I know nothing of your dispositions, and will not interfere with them ; tell me where I can be most useful." Putnam, intent on his safety, directed him to the re- doubt, observing, " You will be covered there." " Do not think," replied Warren, " I come here to seek a place of safety ; but tell me where the onset will be most furi- ous." Putnam again pointed to the redoubt ; " That," said he, " is the enemy's object. Prescott is there, and will do his duty. If that can be defended, the day is ours ; but, from long experience of the character of the enemy, I think they will ultimately succeed, and drive us from the works ; though, from the mode of attack which they have chosen, we shall be able to do them infinite injury ; and we must be prepared for a brave and orderly retreat, when we can maintain our ground no longer." Warren assented to his opinions, nnd, promising to be governed by them, went on to the redoubt. The soldiers, to many of whom he was well known, received him with loud huzzas. Prescott offered him the command, which he declined ; saying, that he had come only as a volun- teer, and " was happy to learn service from a soldier of experience."* The veteran General Pomeroy, on hearing the distant roar of the artillery, borrowed a horse to carry him to the field. On approaching the neck, which was swept by a tremendous firing from the British ships, he became, alarm- ed, not for his own safety, but for that of the horse he had borrowed. He, accordingly, left his charger in charge of K sentinel, and coolly walked over, mounted the hill, and * Colonel Swett. 172 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. advanced to the rail fence. He was received with the highest exultation, and the name of Pomeroy rang through the line.* While these accessions were making to the American forces, and the British, already landed, were waiting for reinforcements, Putnam had twice ridden to head-quarters, to represent the absolute necessity of a competent force to resist the superior numbers of the enemy. His represen- tations were at last effectual, and General Ward ordered the New Hampshire troops at Medford, under Colonels Stark and Reed, to repair to the scene of action. Colonels Little, Brewer and Gardner, with their respective com- mands, were successively brought into the field ; and these were ultimately followed by Putnam's Connecticut troops, under Captains Coit, Chester and Clarke, and the heroic Major Durkee. Before the action commenced, Putnam was employed in assigning these successive par- ties to their posts, and giving a general direction to the arrangements of the forces, not under the immediate com- mand of Prescott. Warren and Pomeroy were with that officer in the redoubt, but each declined taking the com- mand, affirming that it was justly due to him who had constructed the defences. Putnam was the only general officer on the field without, and was drawn into the hot- test of the engagement, as soon as it was ascertained that the whole force of the British was to be concentrated against Charlestown. Until the drums beat to arms, he did not wholly abandon the prosecution of his works of intrenchment. At that signal he hastened to the lines. The British van soon appeared in view. The Ameri- cans, eager to salute them, were with difficult}' restrained from firing too soon. General -Putnam rode alon ' time, as follows : " As I consider* the defence of the forti. fications and passes through the Highlands an object of the last importance, and possessing them most probably to form the chief end of the enemy's councils and immediate operations, I wish you to come to Peekskill, and there continue with the troops, till some further disposition shall become necessary." And again, on the 29th : " The passes and fortifications in the Highlands are of the last importance, and every means in our power must be em- ployed to secure them." The. troops at this post were chiefly those from New England and New York. But it was not in raising fortifications alone, or in plan- ning and completing obstructions to the navigation of the river, that the talents of this tried soldier and able com 292 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. mander were expected to be employed. The following letter shows that he was still relied upon, as an accom- plished general, to order and execute important and deli- cate movements against the enemy. " To MAJOR-GENERAL PUTNAM. " Morristown, 25 May, 1777. "DEAR SIR : " Would it be practicable, do you think, under the present circumstances and situation of the troops at Peeks- kill, to surprise the enemy at King's Bridge ? It must be effected by surprise, or not at all ; and must be undertaken by water which would also prove abortive, if the enemy have vessels of any kind above Fort Washington. The undigested ideas which I have entertained of the matter are these : to embark a number of troops, supposed ade- quate to the enterprise, in boats, under pretenCe of trans- porting them and their baggage to Tappan, as a more easy and expeditious method of joining the army under my immediate command. To cover this the better, a number ^f wagons might be ordered to assemble at the landing on this side, in order to receive your baggage. Or, if it should be thought that moving a body of men so near the enemy would put them too much on their guard, could not the troops be embarked at Peekskill, under pretence of reinforcing the garrison on the river, in order to expe- dite the works, and actually set off as if bound thither ; but, under cover of darkness, turn and push down the river ? But here, possibly, a difficulty will arise on account of the impracticability of getting down in the night, and the difficulty of being concealed, in any creek or inlet on the western shore in the day. These are all mat- ters worthy of consideration, and I have nothing more in view than to lead you into a train of thinking upon the PROJECTED ENTERPRISE. 293 subject. Let the matter be communicated to Generals McDougall and George Clinton for their sentiments, but under strong injunctions of secresy ; for it always happens, that, where more than two or three^ are apprized of an undertaking of this kind, the knowledge of it gets abroad, which must immediately defeat any measure that depends upon secresy. " The place at which I should propose your landing would be in the hollow between Fort Washington and Spiten Devil. It is a good landing place, and affords a good passage into the road leading from Fort Washington to the Bridge. It is very obscure, and would enable you to fall in upon the back of the troops at Fort Independence, by which the surprise would be greater, and their retreat cut off. Thence your troops might, or might not,* march up by land, and sweep the country before them of the enemy and provisions, as circumstances would justify. After consulting the gentlemen before mentioned on the propriety of this measure, let me know the result, by a careful person, and when the plan could be conveniently carried into execution. " I am, dear Sir, " Your most affectionate, &c., "GEO. WASHINGTON." Three days after the date of this letter, General Wash- ington removed his camp from Morristown to Middlebrook, and the subsequent movements of General Howe requiring his utmost watchfulness and activity, the plan of surprising his outposts was, for the time, abandoned. There was no officer in the army, who would have performed a ser- vice of this kind with more alacrity or effect than General Putnam. His successes in the previous campaign in New Jersey fully demonstrated that he had lost none of the 294 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. energy, promptness and skill, which had distinguished his partizan adventures in the Seven Years' War. It was not until the 10th of June that the British army, under the immediate command of Sir William Howe, left its quarters at Brunswick. For a considerable time, the movements of that commander were so uncertain and inex- plicable, as greatly to puzzle and perplex his sagacious antagonist ; for, while it was necessary for him to watch every point, it was still more so, that he should be at hand to meet the blow whenever it should be struck. The pre- servation of Philadelphia and the Highlands were objects of equal importance and interest. The former appearing to be the first aim of the British commander, General Washington prepared to gather all his scattered forces about him, to contest the passage through the Jerseys. To this end, General Putnam was ordered on the 12th of June, to send forward Generals Parsons, McDougall, and Glover, with all the Continental troops, at Peekskill, ex- cept one thousand effective men ; which number, in con- nection with the militia and convalescent at that post, was deemed equal to the number of the enemy then on the east side of the Hudson. The above detachments were ordered to march in three divisions, each to follow one day's march behind the other, and each of the first two divisions to be attended by two pieces of artillery. A few days after this, while these orders were in the course of execution, intelligence was received, through a Canadian spy, of the probable advance of General Bur- goyne from that quarter. To provide against this event, General Putnam was ordered still further to reduce his effective force, by holding four regiments of Massachusetts militia in readiness to go up the river at a moment's warn- ing. He was also directed to order a sufficient number of sloops from Albany, to serve as transports for the troops. DANGER ON THE NORTH. 295 Ever on the watch for any intelligence, which might indicate the real designs of the enemy, General Putnam was enabled, on the 30th of June, to transmit to his Com- mander papers of great importance, in consequence of which a new disposition was made of the American forces, and Putnam, anticipating the wishes of Washington, put a portion of his own command in readiness to meet the exi- gency. In reply to this communication, Washington wrote, under date of July 1st, "The intelligence, con- tained in the copies of the letters you transmitted, is truly important. It appears almost certain to me, that General Howe and Genera] Burgoyne design, if possible, to unite their attack, and form a junction of their two armies. I approve much of your conduct, in ordering Nixon's bri- gade to be in readiness, and I desire that it may be em- barked immediately, with baggage, to go for Albany, as soon as General Varnum's and General Parsons' brigades are so near Peekskill, that they can arrive to supply their place, before any troops can come up the river, and effect a landing, or as soon as a number of militia, equal to them, can be got in. It seems absolutely necessary for you to pursue the most speedy and effectual measures, to obtain a respectable reinforcement of the neighboring militia. No time is to be lost. Much may be at stake ; and I am per- suaded, if General Howe is going up the river, he will make a rapid and vigorous push to gain the Highland passes. You will not think of sending Glover's brigade to White Plains in the present situation of affairs." Thus it continued during a considerable part of this per- plexing season. Time was consumed, and strength and patience were tried, in marches and countermarches, which resulted in nothing but weariness. Before one order was fully executed, it was countermanded by ano- ther of an opposite character. Before the last of the three 296 LITE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. divisions ordered from Peekskill was ready to leave that post, the demand for its removal was recalled, and one of the others was on its return, in company with a fresh bri- gade, to reinforce the garrison, now regarded as the post of peculiar danger. General Clinton was, at the same time, urgently requested, without loss of time, to call out a con- siderable body of the New York militia, from the neigh- boring counties of Orange and Ulster, to support General Putnam, while the latter called upon those of Connecti- cut, to swell the reinforcement. To meet these rapidly shifting movements, and exe- cute skilfully these continually conflicting orders, in con- nection with the other arduous duties of his station, de- manded a degree of activity, industry and talent, scarcely inferior to that of the Commander-in-chief, and a spirit and energy not always to be found in men of three score years. But though the labors of the season were exceedingly arduous, and the perils of war imminent and incessant, there was occasional opportunity even with the soldier, for pastime. And Putnam, with his wonted good humor, seized every opening that would justify a little recreation for himself and his men. A fine opportunity was offered on the first anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and liberal arrangements were made to improve it. It was celebrated with feast and song, and feu de joie with eloquent speeches and patriotic toasts, in which suc- cess to the blessed cause of liberty, and confusion to all its enemies, were pledged as heartily and truly as they have ever been by their successors. The concluding scene of that day's sport was peculiar and emphatic. On the top of one of the rugged eminences that overhang the Hudson, in the vicinity of his post, Putnam had discovered an im- mense rock, of several hundred tons weight, so perfectly FOURTH OF JULT. 297 poised in its rest, that a comparatively small power, well applied, would destroy its balance, and send it thundering down into the dark ravine below. Having made his preparations, he drew up a handsome detachment of his force upon the height, accompanied by his principal officers, in full uniform, when, after an ani- mated and amusing address, he gave orders for the lever to be manned. The mighty mass trembled and quivered, and fell with a tremendous crash, accompanied by a simul- taneous discharge from the whole corps, and immediately followed by the thunder of the artillery and heavy guns in forts, whose echoes bellowed and reverberated a long time from the heights and cliffs around. As the huge rock toppled from its old resting place, one party of the officers on one side of it, shouted in admirable unison " So may the thrones of tyrants fall !" And when it settled into its new bed below, the other responded " So may the ene- mies of freedom sink to rise no more !" The danger from the north becoming more imminent, by the evacuation of Ticonderoga and its dependencies, and the consequent advance of Burgoyne to the vicinity of the Hudson, Putnam was ordered to furnish General Schuyler with still further aid, including ten pieces of artillery, with the proper officers to direct in their use, and a considerable quantity of powder and ball. The following order to his aide-de-camp, Major Burr, appears under date of the 14th July: " Pursuant to orders from his Excellency, General Washington, you are forthwith to repair to Norwalk, Fair- field, and other places, adjacent on the Sound, and to transmit to me intelligence of the movements of the enemy. On your return you will pass through Litchfield, and leave orders for all detachments of any regiments 13* 298 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. of Nixon's brigade, to take the most direct route to Al- O / bany. "ISRAEL PUTNAM." In the meantime, General Washington, with the army under his command, was gradually moving up towards the Highlands, on the western side of the Hudson, and, by the middle of July, had advanced, by way of Pompton Plains, as far as the Clove, a narrow passage leading through the mountains, about eighteen miles from the river near the entrance of which he fixed his camp. From this place, General Sullivan and Lord Stirling, with their divisions, were successively sent across the river, to swell the already formidable force of General Putnam, the main body being held in reserve, to operate on either shore, as the movements of the enemy should require. Having, on the 20th, in consequence of information, which proved to be premature, advanced eleven miles within the Clove, General Washington addressed an ear- nest letter to Putnam, requesting the mos-t accurate and detailed account of the movements and designs of the enemy, both by sea and by land, his present position being in the highest degree embarrassing and perilous. Putnam had, in the meantime, despatched General Sullivan, and other trusty and intelligent persons, to various points of the river, and the coast, to obtain such intelligence as could be safely relied on. Having by this means ascertained, beyond a doubt, that the British fleet, with a large num- ber of troops on board, had passed the Hook, and put out to sea, the army returned into New Jersey, and prepared to oppose, with all its force, the meditated movement upon Philadelphia. General Sullivan, and Lord Stirling, with their divisions, were immediately detached by General Putnam, in the same direction, accompanied by all the HOWE'S ILL-MANAGED RUSE. 299 field-pieces at Peekskill, except two pieces for each bri- gade that remained for the defence of that post. The next day, he received orders to " keep as many of his remaining troops, as could possibly be spared from the defence of the forts and passes of the Highlands, in the most perfect readiness to move, either to the southward or to the eastward, as occasion should require. I do not pre- tend," continued the letter, " to fix upon the number which may be necessary for those defences. You and your officers must determine this point, proportioning your defence to the troops left by General Howe on York Island. If you have not already done it, let the eastern States be immediately advised of the fleet's sailing from the Hook, that they may be in a posture of defence, as no person can with certainty say where the blow will be struck." At this critical juncture, an attempt was made to blind the eyes of Washington as to the real movements of the enemy. A young American, who had been a prisoner in New York, was employed to convey a letter from General Howe to General Burgoyne, with the apparent design of notifying the latter of the intended movements of the for- mer. The messenger whether in obedience to his instruc- tions, or not, does not appear, but certainly in accordance with the wishes of the writer immediately hastened to Peekskill, and delivered up the letter to General Putnam, by whom, after perusal, it was communicated to the Com- mander-in-chief. It was in the handwriting of General Howe, and read as follows : " New York, 20 July, 1777. "DEAR SIR, u I have received your letter of the 14th of May from Quebec, and shall fully observe its contents. The expe- dition to B n [Boston] will take the place of that up 300 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. the North River. If, according to my expectations, we may succeed rapidly in the possession of B., the enemy having no force of consequence there, I shall, without loss of time, proceed to cooperate with you in the defeat of the rebel army opposed to you. Clinton is sufficiently strong to amuse Washington and Putnam. I am now making de- monstrations to the southward, which I think will have the full effect in carrying our plan into execution. Success attend you. "W. HOWE." It was a clumsy plan, and clumsily executed ; and pro- duced no other impression on the mind either of Wash- ington or Putnam, than to establish, beyond a doubt, the design upon Philadelphia, and hasten the march of the forces in that direction. Notwithstanding this decisive movement, and the con- centrated interest which it created towards the capital of Pennsylvania, the posts in the Highlands were still deemed so important, and the necessity of the possession of them by the British, in order to a junction of their two armies, seemed so manifest and urgent, that Washington, to use his own expression, " could not help casting his eyes con- tinually behind him." That they might not be left too much exposed, General Sullivan's division was ordered to halt at Morristown, and be in readiness to return, at a mo- ment's warning, if necessary. On the arrival of the enemy's fleet at the Cape of Dela- ware, General Putnam was directed to send forward two other brigades, which he had already, in anticipation of the demand, transported across the river, and put in readi- ness for instant departure. The deficiency thus created in his own garrison, now reduced to two thousand Continen- tal troops, he was requested, if possible, to supply by im- EDMUND PALMER, THESPY. 301 mediate requisitions upon the militia of Connecticut and New York. The very next day, August 1st, in consequence of a new ruse on the part of the enemy's fleet, all these orders were countermanded, and General Sullivan's division, with the two brigades on the western bank of the Hudson, were directed immediately to return and recross the river, while the main body of the army prepared to follow with all possible expedition. Says Washington, in his letter to General Putnam, on this occasion, " The importance of preventing General Howe's getting possession of the High- lands by a coup-de-main, is infinite to America ; and, in the present situation of things, every effort that can be thought of, must be used." By this continual marching and countermarching, in the hottest season of the year, the American troops were more harassed, than by all the fatigues and duties of the cam- paign, and many of them became so discouraged and dis- gusted with the service, as to embrace every opportunity to desert. On the third of August, Sir Henry Clinton, who had recently returned from England, and now commanded the British forces in the City of New York, sent up a flag of truce to General Putnam, at Peekskill. Edmund Palmer, a lieutenant in a regiment of American Tories, had been detected in the American camp, in disguise as a spy, and the object of the flag was to claim him as an officer in the British service. The message, accompanying it, expati- ated upon the heinous crime of bringing to an ignominious death, by execution, a man bearing his Majesty's commis- sion, and threatened signal vengeance, in case of such a violation of his person. The flag was taken up the river to Verplank's Point, by Captain Montagu, in the ship Mercury, and thence forwarded to the camp. General 302 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. Putnam instantly returned the following characteristic reply : " Head Quarters, 7 August, 1777. " Edmund Palmer, an officer in the enemy's service, was taken as a spy, lurking within our lines ; he has been tried as a spy, condemned as a spy, and shall be executed as a spy, and the flag is ordered to depart immediately. "ISRAEL PUTNAM. " P. S. He has accordingly been executed." In the meantime, Burgoyne was advancing on the north, and the army in that quarter stood greatly in need of rein- forcements. General Putnam's post at Peekskill was the only one from which such aid could be immediately sent Washington, addressing him on the subject, on the 7th of August, remarks, " I would not wish to weaken you, as the enemy seem to bend their course again towards you. I desire that you, and the general officers, would consider the matter fully, and, if you think that you can spare Cort- landt's and Livingston's regiments, they may be put in readiness to move." He also recommended highly the plan, in which Putnam was engaged, of fortifying, by va- rious works of defence, the entrance to the passes in the vicinity of his post. CHAPTER XXIIL COMMAND IN THE HIGHLANDS CONTINUED. LOSS OF FORTS MONTGOMERY AND CLINTON. Extent of Putnam's command Relative position of the forts Plans an attempt on the posts of the enemy His force greatly reduced Sir Henry Clinton in New Jersey Detachments for the main army delayed Peremptory order to hasten their march Militia of little service Sir Henry Clinton in Haverstraw Bay Favored by circumstances Lands at Tarrytown at Verplank's Point at Stony Point covered by a dense fog Diverts General Putnam from his main object Gains the rear of Forts Montgomery and Clinton His advance resisted Severe action Gallant assault Putnam orders a reinforcement Works carried Escape of part of the garrison Putnam retires to Fishkill Frigates burnt British advance, burning villages and houses Hearing of the surrender of Bufgoyne, they return again to New York Death of Mrs. Putnam Peekskill retaken Comments upon the late dis- asters. SIR HENRY CLINTON'S object in sending the unfortunate Lieutenant Palmer into Putnam's camp, was to obtain accurate knowledge of the condition of that post, and the force stationed there, with a view to turning his arms against it. This General Washington fully expected, and, accordingly, wrote to General Putnam, on the llth of August, as follows : " If General Clinton is left upon York Island, with the number of men you mention, it is probably to attack you below, while Burgoyne comes down upon you. It is a matter of great consequence to ascertain that fact. I beg you will use every method to come at the 304 LIFE OP GENERAL PUTNAM. knowledge of his force." This duty Putnam faithfully fulfilled, and obtained, by means of his spies, -accurate information respecting the strength of the garrison in New York ; which he intended, if Providence should favor his plans, soon to turn to good account. General Putnam's command embraced the fortified posts in the Highlands, on both sides of the river. His head- quarters were at Peekskill, on the eastern side. Forts Montgomery and- Clinton were situated on the western side the former in the township of Cornwall, the latter in Monroe being separated from each other by Poplopen Kill, a narrow stream, which runs down from the moun- tains in their rear. These forts were placed on very high ground, so that they could not be safely stormed in front ; and, being deemed as was stated in the report of Generals Knox and Greene inaccessible in the rear, were con- sidered, in the ordinary acceptation of the term, impregna- ble.* They were garrisoned chiefly by the militia of New York, who, to the number of about six hundred, were then under the immediate command of General George Clinton, Governor of the State ; of whom General Washington remarked, in reference to his command at this post : " There cannot be a more proper man upon every account." Fort Independence was just under Anthony's Nose, about three miles below forts Montgomery and Clinton, and on the opposite side of the river. It was situated on a high point of land, in the town of Cortland, Westchester County. Fort Constitution was rather more than six miles * The mountains which commence five or six miles below these forts, are so high and rugged, the denies, through which the roads leading to them pass, so narrow, and so commanded by the heights on both sides, that the approaches to them are exceedingly difficult and dangerous. MARSHALL. DESIGNS UPON THE BRITISH POSTS. 305 above them, on an island, near the eastern shore. Peeks- kill Village, the general Head-Quarters of the officer com- manding at the station, was about two miles below Fort Independence, with a considerable creek, or inlet, between them, into which two respectable streams flowed from the north and east. The latter, being Peeks' Kill, gives its name to the village, which is included in the town of Cortland. Continental Village, where most of the stores were deposited, was situated on high ground, in the rear of Fort Independence, and about two miles north of Peeks- kill, on the road to Fort Constitution. It was a military settlement only its population being made up of those artizans, mechanics, and other laborers, who were employ- ed about the various works connected with the army. Having a very respectable force under his command, and being encouraged by Governor Trumbull to expect large reinforcements of militia from Connecticut, for that purpose, General Putnam formed a plan for a very impor- tant blow upon the enemy's posts. He had informed him- self accurately of their force, and the condition of their defences at Staten Island, Paulus Hook (Jersey City), York Island, and Long Island, and was making his arrange- ments for a simultaneous assault upon all these posts. Extensive preparations were making for carrying this plan into executi&n. In the view of his counsellors, who were able and judicious men, the position of the enemy justified the attempt. Success, which was probable, would be attended with the happiest consequences, by wrenching from the enemy all that he had hitherto gained, and get- ting possession of an immense amount of valuable stores of every description. This plan, which was formed early in September, was in very promising progress, when the demands for reinforcements to the main army became so urgent, that it was necessary to abandon it for a season 306 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. About a month later, a similar attempt, upon a smaller scale, was suggested to Putnam, by the Commander-in- chief, and a movement in that direction was made, the details of which will be given in its appropriate place. General Sullivan's division was held in media, at Mor- ristown, till the British fleet returned into the Chesapeake. They were then ordered to join the main army on the Delaware. General McDougall was also immediately ordered down from Peekskill, as well as General Dickinson from New Jersey. The State of New Jersey becoming defenceless by the withdrawal of the main army to Pennsylvania, Sir Henry Clinton seized that opportunity for effecting an incursion into the country. His troops landed, in four divisions at Elizabethtown Point, Schuyler's Landing on the Hacken- sack River, Fort Lee, and Tappan approaching, at this last point, the vicinity of General Putnam. The object was to drive off the cattle, and to attack any small party of the enemy that might be met with ; as it was known that, in the divided state of the American army, no force of much magnitude could at this time be in Jersey. The number of troops engaged in the enterprise amounted to more than two thousand. Colonel Malcom's regiment, then stationed at Ramapo, just below the entrance of the Clove, watched their mo- tions, but was not in force to offer much resistance. A party of that regiment, under command of Lieutenant- Colonel Burr, who had just been promoted to that rank, and who was eager to be engaged in some active enterprise, was sent down to collect intelligence, and to prevent the ravages of the enemy's small detachments. There was also some skirmishing with the militia of the several places through which they passed. Th-- enemy lost, in this way, eight killed, and eighteen wounded ; and, accord- WITHDRAWAL OF HIS TROOPS. 307 ing to the account of their own commander, seventeen were taken prisoners. As soon as General Putnam received intelligence of this O movement, he ordered General McDougall to cross the river, with fifteen hundred men, and advance to meet them. The order was obeyed, but not in time to overtake the enemy, who were already retiring with their booty. This incursion caused great alarm in New Jersey, and rendered it necessary for General Dickinson to leave be- hind him one thousand of the militia, who were intended to reinforce the army of Washington ; while it occasioned some delay, on the part of Putnam, in forwarding the detachments ordered from Peekskill the necessity of meeting and resisting the hostile movements of the enemy in his own immediate vicinity, being supposed paramount to any order from his superior, issued in ignorance of those movements. The situation of the main army on the Delaware being critical in the extreme, a further order upon General Put- nam was issued, on the 23d of September, requiring from him a further detachment of sixteen hundred men, under General Varnum. This was to include the regiment of Colonel Malcom, which had been posted in the Clove, to guard the passes to the forts on the west bank of the river. In consequence of the previous delay in forwarding the expected reinforcements, Washington concludes his letter thus : " That you may not hesitate about complying with this order, you are to consider it peremptory, and not to be dispensed with." Putnam was, at the same time, required, for the protection of his own post, and the passes in the Highlands, to call in all his outposts, and, if threat- ened with an attack, to get what aid he could from the militia. These orders being obeyed, General Putnam's force 308 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. was reduced to fifteen hundred three hundred of whom were militia, on whom no dependence could be placed. Many oftho.se who had been sent in to reinforce this post, had deserted, and others became so restive and uneasy that the General, who well knew of how little value they \vould be to the service, if compelled to remain against their will, suffered them to depart. The three hundred who remained, were but little better than men of straw. They would answer to count, when it was necessary to make a fair show of numbers ; but could not be counted upon, in the hour of danger. Knowing what heavy drafts had been made upon the Highland fortresses, and having himself received conside- rable reinforcements from Europe, Sir Henry Clinton resolved to avail himself of the opportunity to attack them with the flower of his force, and thus, if possible, break a way through to the assistance of Burgoyne. He had an eye also, in this expedition, to the extensive and valuable military stores collected in the Highlands. Accordingly, with a force of between three and four thousand men, he sailed up the North River, and made his appearance on the 5th of October, in Tarrytown Bay. Everything combined to favor the movement of the British in this case. The forces of the Americans, which were not more than half those of the enemy, were neces- sarily divided between four points two on each side of the river, and separated miles from each other. All of these must be guarded alike the most important, as well as the most exposed, being those on the east side, which covered the military stores and provisions for the army. While, therefore, it was incumbent on Putnam to have his pye upon all these points at once, with a view to adapt his defence to the attack, Clinton fixed his attention upon one only, and concentrated his whole force upon that THE HIGHLAND POSTS IN DANGER. 309 only making such demonstrations towards the opposite side, as to mask his real designs. This is ever the advan- tage of him who takes the offensive attitude ; that, by a well managed feint, he can withdraw the strength of his enemy from the post where he intends to strike his deci- sive blow. By this means, General Clinton succeeded, on this occasion being remarkably favored in the opera- tion by a heavy fog, which hung over the river, and con- cealed the greater part of his movements from the view of his adversary. After some manoeuvring in the bay, he landed his whole force at Tarrytown, whence he marched about five miles up the country, with no other object but to mislead and divert his enemy, and then returned at night to the landing. Embarking again the next morning, he proceed- ed up the river to King's Ferry, and made another landing at Verplanck's Point, about three miles below Peekskill ; upon which General Putnam retired to the fortified heights in his rear, covering the Continental Village. In the even- ing of the same day, a part of these troops re-embarked, and the fleet moved up to Peekskill Neck, in order to mask their movements at King's Ferry, which was below them. The next morning, at break of day, large detach- ments of more than two thousand men, destined for an enterprise against the fortifications on the western side, landed at Stony Point, just opposite to Verplanck's Point, and commenced their march through the mountains, into the rear of Forts Clinton and Montgomery. This disem- barkation was observed on the other side, but the state of the atmosphere was such that no estimate could be formed of its numbers. A larsre fire which was soon afterwards O perceived at the landing place, led to the belief that it^was only a small party, detached for the purpose of destroying the store-houses on that side. The manoeuvres of the 310 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. vessels confirmed this suspicion ; and the troops remaining at Verplanck's Point, whose numbers, though they could not be correctly ascertained^were nearly if not quite equal to his own, fully satisfied General Putnam that the medi tated attack was to be directed against Fort Independence. His whole attention was, accordingly, turned that way, and every preparation was immediately made for a resolute defence. The enemy remaining quiet at Verplanck's Point, and Putnam not being able to gain from his pickets and scouts any satisfactory report of their numbers or apparent designs, he went down, in company with Brigadier-General Par- sons, and Adjutant-General Root, to reconnoitre their posi- tion in person. In the meantime, the detachments which had landed at Stony Point in the morning, were pursuing their march towards the rear of the mountain fortresses. Long before the fog had cleared away from the bank, they were lost to the view of those who were eagerly watching for them on the other side, and who now supposed they had return- ed to the ships, having accomplished their object of burn- ing the storehouses. Avoiding the Clove, which they supposed too well defended to be forced, they filed off to the west, and passing to the rear of Dunderberg, began to climb the rugged and difficult passes toward Fort Clinton. Leaving a battalion at the pass of Dunderberg, to protect his rear, and keep open the communication with the river, Sir Henry Clinton formed his army into two divisions. One, consisting of nine hundred men, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell, made a circuit by the forest of Deane, in the rear of Bear's Hill, in order to fall on the back of Fort Montgomery. The other, consisting of twelve hundred men, commanded by General Vaughan, and ac- companied by Sir Henry Clinton in person, advanced THE WESTERN FORTS ATTACKED 311 slowly towards Fort Clinton, intending so to time their movements, as to make their attacks simultaneously upon both fortresses. General George Clinton, apprehending from the move- ments below, that an attack on his position was intended, had despatched Major Logan, on the evening of Sunday, the 5th, to gain intelligence. He returned on Monday morning, and reported the landing of a considerable body of troops at the Point, but so dense was the fog, that he was not able to form any judgment of their numbers. Lieutenant Jackson was immediately despatched with a small party, on the Haverstravv road, to watch their mo- tions. He had not proceeded more than two miles, when he was attacked by a party in ambuscade, at a place called Doodletown. Returning their fire with spirit, he fell back toward the fort. As soon as the firing was heard, a hun- dred men were ordered out to sustain him. They were all soon engaged in a brisk retreating skirmish with the superior numbers of the enemy, disputing their advance inch by inch, though too weak entirely to repulse them. Their gallant opposition, and the roughness of the ground, checked the progress of the enemy for a considerable time. Meanwhile, the party under Lieutenant-Colonel Camp- bell was advancing, through the forest road, to the rear of Fort Montgomery. A party of one hundred and twenty men, accompanied by a single field-piece, which was all the artillery in the fort, was ordered out to meet them, in the hope of being able to hold them in check, until a rein- forcement, which had been sent for, should arrive fiom Peekskill. From the advantageous position of this little party, they were enabled to do immense execution upon the enemy, who were several times driven back in his desperate attempts to gain the pass. At length, filing oft" 312 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. through the woods, upon the right and left, they were about to surround the Spartan band, when, perceiving their danger, they made good their retreat to the fort. It was now about two o'clock in the afternoon ; and the enemy, in full force, approached the works, and began a furious assault, which continued about three hours. At five o'clock, a flag was sent up, to demand a surrender, in order to prevent the further effusion of blood. A spirited refusal was returned, and the attack was renewed. The defence was ably sustained until the dusk of the evening, when the enemy, by the superiority of their numbers, forced the works on all sides, the garrison being too small to man the lines in their whole extent. Through the treachery of the messenger, who had beeu despatched early in the day, to solicit a reinforcement from General Putnam, the message did not reach that officer ; and he was wholly unacquainted with the movements of the enemy on the western side of the river, and the peri- lous exposure of his friends there, until it was announced by the report of musketry and cannon in the first onset. He was then on his return from Verplanck's Point, whither he had gone, in person, as before stated, to obtain certain intel- ligence of the numbers and position of the enemy. He hastened back with all speed, to order a suitable detach- ment to their support. In this he was partially anticipated by the promptness and decision of his Aid, Major Hum- phreys, who, being alone at Head Quarters when the firing commenced,. hastened to Colonel Wyllys, then the senior officer in camp, and earnestly advised him, without waiting for orders from the General, to despatch all the men not on. duty to Fort Montgomery. Five hundred men were instantly ordered on this service, under the com- mand of the gallant Colonel Meigs, and were ready to march whei General Putnam arrived. They were hur- ESCAPE OF THE GARRISON. 313 ried forward with all possible despatch, having five or six miles to march to the place of debarkation. But it was too late. Major Humphreys, in company with Dr. Beards- ley, a surgeon in his brigade, rode at full speed through a by-path to the river, to give notice to the garrison that a reinforcement was on its march. But, notwithstanding all their exertions, they did not reach the fort, till it was so completely invested, that it was impossible to enter ; and they had the misfortune to be idle, though not unconcerned spectators or the storm. The works being carried, General Clinton, with a con- siderable number of his officers and men, who were well acquainted with the ground, were so fortunate as to effect their escape, under cover of the night, and to reach the other side of the river, where they found the reinforcement in the act of passing over for their relief. The loss sus- tained b}- both the garrisons, in killed, wounded and pri- soners, was about two hundred and fifty, more than one third of their whole number. That of the enemy was about two hundred killed and wounded. Governor Clinton arrived at Peekskill about an hour before midnight. A council was immediately called, in which it was decided to be impossible to maintain the post, against the superior numbers that would undoubtedly be brought down upon it the next day. It was conse- quently determined to retire with the troops to Fishkill, a strong post about twelve miles up the river, and to com- mence immediately the removal of the stores. The Continental frigates, which had been stationed above for the defence of the chain, were ordered down for that purpose, by General Putnam, as soon as the manoeu- vres of the enemy's ships indicated a purpose to ascend. It being no longer possible to defend the chain, after the loss of the forts, the frigates were burned, lest they should 14 314 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. fall into the enemy's hands. The boom and chain were soon after removed by the British, and their ships, having nothing to obstruct their passage, moved up the river. The forts on the east side having been evacuated imme- diately after the battle, as untenable against such a supe- rior force, a large detachment of the British, which had been all the day previous resting at Verplanck's Point, under the command of General Tryon, marched up and reduced Continental Village to ashes, with several dwell- ing-houses and other public buildings at Peekskill having first secured the valuable stores, which it had been neces- sary to leave behind. Another detachment, under Gene- ral Vaughan, proceeded up the river, about thirty miles, to Esopus, a little below Kingston, on the western shore, which they also destroyed laying waste in their progress many of the scattered dwellings, mills, and stores, of the defenceless inhabitants. The same was done at Living- ston's Manor, and several other places. This wanton and useless destruction of private property, instead of striking terror as they designed it should into the hearts of the rebels, reacted powerfully against the royal cause, and gave a keenness to the resentment of the injured party, \vhich outlasted many years the contest between the two nations.* * It would be neither just nor judicious to charge upon the British nation an unusual want of humanity in the conduct of their wars. Yet there are many such scenes as this recorded against them in every part of the world. There was another circumstance, connected with the battle above described, which reflects but little honor on the victors at Fort Montgomery. While they gave to their own killed a decent soliier's burial, the Americans left upon the bloody field were thrown in heaps, like so much carrion, into a pool in the rear of the fort. Dr. Dwight who, in company with several officers, visited the spot in May, seven months after the battle, thus describes the painful scene which greeted them there : " The first object which met our eyes, THE BRITISH ABANDON THE RIVER. 315 The purpose of General Vaughan's expedition was to form a junction with General Burgoyne, whom he hoped to meet at Albany. But having, instead of that, encoun- tered, at some distance below Albany, the disagreeable and astounding intelligence of the surrender of that officer, with his whole army, the British general retired hastily down the river, abandoning all the advantages he had gained at so much cost to his enemy. Forts Montgomery and Constitution were entirely demolished, and fleet and army returned to New York, in twenty days after the battle. When General Vaughan went up the river, General Putnam detached one division of his force, under Governor Clinton, to follow him on the west side, while he proceed- ed with the other, on the east side, to prevent their land- ing, and committing ravages in the country. He had advanced as far as Red Hook, about thirty miles, when, the enemy commencing his retreat, he returned to his after we had left our barge and ascended the bank, was the remains of a fire, kindled by the cottagers of this solitude, for the purpose of consuming the bones of some of the Americans, who had fallen at this place, and had been left unburied. Some of these bones were lying, partially consumed, round the spot where the fire had been kindled ; and some had evidently been converted to ashes. As we went onward, we were distressed by the foetor of decayed human bodies. As we were attempting to discover the source from which it proceeded, we found, at a small distance from Fort Montgomery, a pond of a moderate size, in which we saw the bodies of several men, who had been killed in the assault upon the fort. They wore thrown into this pond, the preceding autumn, by the British, when, probably, the water was sufficiently deep to cover them. Some of them were covered at this time ; but at a depth so small, as to leave them distinctly visible. Others had an arm, a leg, or a part of the body, above the stfrfcce. The clothes which they wore when they were killed, were still on them, and proved that they were militia, being the ordinary dress of farmers." 316 LIFE OF GENERAL PITNAM. post at Fishkill. The plan of this movement was com- municated to General Gates, who, having nearly complet- ed the terms of capitulation with Burgoyne, replied : " I shall now have nothing but General Clinton to think of. If you keep pace with him on one side, the Governor on the other, and I in front, I cannot see how he is to get home again." It was in the midst of these stirring and absorbing scenes, when heavily burdened with public cares, and overwhelm- ed with the calamities which had befallen him in his offi- cial capacity, as Commander in the Highlands, that Gene- ral Putnam was called again to experience the heaviest of domestic afflictions, in the loss of his wife. She died at his quarters, about a week after his removal to Fishkill ; and it is not improbable that her death was hastened, if not procured, by the exposure, inconvenience and fatigue, incident to this sudden change. General Washington, writing to him on the 19th of October, thus alludes to this severe bereavement : " I am extremely sorry for the death of Mrs. Putnam, and sympathize with you upon the occa- sion. Remembering that all must die, and that she had lived to an honorable age, I hope you will bear the misfor- tune with that fortitude and complacencv of mind that become a man and a Christian " I am, dear Sir, with great esteem, yours, &c., " GEORGE WASHINGTON." In the same despatch, which communicated these afflict- ive tidings to the Commander-in-chief, General Putnam announced the surrender of Burgoyne, and the retaking of Peekskill and the Highland passes on the east side of the river. His force had, in the meantime, been swelled by reinforcements of militia to six thousand. " Last Mon- day," he writes, " General Parsons, with about two thou- sand troops, marched down and took possession of Peeks- AN APPROPRIATE TEXT. 317 kill, and the passes in the Highlands. Yesterday, about forty sail passed up the river crowded with troops, and are at anchor above Poughkeepsie the wind not favoring. We were on our march after them, when I met the agreea- ble intelligence of the surrender of General Burgoyne a copy of which is enclosed.* I thereupon most sincerely congratulate your Excellency. I have halted my troops, and am now considering what ought to be my movement. I have sent to Governor Clinton for his opinion, and order- ed General Parsons to spare no pains to find out the situa- tion and strength of the garrison at King's Bridge, in order to direct my future operations most advantageously." Rev. Dr. Dwight, then one of the most promising young divines in the country, was at this time a chaplain in the army, and attached to the brigade under General Parsons. On Sunday, the 19th, the day after the receipt of the cheering intelligence of the surrender of Burgoyne, he preached a sermon at Head-Quarters from this text " J will remove far off from you the northern army." Jotl ii., 20. It was, of course, an excellent and eloquent discourse, and, in the excitement of so interesting an occa- sion, gave infinite satisfaction to his hearers, the officers and soldiers of the army. Putnam, in particular, who was greatly attached to the preacher, was highly delighted with it, and did not fail to show his pleasure, by expressive looks and motions, during the progress of the service. On leaving the church, he was very earnest in commending the preacher's eloquence, and the remarkable appropriate- ness of his discourse ; declaring, at the same time, that * Washington received the first intelligence of this important event from General Putnam. General Gates sent a copy of the capitulation to him, and despatched a special messenger to communi- cate the tidings to Congress, but gave no notice whatever of the affair to the Commander-ic -chief. 318 LIFE OF GENE R-A L PUTNAM. there was no such text in the Bible, and the good minister had been guilty of a pious fraud, in making up one for the occasion. It was not until the Bible was produced, and the passage read by his own eyes, that he yielded the point adding, as he did so, " There is everything in that book, and Dwight knows just where to lay his finger on it." General Clinton, in his despatch to General Washington, informing him of the loss of Forts Montgomery and Clin- ton, concluded with the following remarks : " I have only to add, that, where great losses are sustained, however unavoidable, public censure is generally the consequence to those who are immediately concerned. If in the pre- sent instance this should be the case, I wish, so far as relates to Fort Montgomery and its dependencies, it may fall on me alone ; for I should be guilty of the greatest injustice, were I not to declare, that the officers and men under me, of the different corps, behaved with the greatest spirit and bravery." The censure did not fall on him alone. General Put nam received a large share of it, as well as the whole of that which referred to the loss of the posts and valuables on the east side. The circumstances detailed above, which have been collected with great care from the most reliable sources, would seem to exonerate him from all blame. In his own post, he waited with prudence and firmness an expected attack, and would undoubtedly have resisted it to the last, if it had been made. To have attacked Gene- ral Tryon at Verplanck's Point, whose numbers were fully equal to his own, would have been to expose his defences to the main body of the British, whom he supposed to be still on board their ships in the river, aiming at those de- fences. That he was deceived by their manoeuvres, espe- cially in the then state of th'e atmosphere, was his misfor- VINDICATION FROM CENSURE. 319 . tune, and not his fault. Other able and judicious officers, who were with him, were equally deceived. That he did not anticipate an attack in the rear of the western forts, and was surprised by it when it was made, indicated no want of that prudent consideration and watch- fulness, which are essential requisites to the character of a great commander. An attack from that quarter had been judged utterly impracticable by the able committee* of officers who had examined the ground, a few months be- fore. " We are very confident," say they, in their report, 11 that the enemy will not attempt to operate by land, the passes through the Highlands are so exceedingly difficult." This opinion is fully confirmed by the reports of the British officers, who were engaged in this daring and difficult enterprise. A letter from one of them to his friend in London, published in Almon's Remembrancer, speaks feelingly of " the very many and extraordinary difficulties of this march over the mountains," and declares that they were obliged to contend with " every natural obstruction, and all that art could add to them." The movements on that side of the river were not seen by General Putnam, nor reported to him. As soon as the detachments had filed off from the landing, they were screened from his view by the mountains. As soon as he was made aware of the real designs of the enemy, he hastened to do all in his power to defeat them ; and but for the distance, and the difficulty of cross- ing the river, would, in all probability, have been success- ful. General Clinton says, " I can assure your Excel- lency, that I am well convinced, if night had not approach- ed rather too fast to correspond with our wishes, the enemy would have been disappointed in his expectations, as a reinforcement of five hundred men from General Putnam's * See page 291. 320 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. army, were at the east side of the river, ready to pass for our relief, when the works were forced." Marshall says, " The whole force under General Put- nam did not much exceed two thousand." This includes six hundred in the forts on the west side, and two hun- dred at the Clove, from which Colonel Malcom's regiment had been withdrawn by Washington's orders. " Yet this force," he continues, " though far inferior to that which General Washington had ordered to be retained at the station, was, if properly applied, more than competent to the defence of the forts against any numbers which could be spared from New York. To insure success, it was necessary to draw the attention of Putnam from the real object, and to storm the works before the garrisons could be aided by his army. This Sir Henry Clinton ac- complished." In reference to the above passage in Italics, it will be remembered, that the Commander-in-chief, on withdraw- ing the greater part of the forces from Peekskill, to aid his own operations on the Delaware, had directed General Putnam, " in case he was threatened with an attack, to get what aid be could from the militia." On the arri- val of reinforcements to Sir Henry Clinton from Europe, this aid was immediately called for. But, to use the words of Governor Clinton, who was on the spot, " It being a critical time with the yeomanry, and as they had not yet sown their grain, and there being at that time no appearance of the enemy, they were extremely restless and uneasy. They solicited General Putnam for leave to return, and many of them went home without his permission. Urged by these considerations, he thought proper to dis- miss a part of them." As they were New York militia, brought there by the order of Governor Clinton, who com- manded in person at Fort Montgomery, it is not reasonable VINDICATED BY WASHINGTON. 321 to suppose that they were discharged without his consent and approval. In speaking of it, he nowhere expresses or implies the slightest censure upon his superior. A subse- quent order was issued by Governor Clinton for a portion of these militia to return ; but, before they could arrive, the post was lost. With regard to the propriety of abandoning the posts on the east side of the river, and retiring to Fishkill, it was determined on in council, and has never been called in question by any respectable authority. Washington never expressed any dissatisfaction with the conduct of Putnam on this occasion. On hearing of the landing of the enemy at Verplanck's Point, he remarked, in a letter to Gover- nor Livingston, of New Jersey, " This circumstance is somewhat alarming, as the situation of our affairs this way, has obliged us to draw off so large a part of our force from Peekskill, that what now remains there may perhaps prove inadequate to the defence of i/." It will be seen hereafter that a Court of Inquiry, ordered by Congress to investi- gate this case, reported, that the loss was occasioned by want of men, and not by any fault in the commanders. This want of men, Putnam had used every means in his power to supply. " He had repeatedly informed the Com- mander-in-chief," says Humphreys, " that the posts com- mitted to his charge must, in all probability, be lost, in case an attempt should be made upon them ; and that, cir- cumstanced as he was, he could not be responsible for the consequences." General Washington, in replying to Clin ton's despatch, said, " I had the greatest hopes' that Ge neral Putnam would draw in as many Connecticut militia, as would replace the Continental troops, and I make no doubt but he did all in his power to obtain them in time." Aid of this kind could not be drawn in at a moment's warning, to such an extent as to render essential service. U 322 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. And, at this particular time, the orders had gone out for reinforcements of militia, and some detachments were on the march, hut did not reach the post, till it had fallen into the hands of the enemy. CHAPTER XXIV. DISSATISFACTION WITH PUTNAM'S COMMAND IN NEW YORK. Putnam reinforced from the northern army Projected enterprise against New York Colonel Meigs's successful scout Move- ments on the Delaware Hamilton commissioned to obtain rein- forcements from Gates Visits Putnam at Fishkill Returns to New Windsor His Letters Severe animadversions upon Putnam Comments upon those letters Contrasted with those of Wash- ington Prejudices of the people of New York Their origin- Washington's action, language, and feeling with reference to them Governor Clinton requested to take the command in the High- lands Explanation of the language of Washington on that occa- sion Dickinson's enterprise on Staten Island Putnam's diversion towards King's Bridge Takes post at New Rochelle Successful enterprises against parties of the enemy Fires General Delancy'$ house Takes Colonel Delancy prisoner Descent upon Long Island Success of General Parsons Colonel Webb a prisoner. IMMEDIATELY after the defeat of Burgoyne, large detach- ments, no longer needed at the north, were sent forward to Peekskill, until General Putnam's force, exclusive of the militia from New York and Connecticut, amounted to nearly nine thousand men. Before General Washington had received full advices of the important movements in the north, he suggested to General Putnam, by letter, the propriety of an attempt to cut off the retreat of Sir Henry Clinton to New York, and to get possession of the city , expressing entire confidence in his (Putnam's) judgment 324 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. and ability to pursue the most proper and efficacious means to secure the end. Although the British General had already secured his retreat to New York, General Putnam immediately called a council of his principal officers, in which it was unani- mously determined, agreeably to the suggestions of the Commander-in-chief, that four thousand men should move down the west side of the Hudson, and take post near Haverstraw ; that one thousand should be retained in the Highlands, to guard the country and repair the works ; and that the remainder, under command of General Put- nam, should march down on the east side of the river, towards King's Bridge. The object proposed by this dis- position of the forces was to cause a diversion of the enemy in New York, and prevent a reinforcement being sent to General Howe ; and it was doubtless an ulterior purpose to attack the city, should a favorable opportunity present itself. General Dickinson, at the same time, and with the same object in view, proposed a similar plan, in which he ex- pected the co-operation of Putnam. This plan also Wash- ington highly commended, and urged its immediate execu- tion. General Putnam was deeply interested in this movement, and bent all his energies to secure it, but was prevented from even making the attempt in the same manner as he had been a few months before by the withdrawal of his force, to strengthen the main army on the Delaware. He was doubtless the more desirous to be the instrument of striking some important blow, at this time, as it would not only advance the good cause of his country, but in some degree make amends for the recent disasters in his department. While these projects were in contemplation, Putnam sent out some small detachments, to annoy the enemy, COL. HAMILTON'S MISSION. 325 and to protect the country from their ravages. In one of these, Colonel Meigs, with a division of General Parsons' hrigade, made a forced march to VVestchester, where he surprised a band of freebooters, making fifty prisoners, and recovering a large number of horses and cattle, which they had recently stolen. General Howe was now in possession of Philadelphia, and the most vigorous measures were being made to open a communication with the fleet below. These measures it was Washington's principal aim to defeat ; and, suppos- ing that the British had no further designs on the north, he felt that the army in that quarter ought to furnish him with large and effective reinforcements. To this end, agreeably to the decision of a council of war convened for that purpose, he commissioned Colonel Hamilton to pro- ceed to Albany, to confer with General Gates on the sub- ject, and procure all the aid he could. He was, at the same time, directed to call on General Putnam, and desire him to send forward two brigades Nixon's and Glover's with all possible despatch. On arriving at Putnam's Head Quarters, Colonel Hamil- ton directed him, in the name of the Commander-in-chief, to forward the two Continental brigades named in his in- structions, and another of Massachusetts militia, consisting of sixteen hundred men, under General Warner, whose term of service would expire in about four weeks. He also procured an order for the instant despatch of the regi- ments previously called for, which had been delayed partly by the hope, on the part of Putnam, of being able im- mediately to put in execution his project against New York. It was understood, also, that, in addition to these, Poor's New Hampshire brigade, then just arrived from Albany, should proceed at once to join the main army. Hamilton then proceeded to Albany, to confer with Ge- 326 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM neral Gates. On his return to New Windsor, just a week subsequent to his previous visit, he was greatly disappoint- ed that the expected reinforcements had not gone forward The statement can be best understood from his own letter to Washington, dated New Windsor, November 10th : " I am pained beyond expression to inform your Excellency, that, on my arrival here, I find everything has been ne- glected and deranged by General Putnam, and that the two brigades, Poor's and Learned's, still remain here, and on the other side at Fishkill. Colonel Warner's militia, I am told, have been drawn to Peekskill, to aid in an ex- pedition against New York, which it seems is at this time the hobby-horse with General Putnam. Not the least attention has been paid to my order in your name, for a detachment of one thousand men from the troops hitherto stationed at this post. Everything is sacrificed to the whim of taking New York. " The two brigades of Poor and Learned, it appears, would not march for want of money and other necessaries ; several of the regiments having received no pay for six or eight months. There has been a high mutiny among the former on this account, in which a captain killed a man, and was himself shot by his comrade. These difficulties, for want of proper management, have stopped the troops from proceeding. * * * By Governor Clinton's ad- vice, I have sent an order, in the most emphatical terms, to General Putnam, immediately to despatch all the Conti- nental troops under him to your assistance, and to detain the militia instead of them. " My opinion is, that the only present use of troops in this quarter, is to protect the country from the depredations of little plundering parties, and for carrying on the works necessary for the defence of the river. Nothing more ought to be thought of. It is only wasting time, and mis- HAMILTON'S LETTERS. 327 applying men, to employ them in a suicidal parade against New York. " If your Excellency agrees with me in opinion, it will be well to send instant directions to General Putnam, to pursue the object I have mentioned ; for I doubt whether he will attend to anything I say, notwithstanding it comes in the shape of a positive order. I fear, unless you inter- fere, the works here will go on so feebly, for want of men, that they will not be completed in time. I wish General Putnam was recalled from the command of this post, and Governor Clinton would accept it ; the blunders and ca- prices of the former are endless." In another letter, written two days later, he says, " I believe the past delay is wholly chargeable to General Putnam. Indeed, I owe it to the service to say, that 'every part of this gentleman's conduct is marked with blun- ders and negligence, and gives general disgust." Colonel Hamilton's order to General Putnam, above alluded to, is in the following pointed and authoritative lan- guage : " I cannot forbear confessing, that I am astonish- ed and alarmed beyond measure to find, that all his Excel- lency's views have been hitherto frustrated, and that no sin- gle step of those I mentioned to you has been taken, to afford him the aid he absolutely stands in need of, and by delaying which the cause of America is put to the utmost conceivable hazard. I so fully explained to you the Ge- neral's situation, that I could not entertain a doubt, you would make it the first object of your, attention, to rein- force him with that speed the exigency of affairs demand- ed ; but, I am sorry to say, he will have too much reason to think, other objects, in connection with that insignifi- cant, have been uppermost. I speak freely and emphati- cally, because I tremble at the consequences of the delay that has happened. Sir Henry Clinton's reinforcement is 328 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. probably by this time with General Howe. This will give him a decided superiority over our army. What may be the issue of such a state of things, I leave to the feelings of every friend of his country, capable of foreseeing conse- quences. My expressions may perhaps have more warmth, than is altogether proper, but they proceed from the overflowing of my heart, in a matter where I conceive this continent essentially interested. " I wrote to you from Albany, and desired you would send a thousand Continental troops, of those first proposed to be left with you. This I understand has not been done. How the non-compliance can be answered to General Washington, you can best determine. I now, sir, in the most explicit terms, by his Excellency's authority, give it as a positive order from him, that all the Continental troops under your command may be immediately marched to King's Ferry, there to cross the river, and hasten to rein- force the army under him. The Massachusetts militia are to be detained instead of them, until the troops coming from the northward arrive. When they do, they will replace, as far as I am instructed, the troops you shall send away in consequence of this requisition. The General's idea of keeping troops this way, does not extend further than covering the country from any little irruptions of small parties, and carrying on the works necessary for the security of the river. As to attacking New York, that he thinks ought to be out of the question for the present. If men could be spared from other really necessary objects, he would have no objection to attempting a diversion by way of New York. 1 ' The writer will yield to no man in respect for the talents, and eminent public services, of Alexander Hamilton. But it is obvious to remark that, at the period when these let- ters were written, he was scarcely twenty years old, and COMPLAINTS OF HAMILTON'S LETTER. 329 without any military knowledge or experience; while the person, of whom he speaks in terms of unsparing censure, and harsh disrespect, was an old soldier, a veteran officer, on whose head the frosts of three score winters had fallen, and whose martial virtues and martial deeds, in two wars, had won the admiration of friend and foe alike, and wreathed his brow with undying laurels. His opinions would certainly have lost no weight in this case, if they had been given in a tone and manner more becoming his relative position. Among the published letters of Washington, there is no reply to these communications, from which his opinion of them may be gathered. In his letters to General Putnam, on the subject, while he makes it sufficiently appear that he was disappointed in not receiving earlier succor from that quarter, his language is uniformly respectful and kind. General Putnam enclosed a copy of Hamilton's letter to General Washington, and added: " It contains some most unjust and ungenerous reflections, for I am conscious of having done everything in my power to succor you as soon as possible. I shall go to. New Windsor this day, to see Colonel Hamilton, and, until I have orders from you, I cannot think of continuing at this post, and send all the troops away. If they should go away, I am confident General Howe will be further reinforced from this quar- ter." He then stated, in confirmation of this opinion, what he knew of the strength of the enemy in New York. On the receipt of this letter, Washington replied as fol- lows : " The urgency of Colonel Hamilton's letter was owing to his knowledge of our wants in this quarter, and to a certainty that there was no danger to be apprehended from New York, if you sent away all the Continental troops that were then with you, and waited to replace them by those expected down the river. I cannot but say 330 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. there has been more delay in the march of the troops, than I think necessary ; and I could wish that, in future, my orders may be immediately complied with, without arguing upon the propriety of them. If any accident en- sues from obeying them, the fault will be upon me, and not upon you." It is not proposed to chiim for General Putnam entire exemption from faults, either as a man, or an officer. He was probably somewhat remiss in his duty on this occasion. But he was, by no means, entitled to the severe remarks of Hamilton. It is evident that Washington, though he approv- ed of the zeal and energy of his Aide-de-camp, must have viewed the whole matter, as it related to Putnam, in a totally different light. For it is hard to perceive how a measure proposed by General Putnam, in which General Dickinson was to bear a part, should be regarded worthy to be spoken of only as a " hobby," a " whim," and a " caprice ;" while the same measure, proposed by Gene- ral Dickinson, at the same time, and embracing in its arrangements the co-operation of General Putnam, should meet with entire approbation and respect. " Your idea," says Washington to Dickinson, " I think an exceedingly good one, and I am very desirous that you should improve and mature it for immediate execution. I am in great hopes it will effect the valuable purpose which you ex- pect ;" which was, to prevent General Howe from receiving any further reinforcements from New York.* This letter was written on the 4th of November, two days after Hamilton's first interview with Putnam, and conse- quently while, the former was at Albany. It was only one * General Putnam had just learned from his spies, and commu- nicated to Washington, the fact, that four regiments were immediately to be sent round to the Delaware from New York. Writings, vol. v., page 127. THE TRUE STATE OF THE CASE. 331 week before that interview, that Putnam himself had received the first suggestion of the Commander-in-chief, that a movement toward New York, if well conducted, might be safe and advantageous. It is impossible, there- fore, to suppose, that Washington could have viewed the designs of Putnam in this contemptuous light, or justified the use of such reproachful terms in relation to it ; unless, for the time, he was wholly divested of that consistency and sense of justice, for which he was eminently distin- guished. It cannot fail to strike the most careless reader as sin- gular, that while, in one paragraph, it is represented, that " everything had been neglected and deranged by General Putnam," and that Poor's and Learned's brigades were detained at Fishkill by his fault alone, the very next para- graph begins with the acknowledgment, that " the two bri- gades of Poor and Learned would not march for want of money and other necessaries several of the regiments having received no pay for six or eight months. There has been a high mutiny on this account," &c. That this was the only real difficulty in the way, there is no doubt ; and there is ample evidence that Putnam used every means in his power to overcome it. His letters to the Commander- in-chief on the subject were frequent and pressing ; and Washington called the special attention of Congress to the matter, on the 10th of November the very date of Ham- ilton's second and severe letter in the following words : " I would beg leave to mention, that we are in great dis- tress for want of money. This will be more urgent every day ; and it is probable there will be a good deal of pay due to the troops coming to reinforce us. General Putnam writes prcssingly for a supply, and says he is in the most dis- agreeable situation for want of it." If the troops " would not march " without their arrears 332 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. of pay, resisting even to mutiny and blood ; and if, with the aid of the eloquent Governor Clinton, Hamilton could not himself induce them to march, till he had borrowed six thousand dollars to meet this very difficulty, it would seem that he might have spared the old veteran some por- tion of those severe reflections. The mutiny took place before Hamilton's arrival. Against whom did they mutiny, if not against him who ordered them to march ? And who had issued that order but the commander of the post ? The truth is, there was a prejudice against Putnam, among the people of New York, and the political leaders had determined to have him removed from the command in the Highlands.* The precise grounds of this prejudice do not distinctly appear. If it was an alleged incompe tency to such a command, it is manifest that they differed widely in their judgment from Washington, who had had far better opportunities to know and judge of his qualifica- tions. Colonel Humphreys says : "The indulgence which he showed, whenever it did not militate against his duty, towards the deserted and suffering families of the tories in the State of New York, was the cause of his becoming unpopular with no inconsiderable class of people in that State. On the other side, he had conceived an uncon- querable aversion to many of the persons who were en- trusted with the disposal of tory property, because he believed them to have been guilty of peculations, and other infamous practices." Dr. Sparks observes : " It must be remembered, that at this station there were innumerable applications for pass- ports to go into New York, under the pretence of urgent business, and various matters of a private concern ; and it was thought General Putnam's good nature was too pliant on these occasions, and that too many opportunities were Appendix, No. 3. WASHINGTON'S OPINION. 333 afforded for an improper intercourse between the disaffect- ed and the enemy. At any rate, the symptoms of uneasi- ness appeared from such high sources, and were so decid- edly manifested, that General Washington deemed it necessary to take notice of them, and change the com- mand." In recalling General Putnam from this command, Wash- ington, by the clearest implication, disavows any and every ground of censure or disapprobation, on his own part. " My reason for making this change," he says, " is owing to the prejudices of the people, which, whether well or ill grounded, must be indulged ; and I should think myself wanting in justice to the public, and candor towards you, were I to continue you in a command, after I have been in almost direct terms informed, that the people of the State of New York will not render the necessary support and assistance, while you remain at the head of that de- partment." Here is no intimation of incompetency or unfaithfulness, or of any reason, so far as the Commander- in-chief was concerned, why General Putnam should not retain the station he had held. It is clearly implied that, but for " the prejudices of the people," he would not have be^n removed, and consequently, that neither Washing- ton's wishes, nor Washington's private views of the good of the service, required his removal. And this was writ- ten in March, five months after Hamilton's mission. On the 28th of November, a Court of Inquiry was order- ed by Congress, to investigate the causes of the loss of Forts Montgomery and Clinton. This order was not exe- cuted by Washington until the 16th of March following, thousrh he had lonu; before decided, that the wishes of New O O t York should be regarded, in relation to the command of the Highlands, as appears by his letter to General Gates, of the 2d of December Four days after the passage of this 3iJ4 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. order, Washington addressed a letter to Governor Clinton, requesting his acceptance of that post. In urging this point, he makes use of the following argument, which demands, in this connection, a word of explanation. " You may rest assured," says he, " that there are no im- pediments on the score of delicacy, or superior command, that shall not be removed." Governor Clinton was a man of eminent ability, and unbounded influence in New York, and no better selection ctfuld have been made, on both these accounts. But his rank in the Continental army was only that of a brigadier- general, of recent appointment. Not only every major- general in the army, therefore, but all the brigadiers, among whom were some of the ablest and most popular men on the list, were implicated in this remark. It could not be tortured into a disrespectful reference to General Putnam, inasmuch as his removal had already been de- cided upon, on entirely different grounds, and an inquiry had been ordered, which rendered necessary a temporary suspension from all command. To return to the narrative, though Putnam's force was now greatly reduced, he was not inactive. The continual changes which were taking place in his command the removal of his men from place to place the miserable, broken, half-hearted service rendered by the militia and the extreme destitution, at times, of money, and of many of the comforts and necessaries of life, made it altogether an unenviable post, and occasioned considerable delay in the prosecution of the repairs on the defences, which had been demolished by the British. Not long after the continental troops had been with- drawn, General Putnam moved down, with a part of the forces that remained, and approached the enemy's posts on the east side of the Hudson. On the 27th of Novem- P A R T I Z A N ENTERPRISES. 335 ber, General Dickinson made a descent upon Staten Island, with about fourteen hundred men. He landed, before daylight, at Halstead's Point, in three divisions, which marched into the island seven miles, by three different routes, and met at the appointed place of rendezvous. The principal object of this expedition was to surprise General Skinner, the celebrated tory refugee, and General Campbell, who were stationed there. The most profound secresy was observed as to the design of the expedition few even of the officers knowing anything of their destina- tion, till the very moment of starting. And yet General Skinner received intelligence of their approach, in season to effect his escape, with the main body of his force. Some skirmishes ensued, and five or six of the enemy ' were killed, and twenty-four taken prisoners. General Dickinson returned without effecting his object, but he received the commendation of Washington on his enter- prise, and the judgment he had shown in arranging his plan. To aid this enterprise, and at the request of General Dickinson, Putnam sent out Parsons and Warner, with their brigades, towards King's Bridge, to make a diversion in that quarter. Putnam reconnoitred in person within three miles of King's Bridge. But, finding no opportunity to operate with effect on that point, he diverged to New Rochelle, where he made a disposition to cross over to Long Island, and attack the forts at Huntington and Satau- ket. But the enemy received warning, in season to evacuate the forts before his preparations for embarkation were completed. Having received intelligence that small parties of the enemy were out, under the orders of Governor Tryon, to lay waste the property of the unprotected, Putnam imme- diately detached three parties of one hundred mi-n each, 336 LIFE Of GENERAL PUTNAM. to prevent their depredations. Two of them were suc- cessful in their manoeuvres, and returned, one with thirty five, and the other with forty prisoners. The third party of the enemy succeeded in effecting their purpose, so far as to burn the house of a Mr. Van Tassel, a noted whig, and a member of the committee of safety, compelling him to accompany them naked and barefooted, over frozen ground and ice, to their quarters. Determined to show the enemy that firing houses was a game which two could play at, and that the loss was not necessarily all on one side, General Putnam directed Captain Buchanan to cross over to York Island in a whale-boat, and fire the house of General Oliver Delancy, one of the leading loyalists of that place. This act of justifiable retaliation had, for a time, the desired effect, of arresting this species of unmean- ing and wanton destruction. About the same time, one of Putnam's scouting parties, learning that Colonel James Delancy was at West Farms, a little below Westchester, determined to make him a prisoner. They, accordingly, surrounded the house where he lodged, and proceeded to search it. When the alarm was given, he jumped out of bed, and endeavored to con- ceal himself under it. But he was soon discovered, drag- ged forth, and carried to Head-Quarters. He was a tory of too much value to be spared long, and Sir Henry Clin- ton soon found means to effect an exchange for him. He was afterward leader of a gang of irregulars, or bandits, known by the name of cowboys, and made himself infa- mously immortal, by every species of cruelty and excess. Though the season was far advanced into winter, and ihe weather was very severe, another and more serious enterprise was undertaken by General Putnam, the execu- tion of which was entrusted to General Parsons and Colonel Webb. The object was a descent upon Long DESCENT UPON LONG ISLAND. 337 Island, having four objects in view : to destroy a quantity of lumber, which the enemy was preparing, at the east end of the island, for the erection of new barracks in New York to set fire to a number of coasting vessels, at the same place, loading with wood for the British forces at Newport to attack a regiment, then quartered about eight miles east of Jamaica and to remove, or destroy, whatever public stores they should find on the island. By the plan of operations, General Parsons was to exe- cute the first part, at the east end of the island ; Colonel Meigs was to land at Hempstead Harbor, and attack the regiment near Jamaica ; and Colonel Webb was to land near Huntington, to support Meigs, and to render such aid to the eastern division, under Parsons, as might be required. Meigs was prevented from crossing the Sound, by the unfavorable state of the weather. The other two divisions started with fair prospects ; but, unfortunately for Colonel Webb, he encountered in his passage the British sloop-of-war Falcon. Being only in a common transport, without guns, he could not offer battle, or attempt a defence. In endeavoring to escape, he was driven on shore so far from the beach, that he and all his party were taken prisoners. They attempted to reach the land in boats ; but the surf ran so high that the boats were swamped the moment they touched the water, and they had no remedy but to give themselves up to the foe. General Parsons effected his landing in safety, and suc- ceeded in destroying a large quantity of timber, boards, and wood, and one of the enemy's vessels. Captain Hart, of this party, with a detachment of forty men, attacked a number of boats near the shore, killing eight, and wound- ing eleven among whom was the captain of one of the British sloops-of-\var. General Parsons returned, vrith V 338 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. his whole party unhurt, and twenty of the enemy pri- soners. The loss of the other party, by the Falcon, was sixty-five : viz. Colonel Webb, with four officers, twenty privates of his continental regiment, and forty militia, all picked men. CHAPTER XXV. NEW FORTIFICATIONS IN THE HIGHLANDS. PUTNAM DISPLACED FROM THE COMMAND. Condition of the defences in the Highlands West Point selected as the principal post Radiere prefers Fort Clinton Putnam con- sults the Legislature of New York To whom is the credit of this selection due 1 Works commenced in January Wretched state of the army Putnam's letter on that point, and the obstructions in the river He goes to Connecticut The Court of Inquiry into the causes of the loss of Forts Montgomery and Clinton Putnam superseded by General McDougall Decision of the Court, exone- rating Putnam from all blame Ordered to Connecticut, to raise recruits Takes command of the right wing Stationed at Dan- bury duells a mutiny Perilous adventure at Horseneck Ope- rations on the North River Putnam in command at the Clove Wayne's success at Stony Point Putnam's command near West Point His name given to the principal fort Results of the cam- paign. ABOUT the middle of December, General Putnam, by direction of the Commander-in-chief, returned to his post in the Highlands, with instructions to employ his whole force, and all the means in his power, for erecting and completing, as far as possible, such works and obstructions as might be necessary to defend and secure the river against any future attempts of the enemy. With a view to the more diligent prosecution of these works, he was advised to confine his attention exclusively to them, with- out attempting any active measures to annoy the enemy or to protect the country against his incursions. 340 * I F E Or GENERAL PUTNAM. All to forts, and other works of defence in the High- lands, ha 1 been entirely demolished by the British, during their twenty days' occupancy ; and it now became a ques- tion of importance whether these should be restored in their former positions, or new and more eligible places selected for the purpose. There were differences of opi- nion on this subject, among those whose interest and co- operation were essential to its progress. And it was this, together with the pressing want of money, and the poverty and hard fare of the soldiers, which occasioned the delay in the prosecution of the works, so often complained of by Washington in his letters ; and not any want of activity or zeal on the part of General Putnam. With a view to settle this question definitely and for ever, and proceed vigorously with the work, a thorough survey of the whole region was made in the early part of January, by General Putnam, accompanied by Governor Clinton, General James Clinton, and several other distin- guished gentlemen among whom was Colonel Radiere, a French engineer of some celebrity. All, except Ra- JiSre, united in the opinion that West Point was the most eligible place to be fortified. Radiere opposed this deci- sion with considerable vehemence, and drew up a memo- rial, designed to show that the site of Fort Clinton pos- sessed advantages much superior to West Point. The British commander, Sir Henry Clinton, and his associates, seem to have entertained the same high opinion of the advantageous position of Fort Clinton ; for, while they demolished all the other forts, they commenced repairing and strengthening that, for future operations. It is possi- ble that this circumstance may have had some influence in affecting the decision of Radiere. As the French engineer was a man of science, and pos- sessed the confidence of Congress and the Commander-in- FORTIFICATIONS AT WEST POINT. 341 chief, it was deemed expedient by General Putnam to consult the Council and Assembly of New York, before he came to a final determination. At his suggestion, a committee was appointed by those bodies, who were em- ployed three days in carefully reconnoitring the borders of the river in the Highlands, and attending to all the suggestions of the more experienced military men who accompanied them, in reference to the several points deem- ed most capable of defence. After a patient and careful examination of every position, and every argument, they decided unanimously in favor of West Point thus agree- ing with every person authorized to act in the affair, ex- cept the engineer. It was accordingly decided, on the 13th of January, that the fortifications should be erected at West Point. Colonel RadiSre was sorely piqued at this result, and manifested his ill-will on the occasion by a petulant, unaccommodating behavior, and by the over- bearing manner in which he presented his estimates and requisitions, which were altogether disproportioned to the finances of the government, and only served, as Hum- phreys remarks, " to remind them of their poverty, and satirize their resources." He was not long after replaced by the celebrated Kosciusko ; after which the works went forward with more spirit. Colonel Humphreys, who was on the spot at the time, claims for General Putnam the whole merit of the selec- tion of this post ; and adds " It is no vulgar praise to say, that to him belongs the glory of having chosen this rock of our military salvation. The position for water- batteries, which might sweep the channel where the river formed a right angle, made it the most proper of any for commanding the navigation ; while the rocky ridges that rose in awful sublimity behind each other, rendered it impregnable and even incapable of being invested by less 342 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. than twenty thousand men. The British, who considered this post as a sort of American Gibraltar, never attempted it but by the treachery of an American officer." It is impossible to say to whom the credit of originality, in this case, belongs ; nor is it a matter of much impor- tance with reference to men who had so many other and more substantial titles to fame. The first recorded sug- gestion in reference to this point, of which we have any knowledge, is contained in the letter of Governor Clinton to General Washington, dated December 20th, about tw;> weeks before the survey above spoken of. After declin- ing, for reasons of state, the proffered command in the Highlands, he freely offers his advice and assistance, wher- ever and by whomsoever they may be needed gives several important hints respecting the construction of new works on the river and especially recommends that a " strong fortress should be erected at West Point, opposite to Fort Constitution." Before the close of January, when the snow was two feet deep, General Parsons, with his brigade, went over to West Point and broke ground. It is difficult, at this day, to conceive of the many impediments which then existed, in the way of completing such necessary works j or the toil and suffering involved in their prosecution. The better to understand and appreciate it, the reader should remember that it was the same memorable season, when Washington, with his wasted, half-clothed, half-fed army, was freezing in his comfortless winter quarters, at Valley Forge. The marvel is, how such an army was held together at all, under such circumstances ; and how works of any description could go forward by the agency of men so poorly paid, so miserably provided for. And yet, such was the energy and zeal displayed by all con- cerned, that the works went forward with unexpected OBSTRUCTIONS IN THE RIVER. 343 rapidity and success. It was in forwarding and encourag- ing these works, observes Colonel Humphreys, " that the patriotism of Governor Clinton shone in full lustre. His exertions to forward supplies can never be too much com- mended. His influence, arising from his popularity, was unlimited ; yet he hesitated not to put all his popularity at risk, whenever the federal interests demanded it. Not- withstanding the impediments that opposed our progress, with his aid, before the opening of the campaign, the works were in great forwardness." Fortifications alone were not regarded as sufficient for the purpose of guarding the river, without other contri- vances to obstruct the passage of ships. Resort was, therefore, to be had to chains, booms, and chevaux-de-frise t as before at Fort Montgomery. All these works were in the course of preparation together. On the thirteenth of February, one month after the site had been determined upon, General Putnam wrote to the Commander-in-chief, as follows : " At my request, the Legislature of this State have appointed a committee, to fix the places and manner of securing the river, and to afford some assistance in expediting the work. The state of affairs now at this post, you will please to observe, is as follows : The chain and necessary anchors are contracted for, to be completed by the first of April ; and, from the intelligence I have received, there is reason to believe they will be finished by that time. Parts of the boom intended to have been used at Fort Montgomery, sufficient for this purpose, are remaining. Some of the iron is exceed- ingly bad ; this I hope to have replaced with good iron soon. The chevaux-de-frise witf be completed by the time the river will admit of sinking them. The batteries near the water, and the fort to cover them, are laid out. The latter is within the walls six hundred yards around, twen- 344 LIFE OF OKNKRAL PUTNAM. ty-one feet base, fourteen feet high, the talus (or slope) two inches to the foot. This, I fear, is too large to be completed by the time expected. Governor Clinton and the committee have agreed to this plan, and nothing on my part shall be wanting, to complete it in the best and most expeditious manner. Barracks and huts for about three hundred men are completed, and barracks for about the same number are nearly covered. A road to the river has been made with great difficulty." He then proceeds to enumerate some of the difficulties with which he had to contend, in the prosecution of his work. "Meigs's regiment, except those under inoculation with the small-pox, is at White Plains ; and, until the barracks can be fitted for their reception, I have thought best to continue them there, to cover the country from the incufisions of the enemy. Dubols's regiment is vnjit to be ordered on duty, there being not one blanket in the regiment. Very few have either a shoe or a shirt, and most of them have neither stockings, breeches, nor overalls. Several companies of enlisted artificers are in the same situation, and unable to work in the field. Several hundred men are rendered use- less, merely for want of necessary apparel, as no clothing is permitted to be stopped at this post. General Parsons has returned to camp some time since, and takes upon himself the command to-morrow, when I shall set out for Connecticut." That these statements are in no way exaggerated, there is evidence enough in all the chronicles of the day. For the painful counterpart, in all its hideous nakedness, see Washington's letters to Congress, of the 23d of Decem- ber* to Governor Livingston of the 31st of the same month to Governor Clinton of the 16th, and to Congress * Writings, vol. v., pages 197 and 206. COURT OF INQUIRY. 345 of the 27th of February.* The latter, in direct allusion to the above, says : "The enclosed extract of a letter from General Putnam will show how great the distresses are* in that quarter for want of money. He has described their necessities so fully, that it is unnecessary for me to add upon the subject. I shall only observe, that his account is more than justified by many other letters, and that I am persuaded the earliest possible supply will be forwarded, and that the very important and interesting works carrying on there may not be the least retarded." As soon as General Putnam could conveniently return from Connecticut, where his private affairs demanded attention at this time, the Court of Inquiry, which had been ordered in November, was organized. It consisted of Major-General McDougall, Brigadier-General Hunting- ton, and Colonel Wigglesworth.f The following is an extract from Washington's letter to General McDougall, apprizing him of this appointment : " You will observe by the words of the resolve (of Congress), that the inquiry is to be made into the loss of Forts Montgomery and Clinton, in the State of New York, and into the conduct of the principal officers commanding those forts. Hence the officer commanding-in-chief in that department will be consequentially involved in the inquiry ; because, if he has been deficient in affording the proper support to those posts, when called upon to do it, the commandant and * Writings, vol. v., pages 238 and 244. t It may be well to remark that such inquiries are almost invaria- bly instituted in relation to military enterprises which are attended with disastrous results. They do not by any means necessarily imply a diminution of confidence in the officers whose conduct is implicated in the inquiry. They are part of a great system, as necessary to the reputation of the officers, as to the due adjustment of discipline and reward In the army. 15* 346 LIKE OF G E N K H A L PUTNAM. principal officers will of course make it appear, by the evidence produced in their own justification." ' General McDougall w r as at the same time invested with the command in the Highlands, respecting which it was remarked: "lam sensible this command will not be in itself the most agreeable piece of service, and that you would prefer a post on the principal theatre of action ; but the vast importance of it has determined me to confide it to you, and I am persuaded your object is to be useful to the public." General Putnam had fully realized the truth of these remarks, respecting the character of the post in the Highlands. But it was always a principle with him, never to shrink from any service, or complain of any duty, because it was disagreeable. It was on this occasion, when it became necessary to suspend his command for a season, in order to subject him to this trial, that Washington explained to Putnam the necessity he was under, growing out of the prejudices of the people of New York, of recalling him altogether from that post. The Court of Inquiry, after a patient and careful exami- nation of all the facts in the case, were unanimously of opinion, and made report accordingly, that the disaster of the fifth of October, 1777, in which Forts Montgomery and Clinton were lost, was occasioned only by the want of men sufficient for their proper defence, and not by any fault of the commanders. This investigation being satisfactorily terminated, Gene- ral Putnam was requested partly, no doubt, with refer- ence to his own convenience to return to Connecticut, and hasten with all possible expedition, the march from that quarter of the new levies of militia for the coming campaign, which Washington apprehended would open early, and prove an active and decisive one. This seemed PUTNAM RETURNS TO THE CAMP. 347 the more certain, when, about the 1st of May, intelligence was received of the conclusion of a treaty of alliance be- tween France and the United States. It was the first formal recognition, by any of the nations, of American Independence, and was responded to, in all parts of the country, by universal acclamations of joy. It inspired all hearts with confidence. Washington, writing to Putnam on the occasion, ever as watchful and prudent as he was firm and hopeful in the goodness and ultimate success of his cause, said : " I hope that the fair, and, I may say, certain prospect of success will not induce us to relax." Except a few ordinary skirmishes, and the able retreat of Lafayette from Barren Hill, nothing of any moment occurred till the last of June, when the successful attack upon the retreating foe at Monmouth, gave fresh eclat to the American cause. Immediately after this felicitous event, General Putnam returned to the camp, and took the command of the right wing of the army, recently com- manded by General Lee, who was then under arrest for his conduct in the battle of Monmouth. Without any action of importance, the army was concentrated about the North River, as the enemy retired to New York. The season passed away with little else than marches and countermarches, with the view of being always ready for any decided movement on the part of Sir Henry Clintoo. About the first of September, when the preparations known to be making in New York indicated a combined attack, by sea and land, on the French fleet at Boston, dispositions were made to move in that direction. With this view General Gates, with three brigades, was ordered to proceed to Danbury, in Connecticut. Washington moved as far as Fredericksburg, about thirty miles from the river, on the way to Boston. General Putnam, with two brigades, was left in the neighborhood of West Point, 348 LIFE Or GENERAL PUTNAM. for the defence of the North River, which, in the language of Washington, was one of the three capital objects at which the enemy would necessarily direct his force, and which it was his first duty to defend. General McDou- gall, with two other brigades, was ordered to join General Gates at Danbury. As no serious demonstrations were made by the enemy in either of these directions, the whole army, after remain- ing in this position more than two months, retired into winter quarters. General McDougall returned to his command in the Highlands, and General Putnam, with three brigades, composed of the New Hampshire and Con- necticut troops, together with Hazen's corps of infantry and Sheldon's of cavalry, was posted in the vicinity of Danbury, for the threefold purpose of protecting the coun- try lying along the Sound covering the magazines on the Connecticut River and being ready to reinforce the Highlands, on any serious movement of the enemy in that direction. In the course of the winter, a spirit of insubordination, arising from the many hardships they had suffered, and the long arrearages of pay now due, manifested itself among a portion of the troops at Danbury ; and, but for the vigor, promptness and address of their veteran com- mander, whom they loved and respected, it might have been attended with the most serious results. The General Assembly of Connecticut was then in session at Hartford ; and a plan was matured by the two brigades belonging to that State, of marching to that place in a body, and de- manding redress, at the point of the bayonet, for the griev- ances under which they labored. The second brigade was already under arms for this purpose, when intelligence of their proceedings was brought to General Putnam. He instantly mounted his horse, galloped down to their can- MUTINY IN CONNECTICUT. 349 tonment, and, in his plain, blunt manner, thus addressed them : " My brave lads, whither are you going ? Do you intend to desert your officers, and to invite the enemy to follow you into the country ? In whose cause have you been righting and suffering so long ? Is it not your own ? Have you no property ? no parents ? no wives ? no chil- dren ? You have thus far behaved like men the world is full of your praises and posterity will stand astonished at your deeds ; but not if you spoil it all at last. Don't you consider how much the country is distressed by the war ; and that your officers have not been any better paid than yourselves ? But we all expect better times, and then the country will do us ample justice. Let us all stand by one another, then, and fight it out like brave sol- diers. Think what a shame it would be for Connecticut men to run away from their officers !" The General then rode along the line, and was received by the several regiments in the usual manner, with pre- sented arms and beat of drum. The acting Major of Bri- gade was then ordered to give the word for them to shoul- der arms, march to their regimental parades, and there lodge arms ; all of which was done promptly and with apparent good humor. One soldier only, who had been a ringleader in the mutiny, was confined in the quarter- guard. He attempted to make his escape in the night ; but the sentinel, though he had himself taken part in the mutiny, was so entirely convinced of his error, and won back to his duty, that he shot him dead upon the spot. During this season, the British, as usual, sent out an occasional foraging party, to sweep away from the unpro- tected portion of the country whatever they could find of stock or provisions. Unfortunately for their reputation for humanity, these parties did not confine themselves to this species of justifiable plunder, but burned and laid 350 LIFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. waste the property of the defenceless. A corps of fifteen hundred men, under command of Governor Tryon, was, on one of these occasions, approaching the town of West Greenwich, more familiarly known as Horseneck^ from a peninsula on the Sound, anciently used as a pasture for horses, but now the richest and most populous part of the township. This was one of Putnam's outposts, and he chanced to be there, in person, when Tryon advanced. He had no force to oppose him but a picket of one hundred and fifty men, with two pieces of artillery. With these, he took his station on the brow of a steep declivity, near the Pres- byterian church, resolved to do the enemy what mischief he could and then retire. As they advanced, they receiv- ed several well-directed volleys, that told with good effect on their line ; upon which the dragoons, supported by a corps of infantry, prepared to charge. Putnam immedi- ately ordered his men to provide for their own safety, by retiring to a swamp inaccessible to cavalry, while he secur- ed his, by forcing his well-trained horse, at full speed, down the declivity. The road at that time turned to the north, a little before it came to the brow of the hill, and, after proceeding a considerable distance, bent again with a sharp angle towards the south having been dug along the steep in such a manner, as to make the passage practica- ble and tolerably safe. General Putnam, under the influ- ence of the same spirit with which he entered the wolf's den, being hard pressed by his pursuers, forced his horse directly down the precipice, winding his course, how- ever, in such a zig-zag direction, as enabled him to keep his feet. His pursuers, when they came to the top of the precipice, struck with astonishment at his daring attempt, stopped short, and fired upon him as he effected the peril- ous descent ; when, despairing of overtaking him by the Perilous Descen: at Uotsonsck. Pago 350. , PERILOUS LEAP AT HORSENECK. 351 circuitous course of the road, they gave over the chase He escaped the sharp firing of his pursuers, only one ball taking effect ; and that, fortunately, passed through his beaver, without hurting a hair of his head. The road is so much altered at the present time as to prevent the eye from fully realizing the extent of the hazard. It is now- blown through the rocks above at a great expense ; and continued by a causeway from the foot of the chasm to the valley below, in the very direction where the General descended. The story of the seventy stone steps, by which this hill is ascended, and of the magnificent church on the top, to which that wonderful stairway was designed to lead, is a sheer fabrication, originating in what Dr. Dwight calls, " that mass of folly and falsehood, Peters's History of Con- necticut." The. truth is, there is a small Episcopal church on the brow of the hill, and the members of the congrega- tion, who lived below the hill, being unwilling to take the tedious circuit of the road, when walking to the church, and being unable to ascend the hill in its original state, gathered a collection of stones from the road, and the neighboring enclosures, and placed them at convenient distances, to aid them in climbing this steep. The num- ber is commonly reported to be seventy, though sometimes magnified to a hundred ; but, instead of being a magnifi- cent flight of steps, the regularity of their arrangement would not distinguish them from the common stones of the street. Putnam continued his route, unmolestedf, to Stamford about ten miles. Calling out a party of militia -at this place, he returned with all despatch, formed a junction with the little band he had left behind, and hung upon the rear of Tryon, in his retreat, with such effect, as to take about fifty of his party prisoners. Some of these being wounded, 352 MFE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. were treated with such special humanity and kindness, that Governor Tryon addressed a handsome note to Put- nam in acknowledgment, accompanied with a present of a complete suit of clothes.* * There is an apparent anachronism in the common narratives of this adventure. Colonel Humphreys places it in the winter of 1 778-9. A note attached to the Boston edition of his memoirs, print- ed in 1818, says, that the whole party of prisoners, taken from Tryon, on this occasion, was sent, the next day, to the British lines for exchange. This could hardly have happened at the time named by Humphreys; for Putnam had, a year before, received specific in- structions from Washington on this very point. In a letter of the 25th of January, 1778, after congratulating Putnam on the success of his two little parties against the enemy, which he hoped would have the effect to prevent their making so extensive excursions in luture, he remarks: "One Circumstance I cannot avoid taking notice of, that our officers who have been but a very short time in the enemy's hands, reap the advantages of any captures which happen to be made by us. This must not be practised in future, as it is the height of injustice, and will, if continued, draw upon us the censures of the officers who have been for a long time suffering all the rigors of a severe captivity. The proper mode of procedure is, to deliver them into the hands of the commissary of prisoners, who must be best acquainted with the propriety of complying with the claims of our officers in their hands." It is manifest, therefore, either that the whole enterprise is post-dated a whole year by Humphreys, or that the Boston editor is in error, in connecting the summary exchange of prisoners with this occasion. The former is most probable ; since the incident of the suit of clothes received from Governor Tryon, which is also mentioned by Humphreys, connects the two events together, while Washington's letter, alluding both to the success of Put- nam's two parties, and to the premature exchange of prisoners, estab- lishing the date of the one, necessarily decides that of the other. It will be remembered that, at that period, Putnam sent out three par- ties from New Rochellc, against the parties of Tryon, and that two of them were successful. The number of prisoners taken by both, as represented by Humphreys, was seventy-five. One of those parties might have been the party at Horsoneck, increased by the picket to