A Connecticut patriot

Jim Bayne
Published: July 16, 2008

Since the commander of our Continental Army is a Virginian it is easy to sometimes forget that men from the north have also served our fledgling nation well. Gen. Nathanael Greene of Rhode Island now commands our forces in the southern area but it is not he but a patriot from Connecticut of whom I write today.

Long before the onset of our quest for independence from British rule, we colonists were called upon to fight on the frontiers against the French and their Indian allies. One of those who answered the call was Israel Putnam of Connecticut. He was born Jan. 7, 1718 in Massachusetts, the tenth of 11 children. As he approached adulthood he realized that whatever he might receive from his father’s estate would be small so he set about becoming a self sufficient man. He married at age 20 and about a year later joined with his brother-in-law in purchasing some 500 acres of land in nearby Connecticut where land was cheaper. Within a short time he bought out his brother-in-law and established a profitable business of orchards and raising sheep.

The French and British were in a continuing struggle over control and when the French threatened to move against New York, he volunteered his service and was given a captaincy under Gen. Phineas Lynch. From 1754 through 1758 he served as a ranger and was promoted to the rank of major in 1757. He was captured by a group of Indians and nearly burned at the stake but was cut free and turned over to the French. He was later freed by the French in a prisoner exchange and in 1759 promoted to lieutenant colonel. At the conclusion of the French and Indian war he rejoined his old commander, Gen. Lyman, in an expedition to the West Indies. He was promoted colonel in 1764 as commander of the Connecticut forces which became a part of the British army under Gen. Bradstreet.

He left active service at the end of 1764 and returned to his farm and shortly thereafter his wife died leaving him with 10 children to care for. He remarried the following year and continued his farming activities during this period of relative peace. When the clamoring for independence began, Israel Putnam’s voice was among those heard most clearly in proclaiming independence from British rule. With the events at Concord in April of 1775 reaching him while he was in the field ploughing, he jumped upon a horse and rode overnight to reach Cambridge, Mass. the following morning. He was made a brigadier general and given command of the forces at Cambridge. He was the commanding officer at Bunker Hill and was furious at the ensuing retreat, so much so that he was the last to leave the field. He continued to exhort his troops to turn and fight but they would have none of it.

Israel Putnam was a man who seldom used vile language but he swore vehemently at the retreating colonists. After this battle the British General Howe offered him a commission as major general which he rejected in the strongest of terms. A few days later he was offered a commission as a major general in the patriot forces by Gen. Washington, which he accepted.

In 1776 he was sent to New York by Washington and in August his small force of some 5,000 men was overwhelmed by a British army of some 20,000 men.
He fought at Harlem Heights, Fort Washington and other engagements. In 1777 while posted at Fishkill he received word of the death of his second wife which was a grievous personal loss. In the summer of 1779 he was posted near West Point and later that year he suffered a stroke which caused him to resign all public duties. Gen. Putnam lived for another 11 years; long enough to see the fruits of his service to the patriot cause with our independence from British rule and the formation of our new nation.

Jim Bayne is the immdediate past president of the Virginia Society, Sons of the American Revolution. He can be reached at .