"Old Put" the patriot

In Short

Frederick A. Ober’s biography traces the life of Israel Putnam from his origins on a New England farm to his central role as a major general in the American Revolution. The narrative covers his early feats of frontier bravado, his brutal capture and near-execution by Native American allies of the French, his participation in the British expedition to Havana, and his legendary service at Bunker Hill and the Hudson Highlands. Driven by an appetite for dangerous enterprise, Putnam emerges as a figure of physical endurance and intuitive leadership whose stubborn resolve helped anchor a fledgling nation's military efforts.

The Story

The biography opens in Salem Village, Massachusetts, tracking Putnam’s roots back to early English settlers and setting his upbringing within the rugged farm life of early New England. As a young farmer in Connecticut, he quickly earns a reputation for unyielding nerve, most famously when he descends headfirst into a subterranean cavern to shoot a livestock-predating wolf at point-blank range.

When international conflict reaches the frontier, Putnam answers the call, enlisting as a Provincial officer during the French and Indian War. Assigned to scout and fight along Lake George and Lake Champlain, he masters Indian woodcraft and tactics. He survives enfilading musket fire, ambuscades, and extreme exposure, repeatedly displaying an uncanny knack for escaping lethal situations. His fortune turns during a clash near the lakes, where he is captured by Native allies of the French. Bound to a stake and stripped for burning, he is saved at the last instant by the French partisan leader Marin. After enduring further hardships as a bound captive, he is sent to Montreal, where Colonel Peter Schuyler secures his exchange without revealing to the French the true value of their prisoner.

Restored to health, Putnam joins the 1762 British expedition against Spanish-held Havana. Surviving shipwreck, tropical fevers, and heavy casualties, he assists in the bloody siege and eventual storming of Morro Castle. Following the war, he returns home to farm, keep a tavern, and scout land along the Mississippi. Yet as political tensions mount over British taxation and the Boston Massacre, Putnam throws himself into the patriot cause, organizing local militias and personally driving a flock of sheep to Boston to aid the blockaded city.

When open war erupts in 1775, Putnam rushes to the front lines. At Bunker Hill, the shirt-sleeved veteran rides back and forth through heavy cannonade to organize defenses, rally untried recruits, and direct placement behind breastworks. Commissioned as one of Washington’s major generals, he goes on to command troops at Brooklyn Heights, where American forces suffer a crushing defeat on Long Island. Despite the loss, Washington relies on Putnam’s energetic drive to secure Philadelphia, fortify Princeton, and command the strategically vital Hudson Highlands. Though a stroke eventually paralyzes his physical body and forces his retirement from active duty, Putnam spends his remaining years at his Connecticut farm, remembered by his countrymen as a steadfast pillar of early American liberty.

How It Unfolds

The wolf den of Pomfret Driven to protect his livestock from a destructive predator, young Putnam crawls into a pitch-black, ice-slicked rock cavity armed only with a birch-bark torch and a rope tied to his legs. He shoots the growling beast at close range and is dragged out backward by neighbors who tear his clothes off in their panic to retrieve him.

Frontier skirmishes and ambuscades Serving under British commanders in the French and Indian War, Putnam leads small squads of scouts through the dense woods surrounding Lake George. He repeatedly evades ambushes, survives heavy enfilading fire that riddles his blanket and canteen with bullet holes, and learns to fight behind trees in the native style.

Bound to the stake Captured during a deep-woods engagement, Putnam is stripped, tied to a tree, and surrounded by brush set ablaze by his captors. Just as the scorching heat reaches him, a French partisan officer named Marin rushes through the crowd, scatters the burning brands, and unties him, saving his life.

Storming the Morro Castle Putnam lands in Cuba with Provincial troops to bolster the disease-plagued British siege of Havana. He braves rampant fevers and assists in sapping toward the fortress walls until the combined forces breach the bastion and capture the stronghold.

Rallying the lines at Bunker Hill When hostilies break out near Boston, Putnam rides coatless through heavy enfilading fire across Charlestown Neck to post troops behind rail fences and earthen redoubts. He refuses safe positions, instructing other officers to direct their men where the onset will be most furious.

Tactical tricks at Princeton Left with a small, understrength force to guard lowlands and hold off British troops, Putnam lightens the town's buildings and parades his few hundred men back and forth through the night. The ruse tricks a visiting British officer into reporting that the Americans are five thousand strong.

The descent at Horseneck Cornered at Greenwich by fifteen hundred British troops under Governor Tryon, Putnam orders his small force into a nearby swamp for safety. He waits until enemy dragoons are nearly upon him before plunging his horse down a steep, terraced flight of seventy stone steps to escape.

The People

• Israel Putnam ("Old Put")

A physically fearless farmer, scout, and general who desires direct action and absolute devotion to his country's cause. Unaffected by military pretense, he operates best when leading men directly into battle or constructing immediate defenses, remaining cool under fire even when outmatched or outmaneuvered.

• Marquis de Montcalm & Leader Marin

The French military leaders who figure prominently in Putnam's frontier captivity. Marin acts out of partisan chivalry to save Putnam from being burned alive, while Montcalm receives him as a prisoner in Ticonderoga before ordering his transfer to Montreal.

• Colonel Peter Schuyler

A fellow American prisoner in Montreal who uses his personal wealth and diplomatic influence to secure humane treatment for captive officers. He cleverly conceals Putnam’s true identity and fame from the French governor, ensuring he is selected for prompt prisoner exchange.

• General George Washington

The American Commander-in-Chief who deeply respects Putnam’s absolute integrity, tirelessness, and modest demeanor. While occasionally having to correct Putnam's informal procedural habits, Washington keeps the bluff veteran at the core of his command strategy throughout the war.

• General Webb

A cautious British commander whose indecision contrast sharply with Putnam's instincts. His refusal to act on Putnam's scout reports contributes to the fall of Fort William Henry.

In Its Own Voice

"Startled by the sight of fire, she gnashed her teeth and gave a sullen growl."

Putnam enters the narrow, pitch-black rock cavity headfirst, illuminated only by a strip of burning birch bark, to locate the cornered wolf that had preyed upon local livestock.

"Tell me where the onset will be most furious."

General Warren declines Putnam's advice to seek safety inside the redoubt at Bunker Hill, insisting instead on placing himself in the path of the heaviest British assault.

"He pitied littleness, loved goodness, admired greatness, and ever aspired to its glorious summit."

A eulogist reflects upon Putnam's lifelong balance of martial ferocity and personal generosity during his funeral services in Connecticut.

What It's Really About

At its heart, the book explores how physical courage, practical ingenuity, and personal integrity shape military leadership in early America. Rather than treating Putnam merely as a grand strategist, the narrative presents him as a folk hero whose authority springs from a willingness to share every hardship with his men.

The text addresses the clash between formal European tactics and the messy realities of wilderness and revolutionary warfare. It argues that raw resolve and simple, unvarnished duty often prove more decisive than aristocratic military polish. Underneath the battle descriptions lies a portrait of an unpretentious man whose plainspoken nature made him a trusted anchor for a chaotic army.

Why Read It Today

This biography appeals to readers who enjoy classic, narrative-driven history focused on individual character and frontier adventure. Written in the clear, straightforward prose of the early twentieth century, it moves at a brisk pace, emphasizing action, personal anecdotes, and historical documents over dense structural analysis.

The reading experience feels like sitting down with an old-fashioned chronicle of American lore. It avoids modern academic jargon, relying instead on eyewitness accounts, military correspondence, and early biographies to build its scenes. Readers should be prepared for period attitudes regarding frontier warfare, as well as the older biographical style that unabashedly admired its subjects.

What remains with the reader is the image of a leader who never asked a soldier to go somewhere he would not walk himself. Whether crawling into a dark cave, riding through enfilading cannon fire in his shirt-sleeves, or tricking the enemy with light and noise, Putnam’s sheer vitality leaves an indelible impression of early American grit.

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