Israel Putnam isn’t a name that comes up on many lists of important Revolutionary War generals, but he was an interesting character who had a distinguished military career before and after the conflict.
Putnam may be best known — but least credited — for his order at Bunker Hill: “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.” It was there he earned a reputation for courage and coolness under fire. But he had a long history of success in battle and one event that should have made him more of a legend.
He worked his way through the ranks of the British Army in the French and Indian War. He fought in a series of battles that stopped a French invasion of New York and was lauded for his efforts during the Battle of Lake George. He served in the British West Indies campaign, and in 1764 was the commanding general who liberated Detroit when it was put under siege by Chief Pontiac.
He was wounded in a battle and left for dead in one battle, and thinking he was dead, he was scalped by the Indians. After they’d done this and realized he was alive, they took him prisoner and planned to burn him alive. He was saved by the intervention of a French officer.
After the war, there was a legend that Putnam crawled into a wolf’s den and killed the last wolf in Connecticut.
Putnam, who had little education and practically no interest in politics, was a farmer. He was plowing his fields on his farm in Connecticut when a servant informed him about Lexington and Concord. Legend has it he left his plow in the field and rode his plow horse to join the Continental forces in Massachusetts.
By this point, Putnam was nearing 60 — elderly at that time — and was overweight and dressed in common clothes. He ate with the men and slept in their same conditions. He did not look like the typical officer. When he commanded German soldiers who were finely dressed and disciplined, they disregarded him, with one man saying “…nobody but the rebels would make him a general.”
Their minds quickly changed when the fighting started. The same man later wrote that “He seems totally unfit for anything besides fighting.”
He was part of the disaster at the Battle of Long Island and relegated to lesser commands after that, mostly in the Hudson Highlands of New York. He suffered a stroke in 1779 and had to resign from his command and retire. He died in 1790.
Sources:
Ayres, Thomas. That’s Not in My American History Book.
“Israel Putnam,” connecticuthistory.org
“Israel Putnam,” mountvernon.org
Fascinating.
60 yearsold, overweight and yet he still fought? That’s inspiration for me Mike. Another good article, keep them coming!
Haha!