Israel Putnam - Hartford, CT
Posted by: 
CraigInCT
N 41° 45.914 W 072° 40.831
18T E 692804 N 4626310
General in the Continental Army
Waymark Code: WM468B
Location: Connecticut, United States
Date Posted: 07/13/2008
Views: 36
When this statue was dedicated in June 1874 almost everyone knew who Israel Putnam was. His exploits were stuff of legends. He was known for crawling into a wolf den to kill "the last wolf in Connecticut." During the French and Indian War, he was saved by a French officer just minutes before Caughnawaga Indians burned him at the stake. Upon hearing of the Battle of Lexington which started the day before, he left his plow in the field and rode 100 miles in 8 hours to Cambridge, Massachusetts and joined the Continental Army.
At the battle of Bunker Hill, he was a courageous leader. He soon attained the rank of major general, making him second in rank to his Chief in the Continental Army. He has been credited with saying "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes." He was eventually promoted to overall command of the American forces in New York. Some people thought that he should be commander-in-chief rather than General George Washington. He was forced to retreat from Long Island losing Fort Montgomery and Fort Clinton. The result of this defeat was that General Washington reduced Putnam's role to a minor command in Connecticut where he was felled by a paralytic stroke in 1779, forcing his retirement from active duty.
Israel returned to Brooklyn, CT (Pomfret) and spent his remaining days entertaining neighbors, friends, fellow veterans and visiting notables at his home. "Old Put" died on May 29, 1790. He was so well known that only two words exist on this monument - Israel Putnam.
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Link to an excerpt from from the book "Legendary Connecticut" by David E. Philips. It is a very descriptive recounting of Israel Putnam's life: (
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Wiki Web Page: (
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