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Gen. Israel Putnam. (Courtesy The Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution)

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Gen. Israel Putnam

'Old Put' Brought Military Experience, A Cool Head, And Unabashed Enthusiasm To Patriot Cause

By Bethanne Kelly Patrick
Military.com Columnist

Before the colonies were united, before Washington crossed the Delaware or refused the crown, and before the shining patriot victories at Saratoga and Yorktown, Gen. Israel Putnam made what is one the most famous pronouncements in American military history: "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!"

Born Jan. 7, 1718, the colonial farmer-turned-soldier issued his famous command on June 17, 1775, during the Battle of Bunker Hill, which actually turned out to be Breed's Hill. "Old Put" was a true patriot who had joined the Sons of Liberty early on. When he heard of the Lexington and Concord skirmish, the brigadier general of Connecticut forces dropped his plow and rode off to battle with nary a change of clothes or a backward glance, riding 68 miles in one day.

Putnam learned that the British had retreated to Boston, and so he returned home to gather a brigade which he brought back to the outskirts of the Massachusetts capital. Seeing the importance of reinforcing the small Continental Army's redoubt at Breed's Hill, Putnam rallied his troops and ordered them not to fire until the last possible second because of the heavy smoke in the air from munitions. The general's cool demeanor and control of his men paid off; although the Americans were forced to retreat, they inflicted many casualties on the British and raised the morale of patriots throughout the colonies with their bravery.

Two days later, the Continental Congress unanimously elected Putnam the fourth major general under Washington. Putnam was one of the few, like Washington, who had military experience. He had fought in the battles at Montreal and Havana in the French and Indian Wars and also commanded the Connecticut force sent to relieve Pontiac's siege of Detroit in 1764.

From his early farm exploit of killing a wolf in a cave and his scouting experience with Rogers' Rangers, to his near-death at the stake in the hands of unfriendly Indians and his narrow escape from the British at Horseneck, Conn., Putnam's legend preceded him. Even after the disappointing Battle of Long Island, he was an inspiration to the colonial troops and a figure of great importance, in command of the Hudson Highlands across from West Point. Stationed at Garrison, he suffered a stroke in 1779 and was relieved of his duties. He died on his Connecticut farm in 1790.