Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 16.djvu/647

PUTNAM. 565 PUTNAM. to become United States Collector of Internal Ec'veuue, and then refouuded his publishing house in conjunction with his sons, George Haven and John Bishop. He was a founder of the Metropolitan iluseum of Art, of which he was made honorary superintendent in 1872. He was also Chairman of the Committee on Art at the Vienna Universal E.xposition. He died in New Yorl; City December 20, 1S72. Putnam was the author, among other works, of: Chronology, or an Introduction and Index to Vnircrsal History, Biography, and Useful Knowledge (1833) ; Amer- ican Book Circutar uith oles and Statistics (1S43); American Facts, Xotes and Statistics Kclative to the Government of the United States (1845) ; The World's Progress — a Dictionary of Dales (1850), and a supplement to this work (1861). His son, George Havex (1844—), was born in London and was educated in New York City, at the Sorbonne, and in Gijttingen. He served in the Union Army during the Civil War, and rose to the rank of brevet major. Like his father, he took an ardent interest in copyright law, becoming secretary of the American Pul)- lishers' Copyriglit League in 1887. His publica- tions include: Autltors and Publishers (1882, with .J. Bisho]) Putnam) : Question of Copyright (1801) ; The Artificial Mother (1804) ; and«oo/,-.s and Their Makers in the Middle Ages (1800). To ilason and Lalor's Political Encjiclopcedia he contributed a valuable paper on Literary Property." PUTNAM, Herbert (1861— ). An American lawyer and librarian, born in New York City. He graduated at Harvard in 1883, studied for a time in the Columbia Law School, and in 1880 was ad- mitted to the Minnesota bar. He was librarian of the Minneapolis Athenieum from 1884 to 1887. and of the Minneapolis Public Library from 1887 to 1891 ; practiced law in Boston from 1802 to 1805: and was librarian of the Boston Public Library from 1805 to 1800.- when lie became li- brarian of Congress. In 1808 he was president of the American Library Association. PUTNAM, Israel (1718-00). An American soldier, prominent in the French and Indian and the Revolutionary wars. He was Ijorn in Old Salem Village (now Danvers), Mass.; removed to Pomfret, Conn., in 1740, and became a farmer and wool-grower there. In the winter of 1742- 43, according to tradition, he gave evidence of unusual coolness and intrepidity by entering a cave alone and, by the light of a torch, shooting a wolf which had taken refuge there. In August, 1755, during the French and Indian War, he was commissioned lieutenant by the Connecticut Leg- islature, later In the year became one of Rogers's Rangers, in ilarch. 1750, became captain, saved Fort Edward from being destroyed hy fire in the winter of 1757. and in March. 1758. became major. In August, 1758, he was captured near the present Whitehall. N. Y.. in an engagement with a force of French and Indians under the partisan leader Marin, but after undergoing many hardships and narrowly escaping death, was ex- changed, in November, through the influence of Col. Peter Schuyler, himself a prisoner. He served under Amherst in the Montreal expedition, went as acting colonel of the Connecticut regiment on the expedition to the West Indies, and par- ticipated in the attack on Jlorro Castle, Havana, July 30, 1762. In Pontiac's War he was a major of Connecticut troops under Bradstreet. In 1765 he was an ardent opponent of the Stamp Act, and closely identified himself with the radical Whigs, becoming one of the leaders of the Sons of Liberty in Connecticut, and chairman of one of tiie committees of correspondence. In 1766 he was elected to the Connecticut Assembly. He opened a tavern at Brooklyn, Conn., in .lune, 1767. He was made a member of the so-called exploring committee of the Company of ilililary Adventurers organized l)y Gen. Phineas Lyman (q.v. ) in 1772, and as such visited the Lower Mississippi Valley and West Florida, where land grants had been promised to the company. In 1774 he was among those who sent material assistance to the Bostonians, who, through the operations of the Port Bill and their attitude thereto, were put in immediate need of the neces- saries of life. In April. 1775, tidings of ihe battle of Lexington reached him while he was plowing; he left his plow in the field and, mounting his horse, rode to Cambridge in one day, a distance of sixt.v-eight miles. Re- turning, he was made brigadier-general by the Legislature, organized and drilled a regiment, and in a week was on his way back with his men to Cambridge. In May of that year he led a battalion to Noddle's Island, burned a British schooner, captured a sloop, and killed and wounded many of the enemy. By his advice it was decided to fortifv Bunker Hill, in the engage- ment at which place he is considered by many to have been the commanding oflicer. though others claim this honor for Prescott. In this engagement Putnam displayed great energy and bravery, though he docs not seem to have been present in the main redoubt on Breed's Hill, where Prescott conunanded. On the arrival of Washington at the camp to take command in July, 1775, he brought commissions from Congress for four major-gen- erals, one of whom was Putnam. On the evacua- tion of Boston in the spring of 1776, Putnam was placed in conuuand of New York. He held the chief command within the fortified lines during the battle of Long Island ; was sent to Philadel- phia to fortify that city in December, 1776; was afterwards stationiid at Crosswick and Prince- ton; and in May. 1777. was ordered to take conunaiul in the Highlands of New Y'ork. In the sunnner of that year he was removed from his couunand in the Highlands on account of the surprise and loss of Forts Montgomery and Clin- ton, though he was acquitted of blame by a court of inquiry and restored to his command. In 1770, when stationed in Connecticut, Horse- neck, one of his outposts, guarded by 150 men and two cannon, was attacked liv the British officer Tr.von, with 1500 men. Putnam, being closelv pursued while on his wa.v with bis men to a swamp, is said to have dashed down a steep hill and escaped. Riding to Stamford and col- lecting the militia, he formed a junction with his troops, pursued Tryon in his retreat, and took 50 prisoners. In the summer of 1770 he had command of the trooi^s in the Highlands, and ■ completed the fortifications at West Point. The army going into winter quarters, he re- turned home, and on starting out again for cam]) was stricken with paralysis, from which he never completely recovered. He died May 19, 1790. Consult Livingston, Israel Putnam. Pioneer, Ranger, and Major-Oeneral (New York. 1901).