DEFENDING THE HUDSON HIGHLANDS
Snugly and safely entrenched in the Morristown hill-country, Washington
left to Putnam the post he so dearly loved, that of real danger, within
fifteen miles of New Brunswick, where the enemy lay in strength. At
Princeton, thirty miles from headquarters, Putnam remained until May,
when he was detached and sent into the Hudson Highlands. The British had
lost fewer men at Trenton and Princeton than the Americans had lost at
Fort Washington, yet the former were singularly dispirited. With the
Commander-in-Chief withdrawn to the hills, the road to Philadelphia lay
open to the enemy, and only Old Put opposing them, like a lion in the
path; but for some reason they did not avail themselves of the
situation.
Putnam's division formed the right wing of the American army in
cantonment that winter, with the center at Morristown and the left wing
on the Hudson. At the opening of the spring campaign of 1777 Washington
was uncertain whether the British would leave their winter quarters in
New York for New England, the Hudson Highlands, or for Philadelphia. He
was inclined to believe that Philadelphia would be the first and chief
objective, and wished to hold himself in readiness for marching thither
at a moment's warning; but again there were rumors of an invasion from
Canada by way of the lakes and the Hudson, so this region must be
protected.
Existing forts must be strengthened, others erected, a boom stretched
across the Hudson to impede the passage of British ships, and obstacles
of all kinds placed in the path of the British, should they advance
northward. Needing a reliable man in this emergency, Washington sent
Putnam to Peekskill, on the Hudson, preceded by a letter to General
McDougall, then in command there, which was, to say the least, not very
flattering to the gallant soldier who had been his right-hand man in
the various retreats through the Jerseys. "You are acquainted with the
old gentleman's temper," he wrote; "he is active, disinterested, and
open to conviction," etc.
Washington would have been more fortunate if all his officers had been
as "active, disinterested, and open to conviction" as Old Put--for
instance, Lee, Arnold, Gates, and others--but he had allowed his
prejudices to warp his former opinion of Putnam's sterling qualities.
Hardly had Putnam begun his work on the Hudson before there was a mighty
movement in the port of New York, and, fearing there might be an attempt
upon Philadelphia, Washington drew upon the old soldier's command until
he had scarcely a thousand men at call. Then followed the commander's
magnificent strategy at Middlebrook, whereby he finally defeated the
British plans and brought about the complete evacuation of New Jersey,
after which Putnam was strengthened in his position; only to be weakened
again, the process being repeated until he felt called upon to protest.
Putnam was later accused by Hamilton, Washington's aide-de-camp, of
making a "hobby-horse" out of his desire to march upon New York, and of
riding it on all occasions; but it was no less a hobby-horse with him
than the defense of Philadelphia was with his Commander-in-Chief, who
many times imperiled the safety of other sections by withdrawing troops
in hot haste and flying to the succor of a city which was captured and
occupied by the British notwithstanding.
Washington rode his hobby-horse full-tilt at the unfortunate Putnam and
threw him to the ground. With one hand, as it were, he wrote him to keep
an eye on the movements of the enemy and be fully prepared to meet them;
but with the other he signed an order for the weakening of his force.
The consequences came when Burgoyne, having descended from Canada and
invaded northern New York, Putnam found himself between two fires, that
of the former and that of Sir Henry Clinton, who finally set out on the
long-meditated trip up the Hudson in order to cooperate with the
southward-marching army.
Putnam had learned of the successive moves on the military chess-board
as Burgoyne progressed in his triumphal march. First, of the fall of
Ticonderoga, in June; then of Fort Edward; finally, of the glorious
victory achieved by his former comrade in the Indian wars and at Bunker
Hill, the redoubtable General Stark, at Bennington. He was called upon
to furnish reenforcements not only to Washington, unfortunate in his
defense of Philadelphia, but to Schuyler and Gates in the north.
The post of danger, as usual, Old Put occupied in the Highlands, and he
was delighted; only repining that whenever he was nearly ready to do
something, away went his troops on some wild-goose mission, of which he
knew neither the end or aim.
Washington surmised that Howe's scheme of sailing southward with an
army aboard his ships was for the purpose of luring him away from the
real point of attack, which was to be in the Highlands, so he wrote
Putnam to be on the alert and to send spies down to New York to
ascertain Clinton's plans. "If he has the number of men with him that is
reported, it is probably with the intention to attack you from below,
while Burgoyne comes down upon you from above." Thus wrote Washington in
August, but still the depletion of the perplexed Putnam's command went
steadily on. When he protested he was recommended to hurry up the
militia from Connecticut, or some other New England State, and thus
supply the place of the seasoned troops he had trained, with raw
recruits.
"The old general, whose boast it was that he never slept but with one
eye, was already on the alert. A circumstance had given him proof
positive that Sir Henry was in New York, and had aroused his military
ire," writes Washington Irving. This paragraph refers to one of
Clinton's spies, who was captured while gathering information in
Putnam's camp at Peekskill. When Clinton heard of it he sent a
war-vessel up the Hudson with a flag of truce, claiming the man as one
of his officers. This was Old Put's reply:
Headquarters, _7th August, 1777_.
Edmund Palmer, an officer in the enemy's service, was taken as a
spy lurking within our lines. He has been tried as a spy, condemned
as a spy, and shall be executed as a spy; and the flag is ordered
to depart immediately.
I have the honor to be, etc., etc.,
Israel Putnam.
P.S.--Afternoon. He is hanged!
The last week in September, Washington drew upon the patient commander
in the Highlands for more soldiers, so that he had only eleven hundred
men left with which to meet and withstand the British invasion of his
territory, which began on the 5th of October. Putnam was fully cognizant
of the situation, for he wrote to Governor Clinton, his coadjutor in
the defense of the Highlands, on the 29th of September: "I have received
intelligence on which I can fully depend that the enemy received a
reenforcement at New York last Thursday of about 3,000 British and
foreign troops; that General Clinton has called in guides who belong
about Croton River; has ordered hard bread to be baked; that the troops
are called from Paulus Hook to Kingsbridge; and the whole are now under
marching orders. I think it highly probable that the designs of the
enemy are against the posts of the Highlands, or of some parts of the
counties of Westchester or Duchess. P.S.--The ships are drawn up in the
river, and I believe nothing prevents them paying us an immediate visit
but a contrary wind!"
Within a week the enemy were in force on the river near Putnam's
position, and within ten days they had completely outmaneuvered both
Putnam and Clinton, and had taken forts Montgomery and Clinton, their
chief defenses, with great loss to the Americans. Clinton had made a
feint on Tarrytown and Peekskill, and after this diversion, under cover
of the river mist, landed troops on the west shore of the Hudson, and
marched rapidly through ravines and dense woods to the rear of the two
forts, which were carried by the bayonet, the defenders being taken by
surprise.
The British had twice the number of men that Putnam commanded in this
attack, and also the advantage of ships of war in the river, but it is
thought that results would have been different from what they were had a
despatch for reenforcements from Governor Clinton reached him. It was
sent by a messenger who proved a traitor and carried it within the
enemy's lines. As it was, however, the British have the credit of
consummate strategy on this occasion, and poorly as he was equipped, Old
Put was greatly mortified over the defeat. He had good occasion for
writing to Washington, as he wrote on the 8th of October: "I have
repeatedly informed your Excellency of the enemy's design against this
post, but from some motive or other you always differed from me in
opinion. As this conjecture of mine has for once proved right, I can not
omit informing you that my real and sincere opinion is that they mean to
join General Burgoyne with the utmost despatch."
Further proof of British intentions was afforded by the capture of a
spy, who, on being arrested, was seen to swallow a silver bullet which,
being recovered, was found to contain a message written on very thin
paper and dated October 8th--the day before. This message read: "Here we
are, and nothing between us and Gates. I sincerely hope this little
success of ours will facilitate your operations." It was from Sir Henry
Clinton to General Burgoyne, and showed conclusively that the former had
set out to join with the latter. But events had so shaped in the north
that poor Burgoyne was then past all aid, General Gates then having him
at bay. Within a few days was fought the decisive battle that brought
about Burgoyne's surrender, and when the news reached Sir Henry Clinton
he immediately set about returning to New York, there being no longer
any incentive for action in the Highlands. Putnam and Clinton, after
blowing up their two vessels in the river, had effected their retreat to
Fishkill, where they entrenched; but on learning of the British retreat
they moved down to their former positions.
The saying that "troubles never come singly" proved true for General
Putnam that month of October, 1777, for on the 14th he lost by death his
faithful wife, who had been with him at headquarters. Washington wrote
him, on being informed of the bereavement: "I am extremely sorry for the
death of Mrs. Putnam, and sympathize with you upon the occasion.
Remembering that all must die, and that she had lived to an honorable
age, I hope you will bear the misfortune with that fortitude and
complacency of mind that become a man and a Christian."
The surrender of Burgoyne left the north free from foes, and
consequently with no use for great numbers of soldiers, so that Putnam
was soon in command of more than nine thousand men, mainly drafts from
Gates's army. He was then determined to carry out his twice-frustrated
scheme of marching upon New York, and was pushing forward his plans with
great confidence, when there appeared a marplot on the scene in the
person of Colonel Alexander Hamilton, at that time aide-de-camp to
General Washington, who peremptorily ordered Putnam to forward all the
new arrivals to the Commander-in-Chief and fill their places with
militia.
The order was a verbal one and delivered by a slender "snip of a boy"
scarcely out of his teens, so it received scant attention from Old Put,
who went on with his plans, while Colonel Hamilton mounted a fresh horse
and posted off to Albany, where he had also great difficulty in
impressing General Gates with the need of Washington for the best men in
his command. But he succeeded in detaching a few regiments, and then
hastened back to Peekskill, there to find, to his surprise and
indignation, that Putnam still had all his men--and what was more,
seemed inclined to keep them with him.
"I am pained beyond expression," wrote this precocious youth to
Washington on the 10th of November, "to inform your Excellency
that, on my arrival here, I find everything has been neglected and
deranged by General Putnam.... Not the least attention has been
paid to my order, in your name, for a detachment of one thousand
men from the troops hitherto stationed at that post. Everything is
sacrificed to the whim of taking New York.... By Governor Clinton's
advice, I have sent an order, in the most emphatical terms, to
General Putnam, immediately to despatch all the Continental troops
under him to your assistance, and to detain the militia instead of
them."
This order "in the most emphatical terms" finally moved the general to
compliance; but it quite naturally excited his just resentment, and he
sent it to the Commander-in-Chief, with his comments. It would have been
a serious matter--detaching such a large body of troops on a mere verbal
order from a hot-headed stripling; yet Washington in effect reprimanded
the honest veteran by writing:
I can not but say, there has been more delay in the march of the
troops than I think necessary; and I could wish that in future my
orders may be immediately complied with, without arguing upon the
propriety of them. If any accident ensues from obeying them, the
fault will be upon me, not upon you.
Death, defeat, a reprimand--all within one short month--might have
affected a stouter heart than Old Put's. But was there ever a stouter
one?