Israel Putnam was one of the few experienced soldiers at the beginning of the Revolutionary War. He was an opponent of the British government, was a leader in the Sons of Liberty, and served as chairman of the Connecticut Committee of Correspondence.
With the outbreak of hostilities at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, Putnam arrived the next day at Cambridge, Massachusetts and offered his services. He was a leading figure at the Battle of Bunker Hill, and is one of the officers credited with instructing officer William Prescott to issue the orders “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes”. He became one of the four generals who served under Washington. After his success at Bunker Hill, Putnam struggled in achieving military success in the campaigns he was assigned. He suffered a stroke in 1779 which ended his military career. 270 pages
