The Portland gazette., 1818-08-11
MISCELLANY.
General Putnam Defended.

On the point q fats actiDity Of Gen. Pvr-
MANS oun troops, we have one other piece OF
testimony, highly deserving OF credit, on this
patt OF our subject. 1t seems TO have been
one OF those generous voluntary tributes TO
injured merit, Of which this calumny has pro-
ddced sa many iliust:ious examples.
Il is entitled
BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL.
:" On the evening ofJune is, Col. VIM Pres
coTr and Col. BRIDGE, with their regiments un-
Der the direction Of General PUTNAM, took pos
session Of Breeds Hill, and threw up fort or
intrenchment. The next forenoon, when it was
perceived that the British were preparing to at
tack them, orders were given to reinforce them.
Gen. PUTNAM did all that man could do to
induce the men to 60 on to the Hill. He led on
Capt. KNowLroN, with part Of Connecticut
regiment. Esquire PvrsAM has given ajust ac-
count ofthe bravery Of KNowLToN and his men,"
i Alluding to the late account Of DANIEL PUT
NAM, Esq.I
The venerable author then proceeds to
give the details of the battle, not essentially
differing from other accounts.---He then
adds -
The officers who distinguished themselves
that day were Gen. PUTNAM, Gen. WARREN,
Col. PREscoTT, bis Lieut.. Col. JOHN ROBINSON,
lthe man who, with Col BuTTRIcK, led the
troops at Concord bridge,) Major WooDs,-Col.
BRIDcE, bis Lieut.. Col. Parker, who was
wounded and carried into Boston, and died there.
lfthe returns OF killed and wounded are preser-
we'd, they will shew the regiment to which they
belonged, and to whom the honour of that mem
orable dayis due. Col. PREscoTT's loss was 49
killed and as wounded, out of 400 nearly four
- IN SLo~I
than that Of the Connecticut lnel Col. BRIDGE
lost in the same proportion with PREscoTT. The
writer Of this article was the intimate friend Of
Col. PRfscoTT and 1t. Col. ROBINSON, and from
the mouths Of those Heroes he had this account
OF the battle. He does not recollect to have
heard Capt. DIAMONDS name mentioned at
the time nor after.-Sometime in May q believe)
an armed schooner ran ashore not far from the
ferry.ways, directly opposite the batteries on
Cops Hill) Gen PUTNAM, with party Of
men with small arms, attacked and drove the
men from their quarters, and burnt her. When
the Americans took possession of Dorchester
Heights, officers were selected to 60 down
Charles river and land on Boston Common, if the
British should attach Dorchester Heights. PuT-
NAM was appointed to the command, and was
the foremost to move down to Sewall's point.
II is impossible for any to shew activ-
=
on every occasion during the siege of Boston:''
The venerable gentleman then expresses
doub: as to the story OF Col. Prescott's con-
versatioo at Gov. Bowdon's table. He says,
as we believe, that there is a sad anachron-
isgl and mistake Of dates. He doubts wheth
Ter Col, Prescott was in sufficient health to be
in public company after 1895, when Bow
doin was appointed.
We now pass to the third nad mos. essen
sisl point. the personal conduct OF Gen. Put.
nam. at toe battle Of Bunker Hill.
Reuben Kemp, now Of Brooklyn, in Con-
necticut, but formerly Of Gofsiown, State of
New-Hampshirc, deposeth on oath
That IN ITS, be va, . soldier IN Capt Sam
gel Richards company aud Col. Starks' (Dear-
bon'sl regiment being quarteFed at Mystick,
on the 18th Of June, an alarm was given and
the regiment ordered to parade at the Colonels
quarters, when ammunition was distributed,
namely, ten bullets, and gsR cup Of ponder.
We sorted cur bullets As well as we could and
marched to Charleston neck After we arrived
At the high ground over the neck, we were or
dsred to parads our packs and guns, and put sem
tries over them---Here we were furnished with
iutzsnching tools and began 70 throw up breast
work, but we had not been more than ten or If
tssn minutes at work before the drums beat, and
we were marched Immediately. An officer
whom had nexy seen, lie ros in TIE condition
cf Dearborn and ell Starks' troops, wso nsrer had
seen Putnam and whom they called General
Putnam, seemed to have the ordering Of things.
he charged the men not to fire till the enemy
came close to the works, and then to take good
aim, and make every shot kill . man. But there
were . few pieces discharged before the order
was given to fire. Gen. Putnam appeared very
angry, and passed along the hnes quickly, with
his sword drawn, and threatened to stab any
man that fired without order. The enemy kept
firing as they advanced, and when they had got
pretty near the works we were ordered to take
good aim and fire. .at this time, Gen. Putnam
was constantly passing ba kward and forward
from right to left, telling US, the day was our
own if we would stick to it; and it was not ma
ny minutes before the enemy began to retreat"
Upon being questioned whether he. had af-
terwsrds known Putnam, and recognized him
10 be the same officer who SO gallantly distin-
guished himself, be said,
- saw him often after, forhe commanded or
Prospect Hill, and knew him to be the same
that was in the fight.
lsigned) REUBEN KEMP
Sworn TO before JoHg PARISH, Justice Of
Peace.
To the host Of unanswerable witnesses. Al.
ready adduced, we add the following.
"lsAAc BAssErr, of Killingley, IN the coupty
Of Windham. and State Of Connecticut. deposeth.
- Il -.~.-x