New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1843-10-12

Editor of that paper:
A WISprALL.-We found among tie rubbish of the
receptacle of auctoneer this Inornng copy oil
the Life of Putnam by our late and fellow Col
{aferwara Gcn.) Humphcs-pubshed III Hartford b.
Hudson ( Goodwin, in l793 IL contains curious oa'tes
of history reete with incidents OF Putaams history
end must IN. 10 the blush the 5asehss oil those who haze
attempted auGht from the fame and glory OF tat
great champion Of libeFt, end his country
Why this is begging the question with a wit
ness. The editor seems not to be aware, that
the authenticity of Col. Humphreys history is
the very matter at issue in the controversy now
carving on in respect to the military services OF
Gen Putnam. The astonishing and unaccount-
able achievements of the General, as recorded
bv Humphreys, are amply detailed IN WORK
lately published in New York city, entitled" The
Veil Removed and are there, for the most part,
nroved By incontrovcrtibIe history to be entirely
mythologicaI--never to have existed except IN
the brain Of the writer, IN that OF his inloIner.
The New-Haven editor is advised to take Up
this book, and refute it, if he caD instead OF
wasting his time in reiterating the childish sio-
res related by Humphreys. The public in gene
raj are perfectly ignorant Of the true history Of
Gen Putnam. They have been told that he
killed wolf with gun loaded with nine buck
shot and that he escaped from the pursuit of the
enemy by riding down prccplce at Horse Neck,
upon one hundred stone footsteps or full trot ,
which are believed to be the most daring and
hazardous feats ever performed by man. Here
their knowledge Of him ends
| have respectable authority for saying, that
the wolf in question was killed by firing into the
cleft of the rock in which 1t had taken refuge,
and that Putnam. then entered 1t and dragged
out the dead body.
In regard to the Horse Noel, affair, Col. Hum
phrcys says: 'Aj0ut tic mid6le gt winter,
while Gen. Putnam was on a visit to ms ont p0St,
at Horse Neck, he found Gov. iryon advancing
upon that town with II corps Of fifteen hundred
men. To oppose these Gen. Putnam had only =
picket of one hundred md fifty men, and two
iron field pieces, without horses or drag -ropcs."
This out post was indeed IN fine condition; it
answered, however, very well for the story. But
the fact is, Gen. Putnam had no ont nor inner
posts, having been deprived Of command by
Washington, and sent into Connecticut on the
recruiting service. Nor is it believed there was
a military post at all at Horse Neck at the time
alluded to. The British it seems found it conve-
nent to land there, for the purpose of penetrating
into the country; but the expedition coun-
demanded in consequence Of the troops being
wanted on the North River and the army re-
turned to New York.
For full account Of Cen Putnam'S exploits
in this affair the reader is referred to the work
above mentioned, p. 2l3 Among other things 1t
is said, that after descending the preciplce Put
nam continued his route unmolested to Stamford;
from whence, having strengthened his picket by
the junction of some militia, nc came back, and
in turn pursued Gov. Tryon in his retreat" The
editor Of the Boston edition Of the Life Of Put
nam, published in 1918, who no doubt obtained
his information from the same source us Hum
phreys, adds:
In this retreat, though with very inferior
force Gen. Putnam made about fifty prisoners,
part of whom were wounded, and the whole were
the next day sent under the escort OF an officer
guard to the British lines for exchange 1t was
for the humanity and kindness of Putnam to the
wounded prisoners that Gov Tryon compliment
ed him with the "suit Of clothes.'" Not, as
Humphreys states, OH account of spelling his hat
by ball passing through 1t on his descent of the
precipce.
The following is an abstract of Judge Mar
shals account of this expedition, in his Life of
Washington, with all OF whose official documents
and memorandums the author was furnished
And it is well known that nothing worthy of
note, in the military operations of the war, cs-
capped the vigilance of the Commander-in Chief:
9 In July, 1873, an expedition was determined
on by the British against Connecticut the COM
mand of which was given to Gov. Iryon, Ma
jor-Gencral in the army.
ION the Sd of July, the troops destined for
this expedition, amounting to about $500 men,
embarked at Frogs Neck, on the Sound and
sailing Eastward reached New Haven Bay on the
5th, in the morning"
about the same time, a much larger detacll-
mcnt from the British army directed its course 10
Horse Neck, and made demonstrations OF dc
sign TO penetrate into the country In that direc-
ton.
son the first intelligence that Connecticut was
invaded, Gen. Parsons, who was a native of that
State had been directed by Gen Washington to
hasten to the scene of action, for the purpose OF
giving confidence TO his counlrymen, and guid-
ing their efforts Placing himself al the head of
about one hundred ard tfty Continental troops,
who were supported by considerable bodies OF mil
tia, he attacked the British in the morning of the
10th, so soon as they were in motion, and kept
up through the day an irregular distant fire.
1t is here secn that Cen Parsons commanded
the American forces, not Gen. Putnam; that the
expedition took place III .july, and not dbout the
middle VI toWteY, the most untavorabc season for
such an enterprise; and that the army under
Tryon consisted OF probably over three thousand
men, instead of fifteen hundred. Nothing is said
by Marshall OF any prisoners being made, nor
does 1t appear likely that any could have been
made. The American force was too small to
come 10 close quarters with the enemy, and
therefore, kept up an irregular distant fire. But
above all, the name of Putnam is not even men
toned by the historian. If he had taken any
part in this affair, and acted the hero, as repre-
sented by his biographer, would not the Com
nander-in-C Chief have received notice OF 1t, ;.nt
due credit been awarded to hun, IN the history
OF the transaction Moreover, would Putnam
have forgotten that the transaction occurred IL