The Van Buren press., 1870-11-15
MISCELLANY.
A Story of General Putnam.
From " Notes of an old Pioneer in Putman's Maga-


AhNiC " uS +, III SsiS ~'ti-
nectlcut regiment that served in during
the Revolution, a soldier by tue name oi
Patterson. He was a young man, and
his father and grandfather before him
had served in Putnam hangers against
the French and Indians His grandfather
was. oI course. too old to take the field
III the Revolution, and his father was laid
up wita the rheumatism, or something OF
that sind: SO Rnlus, my comrade. had
to sustain the honor of tie family IN this
war--and well lie did it
Three or tour times during our cam
paigns, when he happened ,o see Gen
PUTNAM riding b, the camp. or on the
march. Rufus would "a, 4 lcne:
Stephen, the first go9ss. shanco get
I'm going to speak to the General, and
ask him if he remembers my father and
grandfather in the old war, twenty years
ago.
knew what he had particularly in his
mind-it was all adventure that the GcIf
e.al, then Captain Putnan, had had with
the lldlans, IN company with these men,
father ahd son. had often head Rufus
tell it, as they told it to him IL seems
That Pu,nam was out sc0Gting in the
woods with only half a lozen men, these
two, with three Others, 0acn they were
ambushed by q much large p ty OF In
dans. The first vollel di ,,b ed three OF
the men; the Pattersons escaped by flight
but Putnan, for some reason, was taken
prisoner with the wounded men. The
savages Immediately proceeded to their
terrible work of torture. Lying on the
ground unarmed, bound and helpless,
PUTNAM saw bis unfortunate comrades
taken one by one from his side, stripped,
Dound TO tree, and slowly tortured with
a deyillsh ingenuity, the details Of which
are too shocking to repeat. When death
had mercifuily relieved the last of them
Iroil his torments, Putnam was himself
tied to the tree, and tue Indians began
their caperings about him. brandishing
their knives aud tomahawks in his face,
and shouting theii exultaton The cap
tive was Terrifying his soul for the hor-
rors OF the terrible fate that seemed to
have oyertaken him, and had abandoned
.ii AopS w o"ii"eipb ~
reached lin in most unexpected man
ner. rhe reports Of two rifles were heard
close to the ring Of the dancing Indians
and Two of them fell dead The others
were wounded BY the same shots--and
tue savages, panic struck by the sudden
ness Of tue attack, and probably thinking
that large resculng party was at hand,
took to flight and disappeared.
The rescuers, howevef, were only the
two Pattersons. who, finding that they
had effected their own escape by their
tleeness, concluded that they could not
leave their Captain without some ATTEMPT
to deliver him. With a daring, charsc-
way in the darkness to u shelter within
few feet Of the tree selected for the sac.
rilice, reaching the place just as Putnam
was dragged up The boldness and des,
peration Of their attack insured their sue.
cess. A few strokes OF the knife released
their captive. and the tlrce FASTENED with
all speed from the scene Of their peril.
After proceeding few miles through the
forest, Putnam halted and told his com
panions that he had been without sleep
for thirty hodrs, and that, ms a long and
difficult Digit lay before them to the
nearest place of safety, he proposed to
take just live minutes rest
"Ouly i've minutes. mild = he sail,
giving to the older Paterson his silver
casei watch. We can spare that much
time, aud the sleep will do me wonderful
good
llc lay down on the ground and in
stantly fell into sound slumber, while
his humble companions watched over
him. SO sound and refreshing was his
sleep that they hesitated to wake him rs
he had enjoincd, aud fall titeen minutes
had passed before they aroused him. He
sprang up and looked at the tinepircr,
and discovered what time had passed, he
flew into u rage and reprimanded the men,
who hsd ist saved his life, in the sever
est terms. and not with few round oaths,
for venturing to disobey his or'ters.
They received it, on their part, without
anger, as they perfectly knew the man,
aud understood that he was a generous
friend as we'll as u Jealous disciplinarian
From this point the escape of the trio to
the nearest settlement was prosecuted
without further remarkable peril.
Rufus Patterson often told me that
since the disbaldment of the colonial
forces al the close Of the French war,his
father auj grandfather had never met
punam. inferred, indeed. from all
that he ssii--and he naturally liked to
talk Of the subject-that after his adven.
ture they were detailed upon such service
that neither Of them was brought partic
uarly to the notice Of the captain again
They heard, in common with heir neigh
bors, that Congress, had made him ma
jor general, and they learned with eager
as the war went on, of the val
iant service which their former captain
was giving his country in his position;
hut being very poor as well as very hum
bic, and, since the inIlrmities of the one
and the lamencss of the other, never
travelled beyond their little garden. no op
por,uhity had offered since the beginning
of the war Tor meeting with the Gene
raj. Ny comrade, in telling me this, al
ways concluded by declaring that before
a great while he should seek out General
Putnam, and ask him II he remembered
the Pattersons
"Of course, wouldn't ask nor take
any reward" he would add " bnt the
General is great man now and | should
he proud to tell him that am the son of