Old Put the patriot

Farm work, family stories and youthful feats of strength introduce Israel Putnam before his military career takes the foreground. Frederick A. Ober traces the New England farmer who became a celebrated soldier, beginning with his birth in Salem Village in 1718 and the household shaped by earlier witchcraft trials. Anecdotes of climbing trees, facing a bully and building his own home establish the courage and persistence that Ober sees as the basis of Putnam's later reputation.

The biography follows that reputation into the growing dispute between British authorities and the American colonies. Putnam organizes military companies and brings a flock of sheep from Brooklyn to support Boston as political tensions rise. Readers interested in early American history will find a patriotic portrait told through personal incidents, family background and preparations for war, with a strong emphasis on practical action and loyalty to country.