gton to Congress, January 30th, 1776.]

[Footnote 119: In regard to the change in the command, the
adjutant-general's statement in full is this: "On General Greene's
being sick, Sullivan took the command, who was wholly unacquainted
with the ground or country. Some movements being made which the
general did not approve entirely, and finding a great force going to
Long Island, he sent over Putnam, who had been over occasionally; this
gave some disgust, so that Putnam was directed to soothe and soften as
much as possible." (_Sedgwick's Life of Livingston_, p. 201.) What
movements were referred to, unless it was the random firing of the
skirmishers and the burning of houses at Flatbush by some of our men,
or how Putnam was to reconcile Sullivan to the change, as he was
directed (this evidently being the meaning of Reed's last phrase),
does not appear. From subsequent occurrences, the inference is
justified that Putnam did not disturb Sullivan's arrangements, but
left the disposition of the troops to him. What Sullivan himself says
is given in a note further along in the chapter. That Putnam went over
on the 24th, and in the forenoon, is evident from a letter from Reed
to his wife of that date, in which he says: "While I am writing, there
is a heavy firing and clouds of smoke rising from the wood [on Long
Island]. General Putnam was made happy by obtaining leave to go
over--the brave old man was quite miserable at being kept here."
(_Reed's Life of Reed._) This firing, as Washington wrote to Schuyler
on the same date, occurred in the morning. Putnam had been engaged
during the summer, principally, in looking after the defences in the
city and the river obstructions. He had charge, also, of the water
transportation, boats, pettiaugers, etc. His division was in the city
or close to it. Had the enemy, accordingly, attacked the city
directly, it would have fallen largely to Putnam to conduct the
defence; and this is doubtless the reason why, as Reed says, he was
"kept here." But as it now seemed certain that the British were
concentrating on Long Island, he evidently wished to be with the
troops there, where that morning there was "a heavy firing" going on,
and obtained leave to cross. Finding a change desirable, Washington,
probably at the same time, gave Putnam the command and "sent" him
over.]

On the 25th, Putnam received written instructions from Washington. He
was directed to form a proper line of defence around his enc