n shorn of her possessions
in Canada, and she was losing her islands in the West Indies, where,
early in 1762, beautiful Martinique (to become famous as the birthplace
of the Empress Josephine, and a rich land of sugar and spices) was
captured by the British.

In fact, the theater of war was transferred to the more southern regions
of the Caribbean Sea, and the New Englanders took a long breath and
congratulated themselves that at last they were at liberty to pursue
their callings unmolested. But in this they were somewhat premature, as
England was still engaged in fighting, and, no matter where her battles
were fought, she seemed to expect the loyal American colonists to
furnish soldiers for her wars. Connecticut, Putnam's home State, was
again called upon for the same number of able-bodied men she had
furnished year by year, and promptly proffered her bone and sinew to
fight the wars of King George the Third.

A thousand men, besides fifteen hundred from New York and New Jersey,
embarked at the port of New York, in the month of June, 1762, bound for
Havana in Cuba, where British regulars were dying by hundreds of
pestilence, and sorely needed those colonial reenforcements. On this,
his first sea voyage, Colonel Putnam had a rough experience all the way
down, and off the north coast of Cuba the transport containing himself
and five hundred of his men was wrecked on a coral ledge. "Old Put" was
calm and collected, never more so, though unused to life at sea, and
preserved strict discipline among his men, thus aiding the mariners in
their endeavors to get out rafts and boats, on and in which the entire
company finally reached the shore. To his perils by fire, twice
incurred, brave Putnam could now add that by flood, thus giving the
spice of variety to his various adventures.

"As soon as all were landed," wrote the biographer who knew him best,
"Putnam fortified his camp, that he might not be exposed to insult from
inhabitants of the neighboring districts.... Here the party remained
unmolested several days, until the storm had so much abated as to
permit the convoy to take them off. They soon joined the troops before
Havana, who, having been several weeks in that unhealthy climate, had
already begun to grow extremely sickly. The opportune arrival of the
Provincial reenforcement, in perfect health, contributed not a little to
forward the works and hasten the reduction of that important place. But
the Provincials suffer