called the "great American
Turtle," and which, in fact, was a submarine torpedo, probably the first
one thus used in warfare. It was to be guided by one man, and that man
was to have been Bushnell himself; but, unfortunately, he fell sick, and
the "turtle" boat with its infernal machine was entrusted to a
Connecticut sergeant named "Bije" Shipman, who promised to row the
"submarine"--diminutive prototype of all those which have committed such
destruction since--down the bay and attach the torpedo to the bottom of
the British admiral's ship. He reached the ship without being
observed--strange to say--and attempted to attach the torpedo; but the
attaching screw struck against an iron plate and caused great delay.
Coming up to get a breath of fresh air, "Bije" was seen and fired upon
by a sentinel, and at once rowed away as fast as his oars could carry
him. The torpedo, the explosion of which was regulated by clockwork
operating on a gun-lock, actually exploded about half an hour after,
sending up a great geyser of water, which frightened the British admiral
so that he gave orders to up anchor and seek another mooring-place.

The Yankee navigator of the submarine declared that when he struck the
iron plate he got "narvous," and couldn't affix the screw properly; but
that if he had had a fresh "cud of terbacker," he would have been all
right and the admiral's ship would have gone "a-kiting" into the air.
The attempt was not repeated, for some reason or other, probably because
the British got wary and kept farther away from shore. The next year,
however, inventor Bushnell succeeded in blowing up a British schooner
with his torpedo; but neither he nor quaint "Bije" Shipman ever
received the credit that was their due, the latter being one of the
forgotten heroes of the Revolution.

About this time the Putnam family entertained as guest the pretty
daughter of a British officer, Major James Moncrieffe, the same one to
whom, at the siege of Boston, "Old Put" had sent a present of
provisions, even though they were opposed as enemies. This young lady
was received by the family with affection, presented to General and Mrs.
Washington, and afterward provided with a pass through the lines and
sent to her father, accompanied by a letter of which (as she wittily
said to a friend) "the bad orthography was amply compensated for by the
magnanimity of the man who wrote it." Here is the letter: "Ginrale
Putnam's compliments to Major Moncrie