rnold, Gates, and others--but he had allowed his
prejudices to warp his former opinion of Putnam's sterling qualities.

Hardly had Putnam begun his work on the Hudson before there was a mighty
movement in the port of New York, and, fearing there might be an attempt
upon Philadelphia, Washington drew upon the old soldier's command until
he had scarcely a thousand men at call. Then followed the commander's
magnificent strategy at Middlebrook, whereby he finally defeated the
British plans and brought about the complete evacuation of New Jersey,
after which Putnam was strengthened in his position; only to be weakened
again, the process being repeated until he felt called upon to protest.

Putnam was later accused by Hamilton, Washington's aide-de-camp, of
making a "hobby-horse" out of his desire to march upon New York, and of
riding it on all occasions; but it was no less a hobby-horse with him
than the defense of Philadelphia was with his Commander-in-Chief, who
many times imperiled the safety of other sections by withdrawing troops
in hot haste and flying to the succor of a city which was captured and
occupied by the British notwithstanding.

Washington rode his hobby-horse full-tilt at the unfortunate Putnam and
threw him to the ground. With one hand, as it were, he wrote him to keep
an eye on the movements of the enemy and be fully prepared to meet them;
but with the other he signed an order for the weakening of his force.
The consequences came when Burgoyne, having descended from Canada and
invaded northern New York, Putnam found himself between two fires, that
of the former and that of Sir Henry Clinton, who finally set out on the
long-meditated trip up the Hudson in order to cooperate with the
southward-marching army.

Putnam had learned of the successive moves on the military chess-board
as Burgoyne progressed in his triumphal march. First, of the fall of
Ticonderoga, in June; then of Fort Edward; finally, of the glorious
victory achieved by his former comrade in the Indian wars and at Bunker
Hill, the redoubtable General Stark, at Bennington. He was called upon
to furnish reenforcements not only to Washington, unfortunate in his
defense of Philadelphia, but to Schuyler and Gates in the north.

The post of danger, as usual, Old Put occupied in the Highlands, and he
was delighted; only repining that whenever he was nearly ready to do
something, away went his troops on some wild-goose mission, of which he
knew nei