Israel Putnam (1718-1790)
Born in Salem, Massachusetts, as a young man Israel Putnam moved to Connecticut, where he became something of a folk hero, earning a reputation as a skilled fighter of great personal courage. During the French and Indian Wars, he survived a variety of exploits from Montreal to Detroit to Havana and went on to become an ardent supporter of the Patriot cause. Quickly named second-in-command of the forces assembled outside Boston in the wake of Lexington and Concord, he was instrumental in the planning and execution of the Battle of Bunker Hill and would be placed in overall command on Long Island prior to the British invasion. While not blamed for the ensuing defeat, Putnam was later relegated to lesser commands.