Fowle's New Hampshire Gazette And General Advertiser

From a late LONDON MAGAZINE.

ANECDOTES
Of the late celebrated American General
PUTNAM.

We read that David slew a lion and a bear, and afterwards that Saul trusted him to fight Goliath. In Pomfret lived Col. Israel Putnam, who slew a she-bear and her two cubs with a billet of wood. The bravery of this action brought him into public notice; and it seems he is one of Fortune's favourites. The story is as follows:--In 1754, a large she-bear came in the night from her den, which was three miles from Mr. Putnam's house, and took a sow out of a pen of his.--The sow, by her squeaking, awoke Mr. Putnam, who hastily run in his shirt to the poor creature's relief;--but before he could reach the pen, the bear left it, and was trotting away with the sow in her mouth. Mr. Putnam took up a billet of wood, and followed the screamings of the sow, till he came to a foot of a mountain, where the den was. Dauntless he entered the horrid cavern, and after walking and crawling upon his hands and knees for fifty yards, came to a roomy cell, where the bear met him with great fury. He saw nothing but the fire of her eyes; but that was sufficient for our hero;--he accordingly directed his blow, which at once proved fatal to the bear, and saved his own life at a most critical moment. Putnam then discovered and killed two cubs; and having, though in Egyptian darkness, dragged them and the dead sow, one by one, out of the cave, he went home, and calmly reported to his family what had happened. The neighbours declared, on viewing the place by torch-light, that his exploit exceeded those of Samson or David. Soon afterwards the general assembly appointed Mr. Putnam a Lieutenant in the army, marching against Canada. His courage and good conduct raised him to the rank of Captain the next year. The third year he was made a Major; and the fourth a Colonel. Putnam and Rogers were the heroes through the last war. Putnam was so hardy, at a time when the Indians had killed all his men, and completely hemmed him in upon a river, as to leap into the stream, which in a minute carried him down a stupendous fall, where no canoe could pass without being torn to pieces. The Indians reasonably concluded that Putnam, their terrible enemy, was dead, and made their report accordingly at Ticonderoga; but soon after, a scouting party found their sad mistake in a bloody encounter. Some few that got off declared that Putnam was yet living, and that he was the first son of Hobbamockow, and therefore immortal. However, at length, the Indians took this terrible warrior prisoner, and tied him to a tree; where he hung three days without food or drink. They were invoking Hobbamockow; but they told him to did not attempt to kill him for fear of offending the French at a great price. The name of Putnam was more alarming to the Indians than cannon, and they never would fight him after his escape from the falls. He was afterwards redeemed by the English.