Israel Putnam - Legacy

Legacy

Within a few years, so many people visited Putnam's tomb that the marble marker became badly mutilated; it was removed for safe keeping to the Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford. In 1888, Putnam's remains were removed from the Brooklyn cemetery and reinterred in a sarcophagus built into the foundation of a monument in his memory, newly erected on a plot of ground near the Brooklyn town green.

In the early days of the war, Putnam was regarded by Washington as one of America's most valuable military assets. During the Revolution, however, Putnam, as did many American generals, led more strategic defeats than offensive victories, and was known chiefly for his reckless courage.

Numerous places were named for him, including eight Putnam counties in various states, starting with New York. Towns in New York and Connecticut were named for him.

Other namesakes include:

• A Brooklyn, New York elementary school.
• East Putnam Avenue in Greenwich, Connecticut, named for his path of retreat from the British
• Putnam's cottage, an eighteenth-century residence that may have served as a tavern at the time of his escape, is located on this avenue.
• Putnam State Park is also named for him.

Putnam has been featured in numerous biographies and works of fiction, including an 1876 book by Increase N. Tarbox, acclaimed historian, theologian, and author.

General Putnam is an ancestor to the famed 20th-century newsman and former Marine Corps Officer George Putnam.

Putnam also appears as a supporting character in the video game, Assassin's Creed III.