Books and Manuscripts

American Revolutionary General Israel Putnam's amnesty declaration to deserters

''I do therefore declare, That all Deserters from the Army of the United States, who will return to their Duty by the First Day of January next, shall have a free Pardon…''

(Fishkill, New York: Samuel Loudon), ca. November 1777. Printed broadside, 14 1/8 x 8 1/4 in. (359 x 210 mm). Creasing from old folds; lightly soiled and spotted; a few short tears and paper loss at some folds, scattered conservation to same affected areas. Hinge-mounted and in frame, 20 3/16 x 13 9/16 in. (513 x 344 mm). Shipton & Mooney 43380; Bristol 4610; Not in Evans

Exceptionally rare broadside offering amnesty to any deserting American soldier, printed by order of General Israel Putnam (1718-1790) of the Continental Army, while stationed in New York. Putnam's proclamation offered amnesty to any soldier who had deserted if they were to return to duty before a certain date. He addressed those who had been ‘’induced by artful and insidious Persons...to desert their Country’s Service, and have aided the Enemy in their wicked Purposes to subdue the Country…’’, yet ‘’are deterred from returning to their Duty through Fear of Punishment.’’

Desertion was a major issue for the Continental Army in the early years of the war. The unprofessional composition of local militias and volunteer troops caused problems for the Patriots as they were rebelling against one of most well trained and equipped armies of the era. In the introduction to his 2009 book, He Loves a Good Deal of Rum: Military Desertions During the American Revolution 1775-1783, historian Joseph Lee Boyle writes, ‘‘Service in the Continental Army was indeed the stuff of legend for the fortitude and perseverance of those who stayed. Hardships due to poor or nonexistent food and clothing, infrequent paydays, rampant monetary inflation, fear of combat, homesickness, family problems, crowded unsanitary life in camp, and rampant disease were all contributing factors to soldiers refusing to join or abruptly leaving military life.’’ Some modern academic studies suggest that as many as 20-25% of soldiers in the Continental Army deserted at some point over the eight-year conflict. However, due to the constant and chronic demand for fighting men, at times commanders were forced to be lenient with deserters.

One of the first three Major Generals appointed by the Continental Congress in 1775, Putnam was the only other general apart from George Washington to be voted in unanimously. He had a rustic and non-elitist demeanor when commanding his troops, characteristics that led to him becoming one of the most beloved American officers among the soldiers of the Continental Army. Washington aide, and Putnam biographer, David Humphreys (1752-1818), explained how the general quelled a potential mutiny with only words. ‘’The Connecticut brigades formed the design of marching to Hartford, where the General Assembly was then in session, and of demanding redress at the point of the bayonet. Word having been brought to General Putnam…[he] galloped to the cantonment, and thus addressed them: ‘My brave lads, wither are you going? Do you intend to desert your officers, and to invite the enemy to follow you into the country? Whose cause have you been fighting and suffering so long in—is it not your own?... You have behaved like men so far— all the world is full of your praises—and posterity will stand astonished at your deeds… Don’t you consider how much the country is distressed by the war, and that your officers have not been any paid better than yourselves?... Let us all stand by one another, then, and fight it out like brave soldiers…’’’ (Life of General Putnam, 1804, p. 350).

When this broadside was printed Putnam had been relegated to a strategically minor command in the Hudson Highlands because of a series of performance errors, including being routed by Sir William Howe at the Battle of Long Island, and falling for the feinted movements of Sir Henry Clinton which led to the losses of Forts Montgomery and Clinton. Despite his tremendous zeal and his role at Bunker Hill where he reportedly famously proclaimed ‘’Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!’’, his lack of formal military training hindered his success. He later fell out of favor with Washington and, in 1779, he suffered a severe stroke and resigned his commission.

Only two other copies of this broadside are known to survive, both in institutions: the New-York Historical Society, and the John Carter Brown Library. The last copy to be sold at auction was on May 16, 1946 at Parke-Bernet, New York (Sale 777, Lot 32), where it was described as, ''An extremely rare broadside. Not described by Evans. Apparently no copy has heretofore appeared at public sale.’’