Putnam's Revolutionary War Winter Encampment:: The History and Archaeology of Putnam Memorial State Park

The 1778-1779 winter encampment of a portion of Washington's Army in Redding, Connecticut is less well known than those that took place during the American Revolution at Valley Forge or Jockey Hollow, but that is one of the very things that attracts historians and history buffs alike to this period. There is plenty of room for fresh research, and in particular for the skills of the archaeologist and those of the historian to dramatically reinterpret everything from the material culture of the time to the ebb and flow of battle. When such scholarship is combined in an attractive, readable style, it is of particular value and interest.Such is the case with Daniel Cruson's (2011) "Putnam's Revolutionary War Winter Encampment: The History and Archeology of Putnam Memorial Park". Mr. Cruson is a dedicated historian and clearly was a fine teacher of anthropology and local history. Now in retirement, he shares more than a decade of research and excavations with his students and volunteers at Redding's Putnam Park, where in the best tradition of public / private partnerships he and those responsible for the care and preservation of the site recognized the benefits of collaboration. The Park authorities were willing to let the evidence speak for itself when it contradicted long established interpretations of the site, and to their credit also recognized the value of leaving erroneous but now historic reconstructions in place with new signage reflecting Cruson's team's research.Along the way, they made excellent use of an unpublished enlisted man's diary housed in the Pennsylvania Historical Society and may possibly have excavated the very hut site where Sgt. Maj. John Hawkins spent the winter. They also determined that what was once thought to be a cemetery is far more likely to be the remains of Lt. Col. Henry Dearborn's two room officer hut, that an artilllery park may have stood where the reconstructed enlisted man's hut stands today, and theorize that a powder magazine was more likely at the site of a reconstructed officer's hut.The text is amplified by a number of historical images and maps, by photographs of the site, and especially by some exceptionally fine artifact drawings by Carol Franson-Serra. Cruson treats the entire site as an artifact, examining not only the events of that winter but how it was remembered and commemorated through the history of the park itself. As one who is very familiar with the new, although to my knowledge not published research at Jockey Hollow in Morristown National Historical Park, I was struck by both the similarities and differences in hut construction at each of these sites (apparently the chimney's were places on the wall opposite the door at the Redding Encampment, whereas evidence suggests they may have been on a side wall, and possibly even contained entirely inside the structures themselves at Jockey Hollow). Cruson's team determined the layout of the floors of the huts they excavated by a layer of bone scatter from the soldier's meals, and were able to determine that much of the wood was likely salvaged by the property owner once the armies moved on.This is an important contribution to period scholarship as well as local history and I am grateful both to Mr. Cruson and his publisher for making it available to us.

This is a distinct and distinguished break from the usual Revolutionary histories that saunter through colorful narratives and sweeping treatments of key participants and campaigns.The minutiae of the archeological discovery gives greater credibility to the quite engaging stories in this book of those who constructed and lived in Putnam’s encampment.A careful reader will be amply rewarded with fresh perspectives, charming tidbits of arcane knowledge about that period, and a better grounding in the drudgery of both waiting and preparing for an eventual fight.A must have for the Revolutionary section of every serious student’s bookshelf, where it well deserves the eventual read.

Interesting. Being a part of my family and learning about the camp was very interesting to me.

In 1887, a twelve-acre parcel of land once occupied by Revolutionary War soldiers was donated to Connecticut, which founded its first state park upon it. Planned as a memorial and not simply as a pleasure ground, it commemorates the sacrifices made by Israel Putnam's command during their winter encampment. But relatively little research had been done and reported on the site until now: teacher/historian Daniel Cruson has published a book reviewing archaeological and documentary evidence, and reinterpreting both the site itself and the lives of the soldiers who built and inhabited this temporary village. From a myriad of details, Mr. Cruson has gleaned valuable information about food, daily life, special assignments, arms and uniforms, and discipline. What happened to soldiers who were found to waste ammunition, even if it was to supplement the inadequate army diet? Is the legend about the soldier who died from a hit on the head with a snowball true? How many men were executed for desertion, and where did that take place? What happened to the camp when winter ended and the army moved on? The author answers these and many other intriguing questions, and suggests avenues for further research. A valuable addition to Revolutionary War history and literature.

a+ thank you!