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PUTNAM, ISRAEL. Letter Signed, as Major General, to Lieutenant Colonel Ebenezer Gray, concerning the case against accused plunderer William Scudder. 2 pages, 4to, with integral address leaf; signature smudged, body of letter somewhat faded, moderate foxing, seal hole, two early editor's marks. "Head Quarters" [Redding, CT], 25 December 1778
Writing from his headquarters at what is now Putnam Memorial State Park, Putnam discusses a complex legal case which Grey was involved in prosecuting. An American pilot named William Scudder was accused of plundering from a private citizen behind enemy lines while doing reconnaissance on Long Island. The resolution of this case was of great interest to many in the military, all the way up to General Washington. Putnam writes: 'I entirely approve of your conduct in takeing the goods into your custody, untill some determination can be had concerning them. . . . I have wrote to Genl. Washington & Govr. Clinton on the subject.' He also discusses the possibility of a court-martial against Scudder's associate Jarvis Rogers. Published in Hunt, Fragments of Revolutionary History, pages 132-133 (with an incorrect date).
