rtain that neither he nor Prescott gave a thought to this
matter, especially at the time the balls flew thickest.[2] They may have
had differences of opinion, as, for instance, when Putnam attempted to
take away some of Prescott's men from the redoubt to throw up earthworks
on Bunker Hill. Subsequent events proved that Putnam's scheme of defense
was the right one, and only lack of time and men prevented its being
carried out.

[Footnote 2: "Putnam," says Irving, in his Life of Washington, "also was
a leading spirit throughout the affair; one of the first to prompt and
the last to maintain it. He appears to have been active and efficient at
every point, sometimes fortifying, sometimes hurrying up reenforcements;
inspiriting the men by his presence while they were able to maintain
their ground, and fighting gallantly at the outpost to cover their
retreat."]

As soon as once assured that the defeat of the Provincials was
overwhelming, Putnam lost no time in entrenching at Prospect Hill, the
first spot at which he could halt his fleeing troops. Here he stayed,
working like a beaver and digging like a badger, and this strategic
position, which he had seized and selected almost intuitively, he
continued to occupy until appointed to the command of the center
division of the army at Cambridge, where, on July 2, 1775, he for the
first time met General Washington, who had come with his appointment as
Commander-in-Chief recently received from the Continental Congress.

Not long after formally taking command of the army, beneath the historic
elm at Cambridge, Washington made a tour of the fortifications and was
astonished at the progress Putnam had made at Prospect Hill, as well as
at the military skill he had shown in taking and fortifying it. Two days
later he presented him with his commission as a _Major-General_ in the
Continental Army, which had been unanimously bestowed by Congress on the
19th of June, two days after the battle of Bunker Hill, and which he
received on the 4th of July. Putnam's commission was the only one then
presented in person by Washington, though three others had been
appointed major-generals under him: Lee, Ward, and Schuyler. A great
deal of jealousy and heart-burning resulted from the appointments, one
of the brigadiers, General Spencer, over whom Putnam had been advanced,
threatening to resign.

In these days began the friendship which existed between the
Commander-in-Chief and Major-General Putna