Putnam Memorial State Park (Redding, CT)

Putnam Memorial State Park is a beautifully preserved historic site that was once the location of a Continental Army cantonment during the harsh winter of 1778-1779. Known as “Connecticut’s Valley Forge,” the soldiers who camped in Redding that winter suffered greatly. Today, you can walk the accessible and well-marked trail and get a glimpse back in time- you can almost picture the frozen troops huddled around a campfire in the dense snow-covered Connecticut woods. The secluded Putnam Memorial State Park provides a wonderful opportunity to take a short walk through the woods and learn more about our American history!

History

By the autumn of 1778 the British troops under General Henry Clinton were in New York City and settled in for the winter- the campaigning season was over. General George Washington positioned his army in a defensive arc around New York City that stretched from the western shores of the Hudson River, through the Hudson Highlands, and well into western Connecticut towards Long Island Sound. On the far eastern end of this defensive arc were the troops in Continental General Israel Putnam’s division. These troops included Brigadier General Enoch Poor’s brigade of New Hampshire soldiers, a Canadian regiment under Colonel Moses Hazen, the 1st Brigade Connecticut Line regiments under Brigadier General Samuel Parsons, and the 2nd Brigade Connecticut Line regiments under Brigadier General Jedediah Huntington.

General Putnam (perhaps due to a past recommendation by the infamous Aaron Burr, one of his aides) chose three locations around Redding, Connecticut to establish winter quarters- the primary location being what is today Putnam Memorial State Park. This area had rocky bluffs, running creeks, and other natural features that made it an ideal location for a winter camp. From a strategic standpoint, this location placed Putnam’s division along the main “highways” that traversed western Connecticut, enabled them to defend a key supply depot in Danbury, and allowed the troops to quickly respond as necessary from Long Island Sound all the way to West Point.

116 huts were erected along a 1/4 mile stretch along “Company Street” within the main camp to house the soldiers. Officer’s quarters, a guard house, bake ovens, sutlers, carpenter/tailor housing, and other necessary buildings were constructed around the camp to support the soldiers and officers during the long winter months. There was a brook running around the western side of the camp that supplied fresh water for the soldiers.

During the cruel winter months, the soldiers suffered from a severe lack of shoes, warm clothing, and blankets- an unfortunate parallel to the troop’s experience at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777-1778. Despite desperate appeals by Connecticut Patriot Governor Jonathan Trumbull and even George Washington, the troops in Redding continued to suffer.

This deprivation led to a critical moment during that long winter when on December 30, 1778, some of the soldiers decided to leave camp and march on Hartford, CT to complain directly to the legislature there. In response to this planned action, General Putnam boldly faced and appealed to the men: “Whither are you going? Do you intend to desert your officers, and 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? Have you no property, no parents, wives, children? You have behaved like men so far- all the world is full of your praises, and posterity will stand astonished at your deeds; but not if you spoil it all at last.”

This appeal had the intended effect, although the problem of sporadic desertions and spies continued throughout the winter. General Putnam maintained a zero tolerance policy and in early 1779, two men were executed by hanging and firing squad on what is now known as “Gallows Hill.”

As the spring months began to thaw the frozen ground and melt the frost, General Putnam’s division left winter camp in stages throughout late March to May 1779. The exhausted and deprived troops left the Connecticut countryside and marched towards the Hudson Highlands to prepare for another year of fighting.

The campsite was reclaimed by the dense woods over the next 100 or so years until the late 1880s. In 1887, the State of Connecticut commissioned Putnam Memorial State Park as a memorial to the soldiers who camped there. Then in 1888 an obelisk monument was erected and in 1890, numerous reconstructed buildings and huts were built around the park.

Putnam Memorial State Park

Putnam Memorial State Park (499 Black Rock Turnpike, Redding, CT, 06896) is a beautiful park nestled in the Redding countryside and free to explore. When you arrive you will find a parking lot near the visitors center/museum where you can park for free. Before entering the park itself, be sure to walk the grounds near the visitors center to see the towering bronze statue of General Israel Putnam on horseback (dedicated in 1969) and a reconstructed guard house from 1890 (the guard house is about the approximate size/style of the soldiers huts to give you an idea of what they lived in). When you’re ready to enter the park and walk the trails, find the box with free maps near the entrance- be sure to grab one!

The main entrance to the park cannot be missed- it is flanked by two large blockhouses and leads right towards the 1888 obelisk monument and the loop trail that takes you throughout the park. There are also a few Civil War cannons placed around the grounds (they were left over following the Civil War and put on display when the park opened in the late 1880s).

As you walk the trail through the woods, it is recommended that you go in a counter-clockwise fashion and begin by walking straight down Company Street (that is how the park map and historic sites are laid out). After you pass the obelisk monument and begin the walk, the first site you will come upon are the dozens of “firebacks,” which are piles of collapsed chimney stones that once stood on the back of the soldier’s huts. These remarkable relics really give you an understanding of how the huts were laid out and how close they were together. Originally, there were 116 huts built in two rows for nearly 1/4 mile down Company Street.

As you continue down Company Street, you’ll next pass the former location of an officer’s hut. In 1890, a replica officer’s hut was built; however, it has since been destroyed by fire and the chimney is the only thing that can still be seen standing. The park map states that there are original remnants of chimneys from officer’s huts in the woods behind the enlisted hut line.

Next on the trail is a spot named Philip’s Cave, which possesses an interesting and odd past. There is a local legend that believes a shallow cave in the nearby rocky outcrop was once lived in by a former Revolutionary War soldier named Philips, who came to live in the cave as a hermit following the war (he was said to have been removed).

The next stop is an 1890 replica of an officer’s quarters/magazine, which was reconstructed on the original 1778 foundation. It was originally believed to be the location of officer’s quarters; however, recent study shows that it was likely the camp’s magazine where gunpowder was stored.

As you continue through the woods you will pass by a site called Barlow’s Circle (named for Redding resident and Continental Army chaplain) and the location of the camp’s bake oven and other structures, which are no longer standing. Next is what was once believed to be the camp cemetery (marked by a small stone monument placed circa 1890) and what is now believed to have been the site of Field Officer’s quarters due to recent research. This was likely the headquarters for Lt. Col. Henry Dearborn, since he was the ranking officer who lived at the camp (General Putnam would have stayed in a nearby house most likely).

The walking tour ends back at the obelisk monument and near a small body of water called Lake McDougall, named for General Alexander McDougall who was once the commander of Putnam’s division. Although the lake was not there when the army encamped in 1778-79, it was the approximate location of the stream where the soldiers would gather fresh water. In the late 1880s the stream was dammed, which created the lake as it is today.

Putnam Memorial State Park was a joy to visit and blended two of my favorite things: American history and the great outdoors. The American army encampment there in the winter of 1778-79 has been dubbed “Connecticut’s Valley Forge,” and for good reason. So as you meander the cleared path through the woods back to your car, try to imagine the hardships that those men experienced during those brutal months in camp.