Fort Putnam (4)

 (1776-1783) - A Patriot Revolutionary War Fort established in 1776 in present day Brooklyn, Kings County, New York. Named Fort Putnam after Colonel Rufus Putnam. Captured by the British in 1776 and returned to American control when the British departed New York. Abandoned as a fortification in 1783 at the end of the war.

History of Fort Putnam (4)
Established in the spring of 1776 during the Revolutionary War as a star shaped fort with five guns in present day Brooklyn, New York. The fort was surrounded by wide ditches and abatises. Garrisoned by up to 5 companies.

Fort Putnam was one of the main objectives of the British in the Battle of Long Island 27-29 Aug 1776. The British outflanked the American defenses including the Forts at Brooklyn and routed the American troops. George Washington was able to evacuate the remaining Patriot troops across the river to Manhattan, saving the Continental Army. The British remained in control of Brooklyn and Manhattan until they evacuated the city in 1783. The British erected a square-shaped fort on the site in 1782.

Abandoned as a fortification in 1783 at the end of the war. Re-established as Fort Greene on the same site during the War of 1812.

Current Status
Now the site of Fort Greene Park which contains a large central monument to the Revolutionary War Patriot prison ship martyrs. The British had held thousands of captured Patriots on prison ships anchored in the East River. Over 11,500 Patriot men and women died aboard these ships. Their bodies were hastily buried along the shore and later buried in a tomb on Jackson St. in Brooklyn. With the establishment of Fort Greene Park in 1850, a monument and a crypt for the remains of the prison ship martyrs was built and the remains transferred.

See Also:
 * Fort Greene (3)
 * New York City Forts

Sources:
 * , page 598.

Links:
 * North American Forts - Fort Putnam
 * New York State Military Museum - Fort Putnam