Haldimand Sumner Putnam was a brevet

Brevet (military)

In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...

 colonel

Colonel (United States)

In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...

 in the Union Army

Union Army

The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

 during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. He was killed at the Second Battle of Fort Wagner.

Early life

Putnam was born in Cornish

Cornish, New Hampshire

Cornish is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,640 at the 2010 census. Cornish has three covered bridges. Each August, it is home to the Cornish Fair.-History:...

, New Hampshire

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...

 on October 15, 1835. He was the son of John L. Putnam, who was both a farmer and Judge of Probate for Sullivan County

Sullivan County, New Hampshire

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 40,458 people, 16,530 households, and 11,174 families residing in the county. The population density was 29/; . There were 20,158 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...

. Haldimand Putnam enrolled in the West Point Military Academy at the age of sixteen, and graduated in 1857 with high honors.

Career

Soon after graduating, he was brevetted a second lieutenant in the Corps of Topographical Engineers. He immediately joined the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

, and was stationed at several points throughout the western frontier. He soon was commissioned second lieutenant in the Engineer Corps, and later promoted to first lieutenant.

American Civil War

When the war started, he was ordered to carry a dispatch to Fort Pickens

Fort Pickens

Fort Pickens is a pentagonal historic United States military fort on Santa Rosa Island in the Pensacola, Florida, area. It is named after American Revolutionary War hero Andrew Pickens. The fort was completed in 1834 and remained in use until 1947...

. He accomplished his mission, but on his return north he was seized by the Confederates

Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...

 at Montgomery

Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...

, Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

. He was imprisoned for several days. After his release, he was placed under the command of General Irvin McDowell

Irvin McDowell

Irvin McDowell was a career American army officer. He is best known for his defeat in the First Battle of Bull Run, the first large-scale battle of the American Civil War.-Early life:...

. He participated in the Battle of Bull Run

Battle of Bull Run

Two conflicts during the American Civil War were known as Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Manassas:*First Battle of Bull Run - 1861*Second Battle of Bull Run - 1862Geographical Location of these conflicts:*Manassas National Battlefield Park‎...

, and gained the brevet of major

Major (United States)

In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...

 for gallantry. In October he returned to New Hampshire to take command of the 7th New Hampshire Volunteer Regiment

7th New Hampshire Volunteer Regiment

The 7th New Hampshire Volunteer Regiment was a Union Army infantry regiment that participated in the American Civil War. It was raised in the New England state of New Hampshire, serving from December 13, 1861, to July 17, 1865....

, which had been raised by Lieutenant Colonel

Lieutenant Colonel (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...

 Joseph Carter Abbott

Joseph Carter Abbott

Joseph Carter Abbott was a Union Army colonel during the American Civil War who was awarded the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers and a Republican United States Senator from the state of North Carolina between 1868 and 1871. During his career in private life he was a lawyer,...

. Putnam became colonel of the regiment in December 1861. It was stationed first at Fort Jefferson

Dry Tortugas National Park

Dry Tortugas National Park preserves Fort Jefferson and the Dry Tortugas section of the Florida Keys. The park covers 101 mi2 , mostly water, about 68 statute miles west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico....

, Tortugas Island

Dry Tortugas

The Dry Tortugas are a small group of islands, located at the end of the Florida Keys, USA, about west of Key West, and west of the Marquesas Keys, the closest islands. Still further west is the Tortugas Bank, which is completely submerged. The first Europeans to discover the islands were the...

, then St. Augustine

St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine is a city in the northeast section of Florida and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer and admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, it is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city and port in the continental United...

, Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

, then Port Royal

Port Royal, South Carolina

Port Royal is a town in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Largely because of annexation of surrounding areas , the population of Port Royal rose from 3,950 in 2000 to 10,678 in 2010, a 170% increase. As defined by the U.S...

, South Carolina

South Carolina

South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

, and then around Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...

, South Carolina. In 1863, Putnam commanded a brigade

Brigade

A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...

 in the Stono Inlet expedition as well as in the capture of Morris Island

Morris Island

Morris Island is an 840 acre uninhabited island in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina, accessible only by boat. The island lies in the outer reaches of the harbor and was thus a strategic location in the American Civil War.-History:...

. He was promoted to captain in the Regular Army in March 1863. However, he had been an acting brigadier general

Brigadier general (United States)

A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...

 for several months preceding the Second Battle of Fort Wagner, on July 18, 1863. In the battle, he led the 2nd Brigade, which was composed of the 7th New Hampshire, 62nd Ohio

62nd Ohio Infantry

The 62nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 62nd Ohio Infantry was organized in Zanesville, McConnellsville, and Somerset, Ohio beginning September 17, 1861 and mustered in for three years service on December 24, 1861 under...

, 67th Ohio

67th Ohio Infantry

The 67th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 67th Ohio Infantry was organized by consolidation of recruits for the 67th Ohio Infantry and 45th Ohio Infantry and mustered in for three years service under the command of...

, and 100th New York. He was killed by a musket ball to the head while rallying his men. His body was not recovered.