Deep in the Adirondack wilderness, at the north end of Lake George, Israel Putnam was on a scouting mission with Captain Rogers, leader of Rogers Rangers. Rogers was a penultimate scout, the inspiration for James Fenimore Coopers' Hawkeye. When France went to war with England in 1757, many battles were played out in the upper NY state wilderness bordering Lake Champlain. Lake Champlain was the waterway that allowed the French to come down from Canada and penetrate the frontier of England's colonies. Israel joined the war effort on behalf of England and was made a captain.
Rogers and Putnam went with a small party of soldiers to secretly survey the strength of the French held fort at Crown Point, on the shores of Lake Champlain, just north of Fort Ticonderoga. The woods around the fort were filed with Indians, allies of the French. For reasons of stealth, Rogers and Putnam decided to leave the soldiers at a distance and venture to get in as close as possible to the fort in order to count the guns.
A french sentry stumbled upon Captain Rogers and called the alarm. The sentry reached for his gun and was already stabbing with his knife. As the sentry's alarm garnered the response of more French soldiers, Putnam knew that he could only escape if he ran at that instant. Putnam dared not shoot so as to avoid giving away their exact position. He rushed the Frenchman and cracked him over the head with the butt of his rifle. Rogers and Putnam then escaped under a hail of fire. After reporting back to the Commanding Officer, Putnam raised his canteen--it was emptied by a bullet. Putnam counted fourteen more bullet holes in his blanket.