During the American Revolutionary War, Rufus Putnam served as the Continental Army's chief military engineer. As designer and supervisor of the construction of major fortifications--including the most indispensable, West Point--his contribution was key to helping American forces drive the British Army from Boston. Several years after the War, Putnam personally founded the first American settlement in the Northwest Territory, which was ceded to the new American nation by Britain. Putnam saw to it that slavery would not be permitted in the State of Ohio, leading the way for Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin to enter the U.S. as free states.

This first full-length biography of Putnam in more than 130 years covers his wartime service and his efforts to prevent the expansion of slavery.