George Haven Putnam Autographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles

George Haven Putnam (1844-1930), studying in Germany when the Civil War broke out, returned to fight for the Union cause. Captured at the Battle of Cedar Creek (October 1864), he spent the war's duration as a POW, writing about this experience in a 1912 book. When his his father George P. Putnam died in1872, Putnam became President of what was now G. P. Putnam's Sons Publishers. He held that post for 54 years. Putnam was active in many civic causes, as this letter attests. Earlier he had lobbied successfully for stronger international copyright protection laws (1891). Putnam wrote several books, ranging from military history to children's stories.