Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1860-10-05
from the Historical Magazine for Sept.
4 QUESTION HISTORY.
Via. part did Col. Seth Warner take IN the
BGtt'e Of Bennington.
BT COY. HILAND HALL.

The part taken by Col. Seth Warner IN
the battle of Bennington, though well
| authenticated by cotemporaneous extracts,
has been strangely misunderstood, and con-
sequently misrepresented by several subse-
quent historians. Ira Allen, in his " History
Of Vermont" prepared from memory, and
published in London in 1898, without access
to written materials, and in some respects
an erroneous account OF the battle In which
he represents Col. Warner as drric7ng on the
battle ground 5uub has regiment after the first
actiOn ,CaS Orey Dr.. Williams, in his History
published ten years after, follows Ira Allen
in regard to the time when Col. Warner first
came into the battle.
Now, no historical fact is more certain
than that Warner was with Stark at Ben
nington for several days previous to, and
remained with him until after the battle,
assisting him an planning the first and in
conducting both GttionS although has regiment
only reached the ground in time to partici-
pate in the second engagement. The mis-
take has doubtless arisen from assuming
without inquiry, that Warner came in person
with his regiment from Manchester, where it
had been stationed whereas, it was marched
from that place under the command of Lieut..
Col. Samuel Saford-W Warner himself having
been for some time at Bennington.
The battle, it will be remembered, was
fought on the 10th Of August, III. That
Warner was with Stark at Bennington, prior
to the attack upon Baum, on that day, and
not with his regiment at Manchester, clearly
and distinctly appears from Stark's Official
account Of the battle. In his letter to Gen.
Gates, of August %, III, speaking of
events that occurred on the 18th and l4th,
he says: d" likewise sent to Manchester,
10 COL Warmers regiment that was situated
there; also sent expresses for the militia to
come IN with all speed to our assistance,
which was punctually obeyed Then marched
,efh COL Warner, Williams, Herrick and
Brush, with all the men that were present"
Stark then gives an account of his proceedings
on the l4th and 18th, and of the engagements
on the 10th, representing Warmers regiment
as coming up fresh after the first action,
without intlmating that Warner came up
with 1t. After his account of all the events
of the day,h says "Col. Warmers superior
skill in the action was of extraordinary
service to me, as it undoubtedly was
Gordon in his "History of the Reyolu-
tion, (vol. H., p. 599,) also states that
STARK marched with Warner to meet the
enemy on the morning Of the l4th of Au-
gust" and DR.. Thatcher in his contempo-
raneous journal, says, that ION the 10Th
Stark, assisted by Warner, matured his plans
for the battle (p. 93.). These statements
would seem to make it very certain that Col
Warner participated in both engagements
IL addition l will further state that with
out knowing what Stark himself had written
on this subject, / had, as long ago as 1898
noticed the discrepancy between the accounts
Of Gordon and Williams, and had set about
ascertaining from the mouths Of living per-
sons how the fact really was. Again, in
October 1888 ,on receiving letter of inquiry
from Everett, who was preparing life of
Stark for Sparks American Biography"
(see vol. ii, p. So | again renewed the in
vestigation and now have before me the
statements of several intelligent and truthful
survivors of the battle reduced to writing on
those occasions, all confirming the facY that
Warner was here, at Bennington, with Stark.
before and during both engagements.
Among those statements are three which
will mention, viz Jacob Stafford, who was