Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1860-12-14
l,tsturiral.
HIsToRIcAL READING.
From the Historical Magazine for September.
A QUESTION IL HISTORY.


A question IN HISTORY.
/ WHAT PART DID col SETH WARNER TAKE
~ TIE BATTLE OF BENNINGTON.
ny GOV. HILAND HALL.
The part taken by Col. Seth Warner in the
Battle Of Bennington, though well authentca-
ted by cotemporaneous accounts, has been
strangely misunderstood. and consequently
misrepresented by several subsequent histori.
ans. Ira Allen, in his History of Vermont, '
prepared from memory, and published in Lon
don in 79S without access to written materi-
ais, gives general, and in some respects, an
erroneous. account of the battle: in which he
represents Col. Warner as arriving on The
battle-ground wih his regiment after the first ac-
I ton 0as ouer. DR.. Williams in his History,
/ published ten years after. follows Ira Allen in
regard to the time when Col. Warner first
come into the battle.
[ Now. no historical fact is more certain than
that Warner was with Stark at Bennington
for several days previous to, and remained
with him until after the battle, assisting him
IN planning the first and IN conducting both ac-
tions although his regiment only reached the
ground in time to participate in the second
engagement. The mistake has doubtless
arisen from assuming without inquiry, that
Warner came in person with his regiment
from Manchester, where it had been stationed /;
','.---a it was marched from that place under
/ the command OF Lieut.. U,n. e.-AT--a--IVa ar
! ner himself having been for some time at Ben
nington.
The battle, it will be remembered, was
fought on the 9th of August, l777. 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 Starks official
account of the battle. In his letter to Gen.
Gates, OF August %, l777, speaking of events
that occurred on the 9th and l4th, he saws /;
4 likewise sent to Manchester, to Col. Var
ners regiment that was situated there also,
sent expresses for the militia to come in with
all speed to our assistance, which was pune
tually obeyed: then marched Nth Col. War
per, Williams. Herrick and Brush, with all
the men that we're present. Stark then gives
an account of his proceedings on the l4th
and 10Th and of the engagements on the 10th,
representing Warmers regiment as coming up
fresh after the first action, without intimating
that Warner came up with it. After his ac-
count of all the events of the day, he says !;
Col. Warmers superior skill in the action
was of extraordinary service to me, as it un-
doubtedly was.
Gordon in his History Of the Revolution,
vol. il, p. 539) also states that STARK
marched with Warner to meet the enemy on
the morning of the l4lh Of August, and DR..
Thatcher in his contemporaneous journal,
says. that 'on the 9th Stark, assisted by
Warner, matured his plans for the battle,
Up. 93.) These statements would seem to
make it very certain that Col Warner parti-
cipated in both engagements
In addition, | will further state that with
out knowing what Stark himself had written
on this subject, had, as long ago as 1923 no
ticed the Discrepancy between the accounts
Of Gordon and Williams, and had set about
ascertaining from the mouths of living pers ons
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
/. p. 8s) ] again renewed the investigation,
and now have before me the statements of
several intelligent and truthful survivors Of
the battle reduced to writing on those occa-
sions, all confirming the fact that Warner was
here, at Bennington, with Stark, before and
during both engagements.
Among the statements are three which |
will mention, viz Jacob Sd9ord, who was
lieutenant in Warners's regiment see Jour
mails of Congress, for November Is, l779,)
and marched with their regiment from Man
chester, under the command Of his brother,
Lieutenant Col. Samuel Stafford, and well re-
membered that Warner was at Bennington
for some time previous to the battle. He
gives a particular account of the march from
Manchester and Of the part taken by the re-
gment in the battle, and states the cause of
the delay of its arrival on the battle ground.
Solomon Stafford, another brother of the lieu
tenant colonel, belonging to one of the Ben
nington companies of militia, was left in
charge of the baggage, at an out post, when
the troops marched for the attack in the morn
ing Of the 10th, and was passed and spoken
to by Stark aud Warner, who were riding