Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1877-03-19

of men was under the command of Col.
Breyman and consisted, besides % off
GERS, of 62O rank and file, all Germans,
with two pieces of cannon, which Bur-
goyne, on hearing that the force at Ben
nington was greater than had been ex-
pected, had dispatched to reinforce
Baume. The rain of the preceding day
and the heaviness of the roads had de-
layed Breyman's arrival until the victo-
ry over the men he had been sent to aid
had been accomplished. The victors
were, however, in great confusion, and
it appeared difficult to stop the progress
of the new enemy. Happily, at this
juncture, Warmers regiment of about
40 men, which had been delayed by
the rain in its march from Manchester,
came up fresh under Lieut.. Col. Stafford,
and took its position in front, serving as
rallylng point for the scattered militia.
Breyman advanced with his two brass
field pieces up tho road, with wings Of
infantry on each side of it, occasionally
firing his cannon to clear the way, the
Americans slowly retiring before him.
When a considerable body of the militia
had been collected, a stand was made
(about 40 or 80 rods east of the present
Walloomsac depot and Breyman's force
brought to halt. Here he was attack
ed in front and fanks, a most deadly
fire being poured into his ranks from a
wooded hill on his left. The action was
very severe ana----'f""0u 'ili si'er sun-
SCI, when many of Breyman's men being
killed and wounded and his artillery
horses shot down, he abandoned his can
non and fed. Gen. Stark pursued his
flying forces till the approaching dark
ness rendered it necessary to draw off
his men to prevent their firing upon each
other. with one hour more of day
light" says Stark in his official report,
"we should have captured the whole
body"
EFFECTS OF THE BATTLE.
hinVns th~ +rnnhies of this days vic
tories, were four brass field pieces, twelve
brass drums, 250 sabres, four ammuni-
ton wagons, several hundred stand of
arms and 658 prisoners, and 2O7 were
left dead on the field. The whole loss of
the enemy could not have been much
less than 900 men. Some of the con
temporaneous accounts make the number
still larger. Of the prisoners, 80 of
them were officers, 81 British soldiers,
390 Hessians, 38 Canadians and 155
Tories. Col. Baume was mortally wound
ed and taken prisoner. as was also Col.
Pfster, the commander of the Tory en-
trenchment Both were taken about a
mile, to house in the town of Shafts
bury, which few years ago was still
standing opposite the present paper mill
of Charles E. yelling, known as "The
Baume house" in which they both died
within a day or two afterwards. sFhe
loss of the Americans IN both engage
mcnts was about 80 killed and 40
wounded.
The victory, in which undisciplined
husbandmen with their hunting guns
without bayonets, bravely stormed en-
trenchments manned with regular troops
and defended by cannon, is justly styled
by Bancroft as ''one OF the most brilliant
and eventful of the war" The loss of
the enemy in men and material was Sc
verely felt. But the consequences were
otherwise still more important. By in
spring confidence on the one side and
depressing the spirits of the other, the
CuTrGHb VI SuCCOSo HdS dV OuSO OuAuCu
from the British to the American arms.
The fate of Burgoyne and his army was,
in effect, sealed at Bennington, and his
final capture well assured. Gen. Wash
ington, on being informed of the event,
considered it as deciding the fate of
Burgoyne, and dismissed his anxiety
about his invasion. Its effect upon the
enemy was most disheartening. Madame
Riedesel, wife of the commanding gener-
al of the German troops. who accompan-
led her husband through the campaign,
says in her memoirs, that by Baume's
failure ''the army was prevented from
advancing. while the enemy, recovering
suddenly from depression, increased
their numbers daily" Burgoyne HIM
self, though he struggled on for few
weeks longer, was evidently dishearten-
ed. Four days after Baume's defeat,
after preparing dispatch to the British
minister for the public ear, he wrote him
another letter marked (Private) dated
Camp near Saratoga, Aug. 20, l777,"
in which he gave quite gloomy account
of his affairs, treating the failure of the
expedition to Bennington as his great
misfortune, in which he says of it, that,
"Had / succeeded l should have formed
junction with st. Leger and been now
before Albany" After speaking dispar-
agingly of the Tories, he says, "The
great bulk of the country is undoubted-
ly with the Congress" and of the YER
monters he bitterly adds, 1.-The Hamp-