The Bennington daily banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1877-1877, 1877-08-17


The morning OF the 10Th was bright ani
clear, and Stark prepared for tho attack il
accurda &c with tho plan previously agreed
upon. Dol. Nichols, with two hundred o.
the New Hampshire troops, to whom re
enforcement Of one hundred was afterwart
added. was detached to make q wide circuit
to the nurthi0f Baume's post and come rOunt
upon The rear Of his left, aud Col Herriol
with three hundred men, composed Of hi
rangers and Col. Bush's militia, was to maxi
q like wide southern circuit to the rear of hi
right, the two parties TO meet and make
Joint ataok upon his entronchments. Coils
Hubbard and Stickuey, with three hundred
men of Stark'5 brigade, were ordered to thu
enemy's extIeme right. While these three
detachments were gaining their assigned
positions. the enemy was amused by a threat
ened attack on their front. About 8 O'clocl
i'll the afternoon firing was commenced by
the party under Nichols, which was q sigma
for q general assault. 1t was immediately
followed by the detachment under HerriclS
and by that of Hubbard and Stickney, whill
Stark himself, with his reserve of New
Hampshire men, and the Berkshire aud somI
Vermont militia, in the face of the enemy'i
cannon, assailed the Tory breastw ork and
the pass ut the bridge il front The engage
ment thus became general, and "lasted,
says Stark in his report to Gates, two hour
and was the hottest | ever saw, it represent
ed one continued clap of thunder The In
dians, alarmed at the prospect of being en-.
closed between the parties of Nichols and
Herrick, fed at the beginning Of the fight
bat Banme. with his Germans and all other
under his command. having the advantage
of their position behind entrenchmentl
when the raiu of the 18th had given them
ample time to erect and make strong, fought
with great resolution aud bravery, but they
were overpOwered by their militia assailantl
and either fled or surrendered prisoners Of
war.
The battle being ended and the prisoners
sent off to bennington under proper guard
the militia dispersed to look over the field
and collect plunder. But very soon intelli
gence was brought that n large additional
force from the British army was approach.
ing, aud within the distance of two miles
TINS body OF men was under the command oil
Col. Breyman, and consisted, beside % Off
GERS, of go rank and file, all Germans. with
two pieces Of cannon, which Burgoyne. Oh
hearing that the fore: ut Bennington was
greater than had been expected, had dis.
patched to reinfOrce Baume. The rain Of
the preceding day aud the heaviness of the
roads had delayed Breyman's arrival until
the victory over the mon he had been sent
to aid had been accomplished. The victOrs
We're, however, in great confusion, and il
appeared difficult to stop thu 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 n rallying point for the
scattered militia. Breyman advanced with
his two brass field pieces up the road, with
wings Of infantry on each side OF 1t, Occa-
sionally firing his cannon to clear the way
the Americans slowly retiring before him
When q considerable body of the militia had
been collected, a stand was made about 4C
Or 90 rods east of the present WallOomsac de.
pot), and Breymau's force brought to halt
Here he was attacked in front and TANKS. a
most deadly hre beng poured into his ranks
from wooded hill on his left. The action
was very severe, and continued till after
sunset, when many of Breyman's men being
killed and wounded, and his artillery horses
shot down, he abandoned his cannon and
he'd. Gen. Stark pursued his liying forces till
the approaching darkness rendered it neces.
iary to draw on his men to prevent their firing
upon each other. with one more hOur oi
daylight" says Stark In his official report
we should have captured the whole body.
EFFECTs OF THE BATTLE.
Among the trophies of this DAYS victories
were brass field pieces. - brass drums. 25C
iabres, ammunition wagons, several hundred
'tand OF arms and Cos prisoners, and POI were
eft dead on the field. The whole loHs of the
enemy could not have been much less tban
'OO men. Some of the cOntempOraneous ac-
counts make the number still larger. OF
me prisoners, 20 of them were officers, 81
BRITISH soldiers, 39S HessIans, 38 Canadian,
and l55 Tories. Col. Baume was mortally
wounded and taken prisoner, as was also
col. Phster, the commander of the Tory in
Both were taken about n mile
20 mousse on the town of Salisbury, whie h
, rev years ago was still standing opposite
me present paper mill of Charles Il. yelling.
SHOWN aS the Baume House, in which they
noun ded within a day or two afterwards.
me loss of the Americans in both engage
nents was about thirty killed and 40 wound
The victory, in which undlsciplined hus-
oauunen with their hunting guns without
ohyohets, 6ravely stOrmed entertainments
h,. uneu win regular troops and defended
9n V' nt ~, ~ Justly styled by Bancroft as
ii T IN vi she most brilliant and eventful of
.ue war; Inc loss Of the enemy in men and
material was severely felt. But the conse-
uuehces were otherwise still more impOr-
lnlt' by inspiring confidence on the one
sue ana depressing the spirits of the other,
.uo current OF success was at once turned
from the British t. the American arms. The
late Of BurGoyne ami his army was, in effect,
sealed at bennington, and his final capture
well assured. Gen. Washington on belng
informed OF the event, considered ~ as de,
Gliding the fate of BprgOyne, and dismissed
his anxiety about his invasion. Its etietc
upon tile enemy was most dishearteninR.
Madam Riedsel, wife of the commander Of
theGerman troops, who accompanied her
husband through the campaign, says in her
that BY Baume's failure "the army
was prevented from advancing, while the
enemy-recovsriug suddenly from depres-
,ion-increased their numbers daily" Bur
goyne himself, though he struggled on for a
lew weeks longer, was evidently disheart-
sned. -Four days after Baume,s defeat, after
preparing dispatch to the British minister
Tor the public ear, he wrote him another let
.er marked (private) dated Camp near Sara
.oGa, Aug 20, l77T." IN which he gave quite
l gloomy account Of his affairs. treating the
failure of the expedition to bennington as
mis- great misfortune, in which he SAYS of it,
hat Had | succeeded, IshOuld have formed
4 j1ncture with st LegeT, and been now be-
'Ore Albany" After speaking disparagingly
1f the Tories, he says, The great bulk of
lhe country is undoubtedly with the Con-
yress, and of the VermOnters he bitterly
adds "lhe Hampshire Grants in particular,
l country unpeopled and almost unknown in
.he last war, now abOunds with the most
rebelliOus race on the continent, and hangs
ike gathering storm on my Left
To Gen Stark should be assigned the high
sst need of praise for the victory. But he
vas nobly aided by the skill and valor Of
both his officers and men, aud they are all
with him entitled to the lasting gratitude of
heir country. or his officers. Col. Warner
s undoubtedly entitled to special credit.
Warner was colonel in the Continental
army had acquired a high reputation as n
military leader by his services in Canada
md at HubbartOn, aud he had long been n
resident of Bennington, and was familiarity
with the ground occupied by the
posts of the enemy and their approaches. He
was Stark's chief adviser in planning the at
,ack on the enemy, he went into the action
by his side, and was his active associate in
ne first engagement, as well as in repelling
,he attack of BTeyman's reinforcement. DR..
Thatcher in his contemporary military jour
ial says: STARK, assisted by Warner, ma
ured his plans for the BATTLE" and Stark
himself, in his letter to Gates, after speaking
n the highest terms of the daring bravery
II the officers and soldiers under his COM
nand, says: Col. Warmers superior skill in
lie action was of extraordinary service to
ne.' Gordon in bis history, also spea ks
highly of the services of Col. Warner, aud
Ilso those of Col. Herrick of the Vermont
anRers. Other officers and men deserve notice
or their mOritorious exertiOns in gaining the
'ictOry, but the space allowed for this arti-
lie will not permit it. There are also numer-
JUS interesting matters and incidents con-
Iected with the battle that must for the like
easOn be omitted IL has been only possible
o give the leading facts.
Gen. Stark from his arrival in Manchester
NaI sv,a srrfth l.a