Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-08-24

gave the signal for the general assault. "lt
was the hottest fight" said Stark, /" ever
saw in my life; it represented one continuous
clap Of thunder" In two hours the enemy
was beaten at all points, driven from his in
trenchments, and nearly the whole body
killed or made prisoners. The militia were
busy with plunder when information was
| received that the British Reimbursement
under Breyman was already within two
| miles of the battle-ground. As many Of the
militia as could be collected were at once
rallied, body of $50 fresh men under
| Warner came in from Manchester and by
| spirited attack on the new detachment com
pleted the victory. The loss OF the enemy
was in all about two hundred IN killed
and wounded, and nearly seven hun
dred prisoners. Among the latter
was Lieutenant Colonel Baum, who was
mortally wounded and died shortly al
teryard. The loss on our side was lie than
one hundred in killed and wounded. In ad-
dition to his prisoners, Stark captured four
ammunition wagons, four brass cannon. sev-
eral brass drums, two hundred ami fifty
dragoon swords, and several hundIc' nus
kets. To each Of the three State hose
troops were engaged in the battle ,S.a.k sent
trophies of his victory. The gun and
bayonet, broadsword, drum and gref.ndiers
cap, which were sent to BO-t IN, still hang
in the Massachusetts, senate ch. Nmber, I'm
commemoratiOn of that glorious vic tory, -
to quote from Stark letter,-"whicl ,1gght
to be kept in memory, and handed down 10
futurity, as a lasting and laudatle czamplJ
to the sons ard daughters Of the sc tors"
A brass drum, cartridge box and tMo brass
horns, which were among the article sent to
New Hampshire, were hanging in the State
House.at Concord, twenty five years ago, and
doubtless are there still; but the trophies
sent by Gen. Stark to Vermont, have var
| ished. That they were sent and rec lived, is
known; but what became OF them seems to
be known to no one, Vermont, however,
now possesses the most valuable Of all the
relics of the victory. in the brass fouI-poun-
der teld-pieces, used by Baum in the defence
of the redOubt, and used by Stark
after their capture in the attack on Brey-
mans corps. These pieces have been re-
ported to be French guns taken by Wolf at
Quebec; but they were doubtless Hessian
pieces, the contract of IIesse with England
providing that each Hessian battalion should
have two pieces of field artillery. They still
bear the name of their Dutch makers, al.
and p. yerbruggen." Their history subse-
quent to .beir capture by Stark, as related
by Rev. j. d. Butler, in his address before
the Legislature IN the occasion Of the receipt
of the guns from Washington in 1919, is ir-
terc,ting. They were preserved by the Gov
ernment with other material Of war, after
the close of the war of the Revolution were
used again in the war of 1912; and were
surrendered to the British by Gen. Hull, at
Detroit, exactly thirty-fve years from the
unf VI tuelE CuptuAC W NtAS
recaptured by our troops at the capture of
Fort George, soon after, and were taken to
Washington, at the close OF that war. They
we're discovered by the late Henry Stevens,
the antiquarian, in the arsenal at Washing
ton, in IS43. He reported the fact to Gov.
Slaje, who called the attention of the Lesis-
lature to it, in his next message. The Legis
lature instructed our Senators and Repre-
sentatives to use their efforts to procure from
Congress an order for the delivery of
the cannon TO the State of Vermont.
Senator Upham and Judge Coliamer,
then a Representative in Congress, were
active in endeayOriDg to secure such an
order. They were finally successful, aud in
July 1913, Congress, by resolution, ordered
the guns to be "well mounted" and dc
livered to the Governor of the State OF VeI-
mont, to be hereafter holden as the property
of that State" They were delivered to
Henry Stevens. who had been deputed by
the Governor to receive. them, July 9th,
1913. Their formal reception was COM
memOrated by the Vermont Historical
Society and by the Legislature, Oct. 20,
1913, with addresses by James Davie Butler,
on the Battle OF Bennington. and by Geo. F.
lloughton, on the life and services of Seth
Warner. They were brought from Mont
pelier to grace the procession at the unvei,-
ing of the statue Of Gen. Ethan Allen, in
this city, July 4th, 1873 and they have
within a few days past been taken to Ben
ningtOn to add interest to the Centennial
celebration now in progress.
The utter ruut and capture of so large
corps of his best troops by raw militia with
out bayonets or artillery, did more than any
thing else to paralyze Burgoyne's subsequent
movements, and to insure his surrender In
letter to Baum before the battle, Gen
Burgoync said Mount your drsgoonS,
send me 600 horses, seize Bennington,
cross the mountains to Rockingham and
Brattleborough, take hostages meet me
fortnight hence in Albany" Four day.
after the battle he wrote to England: 9Th,
New Hampshire Grants, in particular,
country unpeopled and almost unknown in
the last war, now abounds in the ost ac-
tive and rebellious race of the eontini mt and
hangs like gathering storm upon m, left
lie knew where the Green Mountain light
ming had hit him, and he did not overrlte the
effect Of the gathering storm, to which he so
gloumily alluded Two months later be and
his army were prisoners of war, aud with g
his ,urrender, the tide OF war in tbs North
turned in favor Of the Revolutionary arms