The Bennington daily banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1877-1877, 1877-08-16

that stormed Marye's Hill, and the ten
acity that hung on like grim death at
the Wilderness and at Cedar Greek is
afterall, even in the ashes of
our sturdy fathers, we can discern the
glow Of the childreu's fires. it has
always seemed to us that Col.
Seth Warner was Justly entitled |
to greater credit than he has received
measured by the difficult service lie
had already performed in leading the
advance on Canada, and covering the
gloomy retreat, by the valor and con-
duct he had displayed as commander
of the rear guard ofSt Clair, Warner
was a '&a-e accomplished soldier
though not a more gallant patriot, than
Stark; that is he had more of that nm
erring military instinct, which added
to professional experience, enables its
possessor to justly decide when it is
time to fight and when it is time to fly,
Stark acknowledges the important as
sistance of Warner in planning and con
Quoting the first fight with Baum, and
the superior soldierly Judgment of
Warner was shown when, in opposition
to Stark's first decision, Col. Breyman
was Immediately resisted, and instead
Ola retreat being ordered every effort
was at once made to rally the scattered
forces for battle, and indeed Judge
Carpenter of Akron, Ohio, relates how
he had often heard his father, William
Carpenter of Swansea, N. II. say that
he heard General Stark give an aid the
order to retreat, whereupon Warner
Immediately exclaimed "Stand to il, my
lads; you shall have help Immediately"
seeing as he undoubtedly did the re-
enforcement of his own $50 trusty
Green Mountain Boys, hurrying for
ward. In justice to General Stark it
should be noted that his natural militia
ry sagacity, or his information must
have been superior to that of either
General Schuyler or General Lincoln,
for he expressed the conviction as early
as July 29th, 1777, that the enemy in
tended to move on Bennington, thing
that neither Lincoln or Schuyler sus-
pected for at this time they were trying
to hurry all of Starke's troops into
Gates army, and Stark was resolutely
insubordinate in his refusal to obey the
orders of his superiors, declaring that
he would act his own Judgment and
put his troops where he thought they
could do the most good, looking to the
authorities of New Hampshire and
Vermont for orders and counsel.
Of the composition of Starks army
it is but just to say that it contained an
unusual number of pious, able, inteIli-
gent and high toned men, as indicated
by the fact that among the soldiers
from Bennington were Captain Samuel
Robinson; Col Nathaniel Bush; Gen
eral David Robinson; John Fassett,ir;
Lieut.. Thomas Jewett; General Sam
uel Stafford Leonard Robinson; Eli
sha Field Capt. Elijah Dewey Gen,
eral Ebonszer Walbridge; .Eleazar
hawks; Aaron Hubbell; David
Haynes, and many others who rose to
distinction in the history of their town
either as men of business thrift or as
able servants of their State, while
among the dead was cousin of Seth
Warner, and brother of General Wal.
bridge Men of such native force, in.
telligence and fervent piety going into
battle with the words of Parson Dew
ey's war sermon of the last Sabbath
still ringing in their ears would be
dangerous foes for British hirelings to
face, and the result, all things consid-
cred, was not unnatural nor difficult to
explain; it was collision between
men of equal valor but of unequal NOR
al force and determination, and the
hireling went down before the yeoman
lighting for his affairs and his fires. FL
nally coming OPPORTUNITY at time
when ray of success was sorely need; .
ed in the long night of disaster which
lad scarcely lifted since the fated day
If Long Island, coming when. Ticonder-
ga, Hubbardtown, and the doubtful,
ret bloody fight of Oriskany had filled
Ill hearts with despair, the victo- I
y of Bennington was an event
If deep aud lasting moral consequence,
md the impulse it gave to the Ameri- :
AN cause was always a rising never at. i
erwards a reAuent wave.