The Portland daily press., 1891-08-19

Ii Great Britain allows such condition to
arise that annexation would also mean great
er facilities for foreign trade, the sentiment
in favor of annexation would be stimulated
powerfully.
Imp ortance of the Battle of Benning-
ton.
The celebration of the victory at Benning-
makes timely the following account of this
important battle gathered from Mr.. Baxter's
book, "The British Invasion from the
North,"* which Is an entirely new presenta-
ton of the subject. being based upon Lieu
tenant Digby's Journal and other newly
discovered matter.
Burgoyne had been informed that the pat
riots had gathered at Bennington, horses,
provisions and other stores. of which he was
in sore need. and that many loyalists in the
vicinity were only awaiting favorable op-
portunity to join his army. He therefore
sent forward an expedition composed of
Germans under General Baum, to attack
Bennington and seize the stores there. BY
accomplishing this purpose he would not
only obtain provisions, which he SO much
needed, and horses which would enable him
to mount his cavalry, but would be In pc
sition to open the way for cooperation with
st. Leger, who was then marching by the
Mohawk river to effect junction with him.
Baum's command were wholly unfit for the
service assigned them. The equipment of
one of these men consisted of high and heavy
iackboots, with large, long spurs, stout and
stiff leather breeches, gauntlets reaching
high up upon his arms and hat with a
huge tuit of ornamental feathers. On his
side be trailed tremendous broadsword; a
short, but clumsy carbine was slung over his
shoulder, and down his back, like Chinese
mandarin's. dangled long queue. This
equipment so ridiculously cumbersome. rem
dered the Germans incapable Of making any
quick movement; added to this they were
deceived by ruse of the Americans, whom
they mistook for loyalist allies, and whom
Baum allowed to gather on his TANKS.
These began to make their appearance in
small bodies from different directions tow
ard nine o'clock on the morning Of the 10th
of August, most Of whom were in their shirt
sleeves. They did not act as IL they intended
to make an attack; and Baum being told by
the provincials who had Joined his army on
the line Of march that they were all loyal
lists and would make common cause with
him, suffered them to encamp on his flank
and rear. Shortly after another force of
the rebels, as the German general designated
them In his account of the affair, arrived and
at acked his rear. This was the signal for
the seeming loyalists, who had encamped
ON the flank and rear Of the army, to attack
the Germans; and the result was that Baum
suddenly found himself cut off from all his
detached posts. For over two hours he
withstood the sallies and fire of the enemy
his dragons to man fighting like heroes
but at last his ammunition being used up
and no reinforcements arriving, he was
obliged to succumb to superior numbers and
retreat. Says Riedesel, from whose report
many of these particulars are gathered,
"The enemy seemed to spring out of the
ground. Indeed they were estimated at be-
ween four and five thousand men. Twice
the brave dragons succeeded In breaking a
road through the enemy's ranks; for, upon
their ammunition giving out, Baum ordered
that they should hang their carbines over
their shoulders and trust to their swords.
But bravery was now in vain, and the heroic
leader, himself severely wounded, was
forced to surrender with his dragons.
Meanwhile the Indians and Provincials l0he
Americans loyal to the British were SO
called had taken flight and sought safety in
the forest" There can be no doubt as to
the bravery Of these German troops, whom
our ancestors so much despised as hirelings.
Their true position has been little under
stood. George the Third having In vain
sought to obtain troops from Catherine of
Russia to send against the colonies, applied
to the impecunious princes of Germany for
troops, who sold their service to him at
fixed price. They were loath to go to
America, but had no voice in the matter.
Schiller, who was opposed to SELL
ing the service of German soldiers
to a foreign government, speaking of
the objections Of some of these SOL
diers to being disposed of In this
manner says. 'Our gracious sovereign
paraded the troops and had the chatteriDg
fools shot then and there. We heard the
crack OF the muskets, we saw their brains
sprinklsd against the wall. and then the rest
shouted "Hurrah for America" Once in
this country, although they were not inter
ested In the cause which they were forced to
support, loyalty to their prince land zeal to
uphold the honors of German soldiers were
sufficient to impel them to do their duty; yet
their position was, indeed, trying one and
that they realized 1t, may be seen from the
journal Of an English officer, who was with
them. Says he, "The Germans, to the number
Of twenty or thirty at time, will In their
conversations relate to each other, that they
fhau bol n ,nfl iuaA 81 h..
and are certain that they shall very soon
die. Would you believe 1t, after this they
nope and pine about, haunted with the idea
that:
Nor wives, nor children, shall they more behold,
Nor friends, nor sacred home
"Nor can any medicine or advice you can
give them divert this settled superstition,
which they as surely die martyrs to as ever
1t infects them. Thus 1t is that men who
have faced the dangers of battle and Of
shipwreck without fear flor they are GER
tainly as brave as any soldiers in the world
are taken off, a score at time, by a mere
phantom of their own brain. This Is cir
cumstance well known to every one In the
army"
AS has been said. these borrowed tools
OF the most detestible tyrants of Europe" as
awriter of the times denominates them, were
60 detested by the patriots as to cause their
@c's 10 De greatly exaggerated; but in their
oMn country they were regarded as noble
,u0n' ana their martial deeds were embalmed
~ song They were received on their re-
osaa., nohe with every demonstration of
saw Avn. oald Madame Rledesel writing
. -" ea a a,ter her return home, 81 had the
s s,e satisfaction OF seeing my husband with
n 4n,e o"n sroops pass through the city. YesI
tneSe very streets, In which eight years and
half before, had lost my Joy and bann; I
ness, were the ones where l now saw t th,o
beautiful and soul stirring spectacle pa '.,s
is beyond my power to describe my emotIons