Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-08-14

HIS WHY IOT pTOIPCllOH. IL bdull utllCNtu
this, he was soon undeceived, for at three
o'clock in the afternoon Nichols began the
attack, and the firing by his men was the
signal for a general engagement.
For two hours the stubborn fight lasted.
Stark, who, it should be remembered, wa
veteran of several battles including Bun
ker Hill, says of it in letter to Gates:
at was the hottest | ever saw--it repre-
scented one continuous clap of thunder"
Baum's Indians fled early in the fight, but
his Germans made stubborn and gallant
defence The men in the entertainments
on the hill were fairly driven over their
own breastwOrks by the assault from the
rear, and thrown upon the tender mercies
of the main body of the Americans, where
Stark, Warner and Simonds, representatives
of the three states, were leading their men
in gallant and desperate strife. The jour
nal of one Of the German officers thus de-
scrbes the fight in the entertainments:
Then for a few moments the bayonet the but
of the rifle, the sabre and the pike were in full
play, and men fell as they have rarely fallen in
modern warfare under the direct blows Of their
adversaries. Colonel Baum, sword in hand, led
the remainder Of his men, but soon sank, MORALLY
wounded and save few who darted here and
there between the surrounding assailants. his
whole corps, with the oyalists who joined them,
were disabled or taken prisoners"
The prisoners were sent to Bennington
under guard and the victorious Americans
who remained upon the field dispersed to
search for plumber. This almost proved
their destruction. Suddenly word came of
the approach of a new enemy. This was
Colonel Breimann's command of six hun
dred and fifty men, with two pieces of can
non. Breimann was but two miles away.
and the situation was critical. Just then
Warmers regiment, one hundred and forty
men, came up from Bennington fresh and
well armed and upon this body the scat
tered patriots rallied. Parson Aliens Jour
nal says that the Berkshire men, ''being
collected and directed by Colonel Rossiter
and reinforced by Major Stratton, renewed
the fight with redOubled fury" The
younger officers, Warner and Rossiter. were
allowed to reap the laurels of the second
fight, Stark and Smonds taking little part
in it,
Breimann advanced slowly, clearing the
road with his artillery, which was thanked
by infantry. At length a sufficient body
of Americans was rallied to make a stand a
short distance east of the present Walloom-
sac railway station. Here a severe battle
took place, Breimann facing destructive
1 I
cans fired from wooded hill. At last his
losses became too great to hold his ground
longer. His artillery horses were killed
and the guns were abandoned in retreat
which speedily became a rout. Darkness
only saved his entire force from capture.
Among the trophies of the double vie
tory were four pieces of cannon, twelve
brass drums two hundred and fifty sabres.
four ammunition wagons and several hun
dred stand of arms. The losses of the en-
envy in men are variously estimated, Amer
lean accounts giving Lieutenant-C olonel
Baum, one major, seven captains. and
thirty-five other officers. and seven hun
dred other prisoners. with two hundred and
seven left dead on the field. No less an Of
fetal authority than Burgoyne's orderly
book, the original of which is in the
Washington headquarters at Newburg. y.
Y, gives the number of men lost at Ben
nington as twelve hundred and twenty
Possibly this included Tory desertions af-
ter the battle
Colonel Baum, gallant officer. died in
a house in SALISBURY, about a mile from
the battle field, as did Colonel Pfister.
This house was standing until within few
years The sword of Baum is preserved
with other relics of the battle by the Rob
inson family, the direct descendants of the
founder of Bennington, at their home in
| old Bennington. Two of the captured
cannons are in the state house at Montpel-
Ter, and two are at the New Hampshire
capital. 1t would be fitting that all should
do duty in the future about the monument
The American loss in both engagements
was but thirty killed and forty wounded.
This loss seems remarkably small when the
obstinate, prolonged and hand to hand ma
ture of the fight is considered, together
equipment, the Americans having no artil-
lery, few bayonets, and an imperfect arma-
ment in other ways.
The Tory prisoners, 152 in number,
were tied in pairs the good wives of Ben
nington cutting their bed cords for the
purpose, horse was harnessed to each
pair and thus they were led through Ben
nington. Many of them were sent to the
prison caverns of the old copper mines at
Simsbury, Conn.
A story is told of Parson Allen, who is
known to have done his full share of manly
work in the fighting of the day at Benning-
ton, which should be repeated here for
what it is worth 1t is related that at the
opening of the battle the Berkshire militia,
or a portion of them, were in front of the
''Tory breastwOrk," behind which were
some of the parsons flock. Allen mount
ed stump and prayed fervently that they
might see the error of their way and
come over to the patriot side. When no
sign of repentance, good unto salvation,
answered his prayer, he jumped down from
his stump and, turning to his brother,
| Lieutenant Allen, said: "Gve me a gun,
! Bill, You load and I'll fire."
Thus Bennington was fought and won.
! Its results were immediate and important.
] In hnr briUht nd INF raoo,I Nj