The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-06-23
PROPOSING A MONUMENT TO THE
HESSIANS WHO FOUGHT AT BEN
NINGTON

hEOSlANO VIM rOOUhA Al OLN-
NINGTON.
The story comes from Buffalo that an
imposing memorial is likely to be erect
ed in the old cemetery at Bennington
Centre, to those Hessians who fought
and fell at the Battle of Bennington in
TIT. There are considerable number
of the descendants of the Hessians
scattered through the Mohawk valley
AMI also in Pennsylvania, and it is these
persons, many OF whom are well-to-do,
that contemplate the erection of suit
able monument to their ancestors.
At the close of the battle the British
loss was POI, the great majority of which
was Hessians, and the burial took place
on and near the field of action. The
prisoners numbered about 700, of whom
about two-thirds were Hessians, and
were marched to Bennington, where
they were kept under guard several
months. A considerable number of the
prisoners were wounded and many died
in log hospital improYised for the oc-
casion. Those who died of injuries or
other causes subsequent to the battle
were hurled in a rude way, uncoftiped
and without ceremony, in the church
yard at Bennington Centre. How many
were buried there is not known, but the
number has generally been stated to be
thirty-three, though some authorities
have placed the number at fifty. The
whole matter is so lost in mist of tradl-
ton that much discrepancy exists
among local historians. A small space,
still vacant in the burying grounds,
shows where the Hessians were sepul-
chred 116 years age.
On this spot, three or four rods long
and two or three rods wide, it is pro-
posed to build the monument. All
around is sanctified ground. On every
hand rise messy slabs, landmarks of
finished life-iourneys of men eminent in
local, state or national history. OF the
two patriot companies of local militia
that helped to win the victory at Ben
nington nearly every soldier sleeps close
to the Hessians. To the south and part
ly bounding one side of the cemetery is
the Old First church, where long genera
tions have worshiped, and third of a
mile or more to the north, with the
American flag streaming as from the
huge main-royal mast-head Of mon
st:ous ship, the battle monument rises
grimly into cloudland in commemoration
of the signal defeat of the British army
and OF an important event IN AMERICAN
history. In early times it would have
been considered paradox that many of
the dead of both armies should be
buried side by side and both be honored
With monument-the one for preserv-
ing American institutions and the other
for tryi G to pull them down.
The idea of erecting a monument to
the Hessians appears to have originated
with Adolphe Osdler of Buffalo fifteen
years ago or more. The late Colonel
Jerome B. Parmenter, not only held cor
respondence but personally interviewed
a number of the residents of the Mohawk
valley who were interested in the matter,
and he became quite familiar with the
views of many CT the descendants of the
Hessians. Nothing definite is known at
Bennington about the design Of the pro-
posed monument 1t was rumored some
time ago that lofty and massive granite
pedestal, surmounted by bronze figure
of heroic size of German grenadier in
full uniform, was favored by the promot-
ers of the enterprise. Just what the
figure is intended to symbolic or what
the inscription, if any, will be is not
known-Dr. Day, in Troy Times.