The Bessemer indicator., 1893-09-30
MONUMENT TO THE HESsiANs.
Proposal TO Erect y Memorial In Ben
nington Center. VI.


The story comes from Buffalo that
an imposing memorial is likely to bo
orocted In the old cemetery AT Ben
ningtoD Center, VT. to those Ilessians
who fought ard foil at the battle of
Bennington IN i777 a considerable
humber Of the descendants OF tho
Hessians arc scattered through the
Mohawk valley and also IL Pennsyl-
vania. and. according to the Troy
Times, it is these persons, many of
whom are well-to-do, that contcm-
plate the erection of Il suitable mou-
umeEt 80 their ancestors. At the
close OF the battle Tho British loss
was 207, 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 Hes
SLAMS, and were marched TO Eenning-
ton. whore they were kept under
guard -cveral months a consider
able number OF the prisoners were
wounded and many alca in log hos
| pital improviscd for the OCCASION
| Those who died Of injuries or other
causes subsequent to the battle were
buried In rude way, unColued
| and without ceremony. in the church,
| yard at Bennington Center How
many were buried there is not known.
| but the number has generally been
stated to be tbirty-three. though
some authorities have placed the
number at fifty The whole matter
is so lost in mist Of Traditions that
much discrepancy exists among local
historians. \ small space, still va
cant in the buryiug grounds. shows
where the lIessiuns were scpulchred
10 years ago.
On this spot, three or four rods
long and two or three wide, it Is pro-
posed to build tho monument All
around is sanctiiied ground Dn
every hand rise mos7y slabs, land
marks of finished e-jourueys of men
eminent in local, state or national his
'ory. OF the two patriot companies
of local militia That helped 20 win
the victory at Bennington ncarly
every soldier sleeps close to the Hes
slaLs, Jo the south and partly
bounding one side Of The "emetcry
is the old First church, where long
generations have worsblped. and II
third 6i q lail" on more 10 the north,
with the American lag streaming as
from the huge ineoyal masthead
of monstrous ship. the battle ruonu-
ment rises grimly into cloudland
in commcmoratiOn OF the signal de-
feat of the British army and of an
| important event in American history.
f,r.
considered paradox that many of
the dead Of both armies should be
buried side by side and both be hon
orcd with monument one for
! preserving American institutions and
the other for trying to pull them
down. The idea OF erecting monu-
mcnt to the Hes ians appears to have
originated with Adolphe Osdler of
| Eutalo fifteen years ago or more.
The late Colonel jerome H. Parmeter
of Pennington not only held CORE
spondonce but personally interviewed
Il nun Der of the residents OF the Mo
hawk valley who were Interested in
the matter, and he became quite
familiar with tho views of many of
the descendants of the Hes ians.
NothlnB uedHilc Is known AT rem
nington about the design of the pro-
posed monument. 1t was rumored
some time ago that lofty and massive
gtanite pedestal. surmounted by a
bronze figure of heroic size of Ger
man grenadicr in full uniform was
favored by the promoters of the en-
terprise. Just what the figure is in
tended to symbolic or what the ms
cription, If any, will be is not known.