The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-08-18


ued Stark, If the Lord will give us
a little sunshine and l don't give you
all the fighting you want, I'll never
call on you again"
When the news of Baums advance
| had been communicated to Stark. he
OWNED the plan at once. A messen-
ger was sent to General Lincoln al
| Manchester to meet Stark west OF
| Bennington, and the latter at once adj
| vanced to the west checking Baum
| near Van Schaicks Mill on the Wal
| loomscoick, a small branch of the
Hoosac river. AS the position was not
regarded by Stark as advantageous, he
! retired about two miles. Baum follow
| ed. but sent messenger back to re-
port that he was driving the Amer
I lean forces and to ask for reinforce
ments. Nightfall came and both sides
| rested, the British in tents the Amer
| leans mostly on the ground, for they
| possessed few comforts, as well as
| very little of the essentials of war AL
! though he had about eighteen hundred
| men, Stark had but one rusty gun no
| bayonets and was short in supplies
otherwise. During the night Baum
threw up some intrenchments His
position was a strong one, situated on
a low hill lying within a half circle
curve of the river. A bridge crossed
the stream at the south. Here he post
ed some Canadian troops and Tories.
The main body was on the HILL
In the morning Stark divided his
force into three parts. Coils. Stickney
and Hobart with two hundred men
We're to attack the Tories east of the
river at the bridge. Col. Herrick with
three hundred men was directed to
cross above the upper bend where
Baum could not see them and attack
from the north, While Col. Nichols with
two hundred men was to follow and
support Herrick. AS these men passed
through a corn field they pulled off the
tassels and put them in their hats.
This was to enable them to distinguish
friend from foe, for neither the
Americans nor Tories had uniforms.
While waiting for the fire from Her
rick, which was the signal for a gen.
eral attack, Parson Allen of Pitts
field with other volunteers was lined
up, probably in the woods or on the
grass before the Tories. Feeling no
doubt that among those enemies of
his country were some of his neighbors
and parishioners, and moved no doubt
by a stern sense of duty, he suddenly
leaped upon the trunk of a fallen tree
and loudly called upon them to come
out from among the enemies of the
country or suffer the dire consequences.
There's Parson Allen! Lets pop him
off! was the answer and shower of
bullets ratified about him; fortunately
none of them hit him, and jumping
down, with his conscience satisfied
probably, he grimly said to his brother
Joseph, Now give me the musket and
you load while I fire! This meant
something for he was good shot.
And so Parson Allen fired the first shot
in the Battle of Bennington.
About three in the afternoon, a few
minutes after the above incident, a /
sharp rattle of musketry was heard,
Stark ordered the forward movement
and the fight began. AS he came out
of the woods and the intrenchments
lined with British soldiers in full view,
he uttered his famous remark, SOL
diers! there are the red-coats! We
must beat them, or else Molly Stark
will be a widow tonight With a wild
hurrah the Americans rushed up the
the British. Alone they might have
been beaten, but the attack came from
three sides, and Baum saw that he had
been outwitted and would lose the bat
tie.
The attack on the Tories was so hot
that in a few minutes they broke and
fled, leaving many dead and wounded
behind. Hemmed in by the Americans.
frio To In he r, Of re
est point and get behind the intrench-
ments, but the digging of the earth
works at that point had made it ex-
tremely slippery, and as they rushed
up. slipping and falling. they We're fully
exposed to a terrible fire from the
forest trained militia of the Americans
Linus Parker, afterwards a famous
hunter of Pittsfield, says that even had
he known that he would be shot dead
the next minute. he nearly fell down
with laughter to see the figures scram-
bling up the bluff, and then as one
after another they were shot tumble
over and roll down the hill. Rather
grewsome fun, but we can hardly blame
the patriots for bitter feeling towards
the Tories.
Seeing that the battle was going
against him and knowing that the
Americans had no bayonets, Baum or
dered a charge His men bravely
emerged from their works, but they
We're met by such whitening fire that
they too broke and fed a rabble route.
The Americans wildly shouted
Charge! charge,' and clubbing their
muskets chased after them till the
miserable remnant surrendered. Baum
was mortally wounded during the
charge.
The victors then scattered to pick
up and save whatever of booty there
was. and while in this totally disor-
ganized condition, Col. Breyman ar
rived with the troops sent out by Bur-
goyne as reinforcements.
1t was impossible to recall any large
body of men, and it looked for time
as if the fortunes of the day were to
be reversed. But fortunately Col:
Warner just then reached the field with
fresh troops from Manchester and with
aid of the two captured field pieces
and what troops fell in behind the
new men, Breyman was soon complete
ly routed, and his men abandoned the
field leaving most of their arms and
ammunition, besides two guns brought
Il