The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1905-08-18

orial to the General In which he said.
I'VE, the people OF Berkshire. have fire.
quently been called upon TO fight. but
have never been led against the enemy
We have resolved, II you do not let us
fight, never to turn out again!" do
you want to fight now?'' asked stark.
mo! not just this minute" replied the
reverend gentleman. Then" contin-
ued Stark, 'lf the Lord viii give us
a little sunshine and 1 don't give you
call on you again"
When the news of Baum's advance
had been communicated to Stark, he
OWNED the plan at once. A messen-
ger was sent to General Lincoln at
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, 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
lean forces and to ask for reinforce
ments. Nightfall came and both sides
rested, the British I'm tents, the Amer
leans mostly on the ground, for they
possessed few comforts, as we'll 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
were 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 corn field they pulled off the
tassels and put them in their hats.
This was to enable them to distinguish
Americans nor Tories had uniforms.
While waiting for the fire from Her.
rick, which was the signal for 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
4 g1NN
by stern sense of duty he suddenly
leaped upon the trunk of 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 1 fire! This meant
something for he was a good shot
And so Parson Allen fired the first shot
in the Battle of Bennington.
About three in the afternoon. few
minutes after the above incident,
sharp rattle of niusketry 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 widow tonight" With a wild
hurrah the Americans rushed up the
hill in the face of a sharp fire from
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 oat-
tie.
The attack on the Tories was so hot
that in few minutes they broke and
fled, leaving many dead and wounded
behind. Hemmed in by the Americans,
they tried to scale the hill at its steep
est point and get behind the intrench-
ments, but the digging of the earth
works at that point had made 1t ex-
tremely slippery, and as they rushed
up, slipping and falling. they were 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 rearly fell down
with laughter to ZEE the figures scram-
bling up the bluff, ard then as one
after another they were shot tumble
over and roll down the hill! Rather
grewsome fun, but we cen hardly blame
the patriots for bitter feeling towards
the Tories.
Seeing that the battle was going
against bin and knowing that the
Americans had no bayonets, Baum o.
dered a charge. His men bravely
emerged from their works, but they
were inst by such a whitening fire that
they too broke and fed, rabble route.
The Americans v Idly shouted
"Charge! charged and clubbing their
muskets chased after them till the
miserable remnant surrendered. Bau N
was MORALLY wounded duriog the
charge.
The victors then scattered 70 pick
up and save whatever of booty there
was, and while N this totally disor-
ganized condition Col. Breyman ar
rived with the troops sent out by Bur-