Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1906-08-24
BENNINGTON
The Battle Fought There one Of
the Decisive Battles Of the
ReveIutionary War.

Uno Ddtue VI bennington, the pastor OF
the Methodist church, took occasion in
the prayer service of the evening to
speak on that subject, and spoke in part
as follows:
The Battle of Bennington was one of
the great battles of the Revolution not
great because Of the numbers engaged,
but because of the results. When we
consider results it may be classed with
Saratoga and Yorktown.
The Battle of Bennington was the only
battle of importance accredited to Yer
mont. The battle at Hubbardton was
only skirmish, and effected nothing
except to dishearten the patriots of Yer
mont, or more properly of the New
Hampshire grants.
When the valiant and brave Burgoyne
left Canada, with the finest equipped
army that had ever moved on American
soil, his purpose was to cut off New Eng
land from the other Colonies. He at
tempted in the Colonies what Sherman
effected in the Southern Confederacy.
General Burgoyne had two glaring
weaknesses. One was a tendency to de-
fleet, by sending portions of his army to
the right and the left. He had scarcely
left Canadian soil, before he sent st.
Ledger to the right, to take Fl. Stanwix
in which attempt he failed. When sail.
ing up our Lake Champlain, he had
bands of soldiers to the left ravishing
Vermont, gathering horses, cattle and
men. His second weakness was in not
proving sufficient means of transporta-
ton, for feeding his men and horses.
barrels of flour; this capture ought to
have sup piled six thousand men a long
time, but when descending the Hudson,
and near what is now Schuylerville, he
was short of provisions, and lacked
horses, mules and wagons, with which
to convey provisions from his base of
supply. Now comes his last and fatal
detection. At Bennington, about thirty
miles east of Burgoyne's army, the Col
onies had large stores of corn, -four,
wagons, horses and mules. These Bur-
goyne needed and on the thirteenth day
of August Q777), he dispatched Col.
Baum with seven or eight hundred men
to seize these stores at Bennington. On
the afternoon of the fourteenth, Col.
Baum was within five miles of Benning-
ton. Col. John Stark with thousand
men, had gone out from Bennington
that morning to oppose Baum and save
the stores. Some of Starks men carried
scythes, axes and pitchforks, others guns
and swords. Scarcely any of them had
bayonets. When the two armies met
about five miles from Bennington Baum
fell back to steep and high hill, and
sent back to Burgoyne for reinforce
ments, and threw up entertainments. |
Col. Stark fell back toward Bennington
about two miles, purposing to give Baum
battle in the morning; but on the fif- |
teenth there was regular down pour of
rain all day. Starks' army had no tents.
no ute nsils for cooking. and only few
pals. The morning Of the sixteenth |
was bright, and Stark was astir early, |
and acted in sight of the enemy, as
though preparing for attack. Stark's |
plan was to get two companies In Baum's |
rear, one to the left, and the other to the |
right; this was easily accomplished I'M
der cover Of the forest. This was not
accomplished, however, until three
O'Clock in the afternoon; then Stark and |
Warner led the attack, and in ninety |
minutes our men were within Baum's |
earth works, and Baum and Pfister were
both MORALLY wounded.
While our men are modestly rejoicing,
with strain of sorrow, over the victory,
the booming of cannon is heard to the
west, and Breyman, fresh from Bur-
goyne, is approaching with seven hun
dred men, to relieve Baum, and is march
ing with his artillery in front. Our men
were wearied. Col. Stark could not be
from sort of stupor, until
was heard to the east, and Col.
Seth Warmers regiment from Manches-
ter came fresh on the field. The battle
was renewed, Breyman was defeated,
and our men were masters of the situa-
ton.
Results: Seven hundred prisoners
were taken, four hundred cannon, four
army wagons, twelve drums. two hun
dred fifty sabres, and several hundred
stand of arms.
But best of all, the stores at Benning-
ton were saved, and Burgoyne was Grip
pied by the loss of nearly one-sixth of
his army and one of his best officers,
and he had failed to obtain the means
for furnishing his army with food. In a
lew weeks he surrendered his whole
army at Saratoga, and the whole nation
'ook on new life and courage. Without
he Battle of Bennington there would
lot have been any victory at Saratoga.
neither could there have been victory