The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-09-20

our peasant soldiers. Baum too had |
inbibed the contempt of his master |
for these same soldiers, in their hunt |
ing shirts and armed only with their |
fowling pieces. His first advance |
met with nothing more difficult than |
poor roads and ignorance of the way. |
Burgoyne, however, for some rea-
son, possibly the lack of enthusiasm
of his advisers in this move, or, it
may be native caution, made expected
success doubly sure by providing a
support in the nature of Colonel
Breyman's regiment of German
troops to follow at moments notice,
and retired TO ponder on the glory
which this stroke would add to his ex-
petition, and count up the horses and
provision he expected as a result. So
confident was he of successful out
come, that on the 10Th, the very day
of the Battle, bridge had been
thrown across the Hudson and the
army received orders to proceed on
their march to Albany, the following
morning.
1t was too bad to waken him SO
early, but he had to be told, despite
the encouraging dispatches Baum
had sent him, thus far on the way,
that there were many more men at
Bennington than he supposed and his
eight hundred could not cope with
them Word was sent to Breyman
| to march at once. He was slow about
getting off. Slower about his ad-
| vance, lost his way and finally reach
ed his destination only to find Baum
and all his men in the hands of the
| rebels, those despised farmers. They
had not thought of meeting both
| Stark and Warner here. One was
enough, but when we add to both of
these some thousand more. every one
of whom Stark's own words called,
"the equal of an Alexander or
Charles the 12th.," they had nothing
to do after fighting bravely, but lay
down their arms, and fly as well and
as fast and as many of them could.
That about one thousand of them
never returned to Burgoyne's army,
had an effect upon the effectiveness
of that army at Saratoga.
There is not time to go into the de-
tails of this battle, SO familiar
Stark said "In this action ] think we
have returned the enemy proper
compliment for their Hubbardton en-
gagement." But what Burgoyne
thought about it is more to our point
Following Breyman's departure
from the camp, upon his orders to
succor Baum, Burgoyne had crossed
the Battenkill and advanced along
the way to give aid. if necessary. He
had not heard from st. Leger at Fort
Stanwix as yet. But he heard from
him soon. 1t was too late. He too,
was on the run defeated and out
done. Arnold had sent succor there
despite Burgoyne's reasoning. Two
such decided reyerses rarely fall out
of clear sky on one man within so
short time of each other He felt
that. right and left, he was beset and
behind too, and he was right for he
soon found that Vermont troops were
harrassing him on flank and in rear
His base of supplies was in danger.
The forts he had taken and mag
aziness he had planted were either
retaken or threatened. He heard
nothing from the succor he was to re-
ceive from the front, and on which
all this movement so greatly depend
ed. He was learning that no depen-
dence could be placed on the Indians
and little on the Provinicials. In
deed. the misleading encouragement
he had received from their leaders
had cost him dear on this Bennington
diversion.
But even all this was not the worst
OF IL, bad as il was. The AFFAIR at
Bennington had been like the harbin-
ger of glorious sunrise to the coun-
try. Washington had written to
Schuyler in the dark days just be-
fore. THAT our affairs for some
days past have worn dark and
gloomy aspect, | yet look forward TO
a fortunate and happy change
trust General Burgoyne's army will
meet sooner or later an effectual
check and that the success he has
had will precipitate his ruin From
your accounts he appears to be pur-
suing that line of conduct, which. OF
all others, is most favorable TO us
] mean acting in detachment Could
we be so happy as to cut off one of
these, supposing IL should not exceed
four. FIVE or SIX hundred men II
would inspirit the people and do
away with much of their present anx-
iety." This was July 22nd. He did
not designate any dates, but, Ben
nington responded by cutting OFF
double that number on the 10th. of
August and on the 22nd., ST Leger
started back for Oswego, leaving
everything behind him. even the
tents standing and the artillery In
the trenches. When Washington
heard of Bennington, he regarded
il as deciding the fate of Burgoyne
and dismissed from his mind all fur
Their anxiety about this invasion
Madam Riedesel, in her account of
the affair, you know she accompani-
ed her husband in this campaign and
so did several others OF the officers
wives.-"Why! They thought this ex-
petition only a kind of pleasure ex.
cursion when they began it. hence
brought their families along, but by
this time, she was inferring different
ly, and says:-"By Baum's failure the
army was prevented from advancing
This unfortunate affair caused sud
den cessation of all our operations
Our boats, provisions. in fact nothing
was received from TT. George. The
army therefore could not advance fur
Their and the respondent spirits Of
the enemy became so elated that its
army grew daily stronger. Its num-
bers which at the beginning of Au-
gust did not exceed four or five thous-
and strong.-meaning by that Schuy-
| lerS entire fOrce-noW increased IN
between fourteen and twenty thous-
and. While her husband in a letter
to Charles Of Brunswick. his ruler, ex-