Military history of Vermont The military history of Vermont covers the military history of the American state of Vermont , as part of French colonial America ; as part of Massachusetts , New Hampshire and New York during the British colonial period and during the French and Indian Wars ; as the independent New Connecticut and later Vermont during the American Revolution ; and as a state during the War of 1812 and the American Civil War . In 1666 , Fort Sainte Anne was established as the first permanent European settlement , by the French , at Isle La Motte , Vermont . This was done to protect Canada from the Iroquois . Pre - revolutionary battles . At the time of the arrival of Europeans early in the 17th century , the territory of Vermont was not permanently settled . It was treated as a hunting ground by several Indian tribes including the Iroquois and Abenaki . These Indian nations regularly fought each other in this area . Zadock Thompson wrote " several powerful tribes who were incessantly at war with each other , it became the bloody theatre of their battles . " Then , when the English and French settled North America , the area became a battleground between these colonial powers and their Indian allies . In King William ' s War and Queen Anne ' s War raiding parties crossed the territory to attack targets in New England and New France . These notably included the 1704 Raid on Deerfield , Massachusetts , and the 1708 Raid on Haverhill , Massachusetts , both conducted by combined French and Indian forces departing from the Saint Lawrence River valley . Father Rale ' s War . Father Rale ' s War ( 1722 – 1725 ) ( the Fourth Indian War ) took place in present - day Maine , New Hampshire , Vermont , New Brunswick , and Nova Scotia . Fort Dummer was established in Vermont . American Revolution . Battle of Hubbardton . The Battle of Hubbardton was fought on July 7 , 1777 , near Hubbardton , Vermont . An engagement between General Simon Fraser of Great Britain and American forces retreating following the Siege Fort Ticonderoga , it was the only battle properly fought on the soil of what would become the state of Vermont . The battle was a victory for the British , due to the arrival of Hessian forces under the command of General Friedrich Adolf Riedesel ; however the cost of the victory was sufficient to discourage pursuit of the retreating American forces . Battle of Bennington . The Battle of Bennington was fought August 16 , 1777 in what is now Walloomsac , New York . The territory at the time disputed between New York and the residents of the New Hampshire Grants ( the latter of which at the time controlled the territory which would become Vermont in 1791 ) , was fought over supplies and troops based in Bennington . Brigadier General John Stark ' s brigade of New Hampshire militia was based at Bennington , Vermont . The battle is commemorated by the Bennington Battle Monument , located in Bennington , Vermont ; the monument is the tallest man - made structure in the state of Vermont . Royalton Raid . In October 1780 British commanders led an Indian raid against various towns along the White River Valley . War of 1812 . Although Vermont was not the scene of any major battles during the War of 1812 , its position as a border state with British North America , and the demands by the federal government for the recruitment of troops dictated the state ' s involvement in the war . Several regiments of U . S . Army troops were raised , as were militia companies for the defense of the state ' s northern border areas . Vermont troops served primarily in the military campaigns in northern New York .