Battle of Bennington The Battle of Bennington was a battle of the American Revolutionary War , part of the Saratoga campaign , that took place on August 16 , 1777 , in Walloomsac , New York , about from its namesake Bennington , Vermont . A rebel force of 2 , 000 men , primarily composed of New Hampshire and Massachusetts militia men , led by General John Stark , and reinforced by men led by Colonel Seth Warner and members of the Green Mountain Boys , decisively defeated a detachment of General John Burgoyne ' s army led by Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Baum , and supported by additional men under Lieutenant Colonel Heinrich von Breymann . Baum ' s detachment was a mixed force of 700 composed of dismounted Brunswick dragoons , Canadians , Loyalist s , and Indians . He was sent by Burgoyne to raid Bennington in the disputed New Hampshire Grants area for horses , draft animals , and other supplies . Believing the town to be only lightly defended , Burgoyne and Baum were unaware that Stark and 1 , 500 militiamen were stationed there . After a rain - caused standoff , Stark ' s men enveloped Baum ' s position , taking many prisoners , and killing Baum . Reinforcements for both sides arrived as Stark and his men were mopping up , and the battle restarted , with Warner and Stark driving away Breymann ' s reinforcements with heavy casualties . The battle was a decisive victory for the rebel cause , as it reduced Burgoyne ' s army in size by almost 1 , 000 men , led his Indian support to largely abandon him , and deprived him of needed supplies such as cavalry and draft horses and food , all factors that contributed to Burgoyne ' s eventual surrender at Saratoga . The victory also galvanized colonial support for the independence movement , and played a role in bringing France into the war on the rebel side . The battle anniversary is celebrated in the state of Vermont as Bennington Battle Day . Background . With the American Revolutionary War two years old , the British changed their plans . Giving up on the rebellious New England colonies , they decided to split the Thirteen Colonies and isolate New England from what the British believed to be the more loyal southern colonies . The British command devised a grand plan to divide the colonies via a three - way pincer movement . The western pincer , under the command of Barry St . Leger , was repulsed when the Siege of Fort Stanwix failed , and the southern pincer , which was to progress up the Hudson valley from New York City , never started since General William Howe decided instead to capture Philadelphia . The northern pincer , proceeding southward from Montreal , enjoyed the most success . After the British victories at Hubbardton , Fort Ticonderoga , and Fort Anne , General John Burgoyne proceeded with the Saratoga campaign , with the goal of capturing Albany and gaining control of the Hudson River Valley , where Burgoyne ' s force could ( as the plan went ) meet the other pincers , dividing the colonies in two . British forces . Burgoyne ' s progress towards Albany had initially met with great success , including the scattering of Seth Warner ' s men in the Battle of Hubbardton . However , his advance had slowed to a crawl by late July , due to logistical difficulties , exacerbated by the American destruction of a key road , and the army ' s supplies began to dwindle . Burgoyne ' s concern over supplies was magnified in early August when he received word from Howe that he ( Howe ) was going to Philadelphia , and was not in fact going to advance up the Hudson River valley . In response to a proposal first made on July 22 by the commander of his German troops , Baron Riedesel , Burgoyne sent a detachment of about 800 troops under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Baum from Fort Miller on a foraging mission to acquire horses for the German dragoons , draft animal s to assist in moving the army , and to harass the enemy . Baum ' s detachment was primarily made up of dismounted Brunswick dragoon s of the Prinz Ludwig regiment . Along the way it was joined by local companies of Loyalist s , some Canadians and about 100 Indians , and a company of British sharpshooter s . Baum was originally ordered to proceed to the Connecticut River valley where they believed horses could be procured for the dragoons . However , as Baum was preparing to leave , Burgoyne verbally changed the goal to be a supply depot at Bennington , which was believed to be guarded by the remnants of Warner ' s brigade , about 400 colonial militia . American forces . Unknown to Burgoyne , the citizens of the New Hampshire Grants territory ( which was then disputed between New York and the Vermont Republic ) had appealed to the states of New Hampshire and Massachusetts for protection from the invading army following the British capture of Ticonderoga . New Hampshire responded on July 18 by authorizing John Stark to raise a militia for the defense of the people " or the annoyance of the enemy " . Using funds provided by John Langdon , Stark raised 1 , 500 New Hampshire militiamen in the space of six days , more than ten percent of New Hampshire ' s male population over the age of sixteen . They were first marched to the Fort at Number 4 ( modern Charlestown , New Hampshire ) , then crossed the river border into the Grants and stopped at Manchester , where Stark conferred with Warner . While in Manchester , General Benjamin Lincoln , whose promotion in preference to Stark had been the cause for Stark ' s resignation from the Continental Army , attempted to assert Army authority over Stark and his men . Stark refused , stating that he was solely responsible to the New Hampshire authorities . Stark then went on to Bennington with Warner as a guide , while Warner ' s men remained in Manchester . Lincoln returned to the American camp at Stillwater , where he and General Philip Schuyler hatched a plan for Lincoln , with 500 men , to join with Stark and Warner in actions to harass Burgoyne ' s communications and supply lines at Skenesboro . Baum ' s movements significantly altered these plans . Prelude . Baum ' s Germans left Burgoyne ' s camp at Fort Edward on August 9 and marched to Fort Miller , where they waited until they were joined by the Indians and a company of British marksmen . The company marched off toward Bennington on August 11 . In minor skirmishes along the way they learned from prisoners taken that a sizable force was in place at Bennington . On August 14 Baum ' s men encountered a detachment of Stark ' s men that had been sent out to investigate reports of Indians in the area . Stark ' s men retreated , destroying a bridge to delay Baum ' s advance . Stark , on receiving word of the approaching force , sent a request to Manchester for support , and then moved his troops out of Bennington toward Baum ' s force , setting up a defensive line . Baum sent a message to Burgoyne following the first contact indicating that the American force was larger than expected , but that it was likely to retreat before him . He then advanced a few miles further until he neared Stark ' s position . He then realized that at least part of his first message was incorrect , so he sent a second message to Burgoyne , requesting reinforcements . It rained for the next day and a half , preventing battle . During this time , Baum ' s men constructed a small redoubt at the crest of the hill and hoped that the weather would prevent the Americans from attacking before reinforcements arrived . Stark sent out skirmishers to probe the German lines , and managed to kill thirty Indians in spite of the difficulties of keeping their gunpowder dry . Reinforcements for both sides marched out on the 15th ; travel was quite difficult due to the heavy rains . Burgoyne sent 550 men under Heinrich von Breymann , while Warner ' s company of about 350 Green Mountain Boys came south from Manchester under Lieutenant Samuel Safford ' s command . Late on the night of August 15 , Stark was awakened by the arrival of Parson Thomas Allen and a band of Massachusetts militiamen from nearby Berkshire County who insisted on joining his force . In response to the minister ' s fiery threat that his men would never come out again if they were not allowed to participate , Stark is reported to have said , " Would you go now on this dark and rainy night ? Go back to your people and tell them to get some rest if they can , and if the Lord gives us sunshine to - morrow and I do not give you fighting enough , I will never call on you to come again . " Stark ' s forces again swelled the next day with the arrival of some Stockbridge Indians , bringing his force ( excluding Warner ' s men ) to nearly 2 , 000 men . Stark was not the only beneficiary of unexpected reinforcements . Baum ' s force grew by almost 100 when a group of local Loyalists arrived in his camp on the morning of August 16 . Battle . On the afternoon of August 16 , the weather cleared , and Stark ordered his men to be ready to attack . Stark is reputed to have rallied his troops by saying , " There are your enemies , the Red Coats and the Tories . They are ours , or this night Molly Stark sleeps a widow . " Upon hearing that the militia had melted away into the woods , Baum assumed that the Americans were retreating or redeploying . However , Stark had decided to capitalize on weaknesses in the German ' s widely distributed position , and had sent sizable flanking parties to either side of his lines . These movements were assisted by a ruse employed by Stark ' s men that enabled them to safely get closer without alarming the opposing forces . The Germans , most of whom spoke no English , had been told that soldiers with bits of white paper in their hat were Loyalists , and should not be fired on ; Stark ' s men had also heard this and many of them had suitably adorned their hats . When the fighting broke out around 3 : 00 PM the German position was immediately surrounded by gunfire , which Stark described as " the hottest engagement I have ever witnessed , resembling a continual clap of thunder . " The Loyalists and Indian positions were overrun , causing many of them to flee or surrender . This left Baum and his Brunswick dragoons trapped alone on the high ground . The Germans fought valiantly even after running low on powder and the destruction of their ammunition wagon . In desperation the dragoons led a sabre charge in an attempt to break through the enveloping forces . Baum was mortally wounded in this final charge , and the remaining Germans surrendered . After the battle ended , while Stark ' s militiamen were busy disarming the prisoners and looting their supplies , Breymann arrived with his reinforcements . Seeing the Americans in disarray , they immediately pressed their attack . After hastily regrouping , Stark ' s forces tried to hold their ground against the new German onslaught , but began to fall back . Before their lines collapsed , Warner ' s men arrived on the scene to reinforce Stark ' s troops . Pitched battle continued until dark , when both sides disengaged . Breymann began a hasty retreat ; he had lost one quarter of his force and all of his artillery pieces . Aftermath . Total German and British losses at Bennington were recorded at 207 dead and 700 captured ; American losses included 30 Americans dead and 40 wounded . The battle was at times particularly brutal when Loyalists met Patriots , as in some cases they came from the same communities . The prisoners , who were first kept in Bennington , were eventually marched to Boston . Burgoyne ' s army was readying to cross the Hudson at Fort Edward on August 17 when the first word of the battle arrived . Believing that reinforcements might be necessary , Burgoyne marched the army toward Bennington until further word arrived that Breymann and the remnants of his force were returning . Stragglers continued to arrive throughout the day and night , while word of the disaster spread within the camp . The effect on Burgoyne ' s campaign was significant . Not only had he lost nearly 1 , 000 men , of which half were regulars , but he also lost the crucial Indian support . In a council following the battle , many of the Indians ( who had traveled with him from Quebec ) decided to go home . This loss severely hampered Burgoyne ' s reconnaissance efforts in the days to come . The failure to bring in nearby supplies meant that he had to rely on supply lines that were already dangerously long , and that he eventually broke in September . The shortage of supplies was a significant factor in his decision to surrender at Saratoga , following which France entered the war . American Patriots reacted to news of the battle with optimism . Especially after Burgoyne ' s Indian screen left him , small groups of local Patriots began to emerge to harass the fringes of British positions . Interestingly , a significant portion of Stark ' s force returned home and did not again become influential in the campaign until appearing at Saratoga on October 13 to complete the encirclement of Burgoyne ' s army . John Stark ' s reward from the New Hampshire General Assembly for " the Memorable Battle of Bennington " was " a compleat suit of Clothes becoming his Rank " . A reward that Stark likely valued the highest was a message of thanks from John Hancock , president of the Continental Congress , which included a commission as " brigadier in the army of the United States " . Commemorations . August 16 is a legal holiday in Vermont , known as Bennington Battle Day . The battlefield , now a New York state historic site , was designated a National Historic Landmark on January 20 , 1961 , and added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15 , 1966 . In the 1870s , the local historic society in Bennington commissioned the design and construction of the Bennington Battle Monument , which was complete in 1889 and dedicated in 1891 with ceremonies attended by President Benjamin Harrison . The Monument , an obelisk high , is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Although the monument was not ready in time to mark the centennial of the battle , the 100th anniversary of the battle was marked by speeches attended by President Rutherford B . Hayes . Order of battle . The battle forces are generally described as in Morrissey . His numbers are generally consistent with other sources on the British units , although there is disagreement across a wide array of sources on the number of troops under Breymann , which are generally listed at either approximately 550 or 650 . Morrissey is also incorrect in identifying some of the American units . He identifies William Gregg as having a separate command ; Gregg apparently led several companies in Nichols ' regiment . Morrissey also failed to include the Massachusetts militia , and misidentified Langdon ' s company , erroneously believing they may have been from Worcester , Massachusetts . ( Militia companies from the Worcester area marched on Bennington , with some companies arriving the day after the battle . ) Langdon originally raised his company in 1776 , but it did not become a cavalry unit until 1778 .