Battle of Bennington
The Bennington Battle Monument in Bennington, Vermont.
| date | August 16, 1777 |
|---|---|
| place | at Walloomsac, Rensselaer County , New York , 4 miles west of Bennington , Vermont |
| output | American victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 1250 | 2000 |
| losses | |
|
200 dead |
70 wounded and dead |
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The Battle of Bennington on August 16, 1777 was a major event during the American Revolutionary War , in which British forces were defeated by American forces. As with many battles, the Battle of Bennington was not fought by its namesake Bennington (Vermont) , but in this case a few kilometers across the border in New York .
The British General John Burgoyne tried during his Saratoga campaign to advance through the northern Hudson River valley to Albany . After several British victories at Hubbardton and Fort Ticonderoga , Burgoyne's plan was to defeat American forces in the area and then move south from Albany to split the American colonies in two.
By the end of July, Burgoyne's advance into Albany had slowed to a snail's pace and his army supplies were starting to dwindle. Burgoyne sent from Fort Miller a unit of 800 men under the command of the German Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Baum to Bennington, about 60 km away, to raid the storage depot there and, if possible, to steal horses for his dismounted fighting dragoons. According to British estimates, the depot was guarded by fewer than 400 Vermont militia men . Baum's troops consisted of half German and British regulars and the other half local loyalists , Canadians and Indians .
On August 13, on his way to Bennington, Baum heard of the arrival of 1,500-strong militias from New Hampshire under the command of General John Stark in the area. Baum ordered his force to stop on the Walloomsac River , 6 km west of Bennington. After sending the request for reinforcements to Fort Miller, Baum took advantage of the terrain and stationed his forces on elevated ground. Baum's men buried themselves in the pouring rain, hoping the weather would keep the Americans from attacking them before reinforcements arrived. Only a few miles away, Stark decided to scout Baum's positions and wait for the weather to clear.
On the afternoon of August 16, the weather cleared and Stark ordered his men to prepare for the attack. Stark is reported to have cheered his men on by saying, “They are your enemies, the redcoats and the Tories. They belong to us or Molly Stark is sleeping as a widow tonight. "
When he heard that the militias had gone into the woods, Lieutenant Colonel Baum assumed that the Americans were withdrawing or repositioning themselves. However, Stark, realizing that Baum's forces were outnumbered, decided immediately to encircle them from two sides while attacking Baum's central defenses. Stark's plan succeeded, and after a brief battle on Baum's flanks, loyalists and Indians fled. Baum and his German dragoons remained circled at their height. The Germans fought valiantly even when they ran out of powder. The Dragoons attacked with a naked saber and tried to break through the forces surrounding them. However, after this last attack failed and Baum was mortally wounded, the Germans surrendered.
Shortly after the end of this battle, while the New Hampshire Militia were disarming the German troops, Baum's reinforcements of about 500 men arrived. This was under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Heinrich von Breymann , who saw the Americans in disarray and immediately attacked. The Americans hastily repositioned themselves and Stark's forces tried to hold their position against the German onslaught. Fortunately for the New Hampshire Militia, before their ranks were broken, several hundred Vermont militiamen arrived to reinforce Stark's forces. The Green Mountain Boys , commanded by Seth Warner , had just been defeated by British reinforcements at the Battle of Hubbardton and were eager to take revenge on the enemy. Together, the New Hampshire and Vermont militia fought off and ultimately defeated Breymann's forces.
The total British and German losses at Bennington were put at 200 dead and 700 prisoners, versus 40 dead and 30 wounded Americans. Stark's decision to intercept and destroy the attacking party before they could reach Bennington was a major factor in Burgoyne's eventual surrender for draining supplies from his army. The American victory at Bennington also steeled the rebels and accelerated French participation in the war.
The battlefield is now accessible as the Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site . In 1891 the Bennington Battle Monument was inaugurated in Bennington . The August 16 is in Vermont as official as "Bennington Battle Day" holiday celebrated.
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Coordinates: 42 ° 56 ′ 19 ″ N , 73 ° 18 ′ 16 ″ W.