HISTORY OF VERMONT. 123 



made prisoners. They retreated in the best 

 manner they could, improving the advantages 

 of the evening and night, to which alone their 

 escape was ascribed.* 



In these actions the Americans took four 

 brass field pieces, twelve brass drums, two 

 hundred and fifty dragoon swords, four ammu- 

 nition waggons, and about seven hundred pris^ 

 oners, with their arms and accoutrements. Two 

 hundred and seven men were found dead upon 

 the spot, the numbers of wounded were un- 

 known. The loss of the Americans was but 

 small ; thirty were slain, and about forty were 

 wounded. Stark was not a liitle pleased to have 

 so fair an opportunity to vindicate his own con- 

 duct in refusing to serve under a continental 

 commander, and not obeying the orders of 

 Schuyler. He had now shown that no neglect 

 from Congress had made him disaffected to the 

 American cause, and that he had rendered a 

 much more important service than he could have 

 done by joining Schuyler, and remaining inac- 

 tive in his camp. Congress embraced the op- 

 portunity to assign to him his rank, and though 

 he had not given to them any account of his 

 victory, or wrote to them at all upon the subject, 

 on October the fourth, they resolved, " That the 



* thanks of Congress be presented to general 



* Stark of the New Hampshire militia, 'and the 



* officers and troops under his command, for 

 ' their brave and successful attack upon, and 



* signal victory over the enemy in their lines at 



* Bennington : and that brigadier Stark be ap- 



♦ Gordon. Vol. II, p. 243. Stark's letter to gaoeral Gates of Au- 

 gust ax, 1777. 



