44 



CIVIL HISTORY OF VERMONT. 



Part II. 



GEN. JOHN STARK. 



EXPEDITION TO BENNINGTON. 



20th, 1777, he says, " The Hampshire 

 grants in particular, a country unpeopled 

 and almost unknown in the last war, now 

 abounds in tlie most active and most re- 

 bellious race on the continent, and hangs 

 like a gathering storm on my left."* 



On the l.'>th of July, tlie committee of 

 safety of Vermont assembled at Manches- 

 ter, where they agreed to raise all the 

 men they could, to oppose the enemy, 

 who were then advancing towards fort 

 Edward. They at the same time wrote 

 in the most urgent terms to New Hamp- 

 shire and Massachusetts, to send on a 

 body of troops to their assistance. t The 

 legislature of New Hampshire imme- 

 diately formed their militia into two brig- 

 ades, and placed one under the command 

 of Gen. William Whipple, and the other 

 under Gen. John Stark. One fourth of 

 Stark's brigade, and a portion of Whip- 

 ple's, was then ordered to march imme- 

 diately, under the command of Gen. Stark, 

 to stop the progress of the enemy upon 

 the north western frontier. 



Stark had been an ofiicer of some repu- 

 tation in the French war, and had also 

 distinguished himself at the battle of Bun- 

 ker Hill ; but considering himself neg- 

 lected by Congress in not being promo- 

 ted, ho had left the continental service, 

 and would not accept the present com- 

 mand, unless left at liberty to serve, or 

 not, under a continental officer, as he 

 should tliink proper. As there was no 

 time for delay, the assembly of New 

 Hampshire invested him with a separate 

 command, with orders to repair witliout 

 delay to tlie New Hampshire grants, and 

 act eitlier in conjunction with the troops 

 of the ffraiits, or of the other states, or 

 separately, as he should judge best for the 

 protection of the people and the annoy- 

 ance of the enemy. 



Agreeably to his orders, Stark hastened 

 forward with about 800 men, and joined 

 the Vermont troops, who were collected 

 at Manchester under the command of Col. 

 Seth Warner, to the number of about GOO, 

 making the united force under Stark, 

 about 1400 men. Gen. Schuyler, wish- 

 ing to collect all the American troops in 

 front of the British army to prevent its 

 approach to Albany, wrote repeatedly to 

 Stark to join him w'ith the men under his 

 command. But Stark believed that the 

 most effectual way of checking the ad- 



*Tliis letter was written just afier the Benning- 

 ton liat'le, and shows plainly that Hurgoyne had 

 ulready ocgun to despair of accomplishing the objects 

 of the expedition. Ii may be lound in the State 

 of the Expedition, page 24 of the Appendix. 



[The correspondence with -N. H. raay be found 

 in Blade's Vt. State Papers, page 79. 



vance of Burgoyne, was to hang upon his 

 rear and embrace every favorable oppor- 

 tunity to cut off his supplies and annoy 

 liim from that quarter, and therefore neg- 

 lected to obe}' the orders of Schuyler. 

 Schuyler complained to Congress of this 

 want of subordination, and Congress pro- 

 ceeded, August 19th, to adopt a resolu- 

 tion censuring the course pursued by the 

 New Hampshire assembly in giving to 

 Stark a separate command, and request- 

 ing tliem " to instruct Gen. Stark to con- 

 form himself to the same rules, to whicli 

 other general officers of the militia are 

 subject, whenever called out at the ex- 

 pense of the United States." 



In the mean time Stark wrote to Schuy- 

 ler that he was willing to unite in any 

 measures which would promote the pub- 

 lic good — that he wished to avoid what- 

 ever was inconsistent witli his own honor 

 — and that private resentment shotild not 

 prevent his marching to his camp, if it 

 was deemed necessary. He was at the 

 same time watching for an opportunity to 

 manifest his courage and patriotism by an 

 attack upon some part of tlie British army. 

 Nor was he obliged to wait long for the 

 opportunity to present itself. Nearly at 

 the same time when Congress was cen- 

 suring his conduct by a public resolution, 

 Stark and his brave followers were ac- 

 quiring unfading laurels, and rendering 

 that service to the American cause, which 

 soon after procured for him, from the same 

 Congress, a vote of thanks, and promo- 

 tion to the rank of brigadier general in 

 the army of the United States. 



From the ^Sth of July, to near the raid- 

 die of August, tlie British army was con- 

 stantly employed in bringing forward 

 their bntteaux and stores from lakeGeorge 

 to the first navigable part of Hudson riv- 

 er. But with all his efforts and diligence, 

 Burgo3'ne was unable to bring forward, 

 with his other stores, a sufficient quantity 

 of provisions for daily consumption, and 

 the establishment of the necessary maga- 

 zines. It was this circumstance which 

 induced him to attempt to replenish his 

 own stores at the expense of the Ameri- 

 cans. Having learned that large quanti- 

 ties of provisions were collected together 

 at Bennington, and designed for the 

 American army, and that they were 

 guarded only by militia; and, moreover, 

 being made to believe that a majority of 

 the people in that quarter were friendl}-^ 

 to the royal cause, and were ready to join 

 it, whenever an opportunity should per- 

 mit, Burgoyne determined to surprise the 

 place and secure the stores to his own 

 army. 



For this purpose he detached a select 



