Chap. 3. 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



45 



BAUM ADVANCES TOWARDS BENxVlNGTON. 



FIRST BATTLE. 



body of about 500 rogular German troops, 

 some Canadians and more than 100 In- 

 dians, with twt) ligiit })ieci's of artillery, 

 and placed the whole under the command 

 of Col. Baum. To facilitate their opera- 

 tions, and to take advantage of their suc- 

 cess, a detachment of the British army 

 was posted upon the east bank of the 

 Hudson, opposite to Saratoga, and anoth- 

 er detachment under Col. Breymen was 

 stationed at Battenkill. This disposition 

 being made, Baum set out with his detach- 

 ment for Bennington, on the morning of 

 the r2th of August, and arrived that day 

 at Cambridge, which is about 12 miles 

 north west from Bennington. 



General Stark had moved forward to 

 Bennington on the flth of August, with 

 his whole force, excepting Warner's regi- 

 ment, which remained at INIanchester 

 under the command of Major Samuel Saf- 

 ford. On the 1:5th of August Stark re- 

 ceived intelligence that a party of Indians 

 had been observed at Cambridge, and 

 dispatched Lieut. Col. Gregg with 200 

 men to stop tlieir progress ; but he was 

 soon advised by express that there was a 

 laro-c body of the enemies troops, with a 

 train of artillery, in the rear of the Indi- 

 ans, and that they were advancing to- 

 wards Bennington. He immediately ral- 

 lied his forces, made an animated call up- 

 on the neighboring militia, and sent or- 

 ders to Major Safford to join liim with 

 Warner's regiment. 



On the morning of the 14th Stark mov- 

 ed forward with liis whole force towards 

 Cambridge, and, at the distance of five or 

 six miles, met Gregg retreating before 

 the enemy, who were only one mile in 

 liis rear. Stark immediately halted and 

 drew up his men in order of battle. Baum 

 l)erceiving the x\mericans to be too strong 

 to be attacked with his present force, also 

 halted, commenced entrenching himself 

 upon a commanding piece of ground and 

 sent an express to Col. Breymen to hasten 

 to his support. Stark, unable to draw 

 them from their ))osition, fell back about 

 a mile with his main force, leaving only 

 a small party to skirmish with the enemy, 

 which they did so ett'ectually as to kill or 

 wound thirty of their number, two of 

 whom were Indian chiefs, without any 

 loss to themselves. Here he called a 

 council, of war, by which it was resolved 

 that an attack should be made upon the 

 enemy before they should receive any re- 

 enforcements. Stark, with the advice of 

 Warner and other chief officers, having 

 arranged his plans, gave orders for the 

 troops to be in readiness to commence an 

 assault on the following jnorning. The 

 next day, however, proved to be rainy, 



which prevented a general engagement, 

 but there were frequent skirmishes be- 

 tween small parties, which resulted in 

 such manner as to afford encouragement 

 to the Americans, and to induce the In- 

 dians, attached to Baum's army, to desert 

 in considerable numbers ; "because," as 

 they said, " the woods were filled with 

 Yankees." 



This unavoidable delay of a general en- 

 gagement, enabled the enemy to complete 

 their breast works and put themselves in 

 a favorable condition for defence. Their 

 principal force was strongly entrenched 

 upon a rising ground on the north side of 

 the VValloomscoik river, where there was 

 a considerable bend in that stream, while 

 a corps of tories in the British service, 

 were entrenched on the opposite side of 

 the river, in lower ground. The river is 

 small and fordable at all places. Stark's 

 encampment was on the same side of the 

 river as that of the main body of the ene- 

 my, but owing to the serpentine course 

 of the stream, it crossed his line of march 

 twice on his way to their position. 



On the morning of the IGth of August, 

 Gen. Stark was joined by Col. Symonds 

 with a small body of militia from Berk- 

 shire county in Massachusetts, and, hav- 

 ino- reconnoitered the enemy's post, he 

 proceeded to carry into eflfect the previ- 

 ous arrangements for the attack. Col. 

 Nichols was detached with 200 men to 

 the rear of the left wing of the enemy, 

 and Col. Herrick with 300 men to the 

 rear of their right wing. These were to 

 join, and then make the attack. Colonels 

 Hubbard and Stic-kney were also ordered 

 to advance with 200 men on their right, 

 and 100 in front to divert their attention 

 from the real point of attack. As the di- 

 visions of Nichols and Herrick approach- 

 ed each other in the rear of the enemy, 

 the Indians, apprehensive of being sur- 

 rounded, made tlieir escape between the 

 two corps, excepting three killed and two 

 wounded by the fire of the Americans as 

 they ))assed. 



Their positions being taken, at three 

 o'clock in the afternoon the action was 

 commenced by Col. Nichols, and his ex- 

 ample was quickly followed by the other 

 divisions. Gen. Stark advanced slowly 

 in front, till the firing announced the 

 commencement of the attack on the rear. 

 He then rushed forward and attacked the 

 division of tories, and in a few moments 

 the actioit became general. " It lasted," 

 says Stark, in his official account, " two 

 hours, and was the hottest I ever saw. It 

 was like one continued clap of thunder." 

 The German dragoons made a brave re- 

 sistance, and, after their ammunition was 



