46 



CIVIL HISTORY OF VERMONT. 



Part II. 



PLAN OF THE BATTLE GROUND. 



RESULT OF THE ENGAGEMENTS. 



expended, thr-y were led on by Col. Baum, 

 and attacked the Americans sword in 

 hand. But their bravery was unavailing. 

 They were finally overpowered, their 

 works carried on all points, and their two 

 cannon taken. Col. Baum was mortally 

 wounded, and fell into the hands of the 

 Americans, and all of his men, with the 

 exception of those who escaped to the 

 woods, were either killed or taken pris- 

 oners. * 



The prisoners were now collected to- 

 gether and sent off under a strong' guard 

 to the meeting-house in Bennington, and 

 Stark, unsuspicious of danger, suffered 

 his men to scatter in pursuit of refresh- 

 ments and plunder. In this state of 

 things, intelligence was recei%'ed that the 

 re-enforcement of the enemy undert Col- 

 Breymen, with two field pieces, was rap- 

 idly approaching, and only two miles dis- 

 tant. Stark endeavored to rally his ex- 

 hausted forces ; but before he could put 

 them in a condition to make an efiectual 

 resistance, the enemy advanced upon 

 them in regular order, and commenced 

 the attack." They opened an incessant 

 fire from their artillery, and small arms, 

 which was for a while returned by the 

 Americans with much spirit ; but, ex- 

 hausted by fatigue and hunger, and over- 

 powered by numbers, they at length be- 



* The following Plan of the Bennington Hattlo 

 Ground is letlunoil from the plan drawn liy l^icut. 

 Durnford, Col. Baum'a engineer, and publislied in 

 Burgoyne's State of the Expedition. 



The long parallelograms denote the Americans 



the parallel lines, unconnected at the ends, the 



enemy — the short parallelograms are buildings — 

 the dark zig-zag lines, the enemy's breast works. 

 T denotes the position of the tories belonging to 

 Baum's army. The Canadians were posted in 

 the houses near where the road from Benninglon 

 to Siiraioaa crosses the Walloomscoik. A, the 

 position of the Americans at the commencement 

 of the batlle. 



gan slowly, but in good order, to retreat 

 before the enemy, " disputing the ground 

 inch by inch." 



The remnant of Warner's regiment, 

 which then consisted of only 130 men, 

 had been suffered to remain at Manches- 

 ter under Maj. Safford, as already stated. 

 When the express arrived with orders for 

 it to proceed to Bennington, many of the 

 men were absent on scouts, and that, and 

 other causes, prevented its marching till 

 the 1.5th. Owing to tke heavy rains on 

 tliat day, it was near midnight when the 

 corps arrived within one mile of Benning- 

 ton. Here they encamped for the night, 

 and a considerable portion of the next 

 day was spent in putting their arms and 

 equipments, which had been drenched by 

 the rain, in a condition for battle. 



As soon as these were in readiness and 

 they had furnished themselves with am- 

 munition, they proceeded down the Wal- 

 loomscoik, and fortunately arrived upon 

 the battle-field at the very moment when 

 the Americans were beginning to fall 

 back. " Disappointed that they had not 

 been in season to take part in the first 

 engagement and share in its glories, they 

 now advanced forward and attacked the 

 enemy with great spirit and resolution, 

 " being determined," says Ethan Allen, 

 "to have ample revenge on account of 

 the quarrel at Hubbardton." The enemy, 

 which had just been exulting in the pros- 

 pect of an easy victory, was now brought 

 to a stand, and inore of the scattered mi- 

 litia being brought forward by Stark and 

 Herrick, the action became general. The 

 combat was maintained with great brave- 

 ry on both sides till sun-set, when the 

 enemy gave way, and were pursued till 

 dark. With one hour more of day light, 

 says Stark, in his official report, he should 

 have captured their whole force. 



In these two engagements, the Ameri- 

 cans took four brass field pieces, 12 brass 

 drums, four ammunition wagons, and 

 about 700 prisoners with their arms and 

 accoutrements. The number of the ene- 

 my found dead on the field was 207 : 

 their number of wounded not ascertained. 

 The loss of the Americans was trifling in 

 comparison with that of the enemy. They 

 had 30 killed and about 40 wounded. 



Nothino- could be more encouraging to 



*It has been generally suppo.sed, and has been 

 so represented in most of the accounts of tlio licn- 

 nington Batlle, that Col. Warner was not present 

 in tlie first engagement; but "this is douhtlcs-? a 

 mistake. Slark says expre.^sly in hU official letter 

 that Warner was with him several days previous 

 to the battle and acknowledges bis assistance m 

 planning it. The mistake probably arose from the 

 fact that fVarner's retriment was not in the first 

 engagement, but arrived just in season to decide 

 the late of the second, as above stated. 



