REDISCOVER
THE BATTLE FOR
BENNINGTON
Presentations
and Outing at
Battlefield State Historic Site
Saturday, August 12, 10 AM
(joint program of the Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site, Town of Hoosick, Sons of American
Revolution (Walloomsac Battle Chapter), and the Rensselaer-Taconic Land Conservancy)
General
Burgoyne's first major defeat occurred on August 16, 1777
when he sent a force of Hessians commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Fredrich Baum
on a failed mission to seize cattle and other
supplies held at Bennington. This decisive battle affected the outcome of the Battle of
Saratoga on October 17th, widely recognized as the turning point of the American Revolution.
Two knowledgeable speakers will discuss the Battle of Bennington.
Michael Gabriel is Professor of History and Chair of the History
Department at
Kutztown University,
Pennsylvania.
He is the author of a forthcoming book on the Battle
for
Bennington
and will speak on the
importance of the battle, closely related to the Battle of Saratoga, the turning
point of the American Revolution. Philip
Lord, former curator of history at the
New York
State
Museum, is the author of the 1989
work, War Over Walloomscoick.
He will speak about land use and settlement patterns on the Battlefield
site, where traces of the battle that took place in August of 1777 can still be
identified.
The
Battlefield
Visitor
Center
and
Living
History
Museum, located in the historic
1830 Barnett House, and operated by the Town of
Hoosick, will be open to the public
for a small admission fee, which includes a 45-minute living history tour.
Following
the lectures and lunch on your own, interested participants can visit the
monuments atop the hill where a major part of the battle took place, as well as
an ancient spotted hawthorn tree which may have witnessed the battle, and take a
short hike at 1 PM to view a historic rural landscape that has retained much of
its scenic appearance. An historical
display prepared by the Walloomsac Battle Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution, can
be viewed as well.
Meet at the
Visitors
Center at the Bennington Battlefield State Historic
Site, on
Caretaker Road, just south of State Route 67 at Walloomsac.
Parking
is limited at the
Visitors
Center, so calling for directions and additional
information is suggested. For additional information
contact Melissa
Miller at (518) 279-1155, Warren Broderick at (518) 235-4041, or e-mail Warren Broderick or
Melissa
Miller. To help locate the Historic Site call the Park office at (518)
279-1155
or consult their web site:
Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site or
e-mail Park Naturalist
Melissa Miller.
Lieutenant Desmartez Durnford drew the now-famous map of the battlefield
that was published in a book written by the infamous General John Burgoyne.
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The State-record spotted hawthorn tree may have witnessed the battle in 1777.
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This engraving showing the battle was adapted from a painting by Alonzo
Chappell, owned by the Bennington Museum.
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Historian Benson Lossing sketched this pastoral
view on the hilltop battlefield site in the 1850s.
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The Battle of Bennington (August 16, 1777)
was an important battle during the American Revolution in which British forces
were defeated by American troops. As
with many battles, the Battle of Bennington was fought not at its namesake, Bennington,
Vermont, but instead a short distance over the border in Walloomsac, New York.
British general John Burgoyne
was trying to push through the northern Hudson River valley. Burgoyne's plan was to defeat the American
forces in the area and then continue south to Albany and on to the Connecticut
River Valley, dividing the American colonies in half.
After sending a request for reinforcements to
Fort Miller, Baum took advantage of the terrain and deployed his forces on the
high ground. In the pouring rain, Baum's men dug in and hoped that the weather
would prevent the Americans from attacking before reinforcements arrived. Deployed a few miles away, Stark decided to
reconnoiter Baum's positions and wait until the weather cleared.
They are ours or this night Molly Stark sleeps
a widow." Upon hearing that the militia had melted away into the woods,
Baum assumed that the Americans were retreating or redeploying.
However, Stark had recognized that Baum's
forces were spread thin and decided immediately to envelop them from two sides
while simultaneously charging Baum's central redoubt head-on. Stark's plan
succeeded, and after a brief battle on Baum's flanks, the Loyalists and Indians
fled. This left Baum and his German dragoons
trapped on the high ground without any horse. The Germans fought valiantly even after
running low on powder. The dragoons led a saber charge and tried to break
through the enveloping forces. However,
after this final charge failed and Baum was mortally wounded, the Germans
surrendered.
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The illustrations used here are reproduced compliments of the
Rensselaer-Taconic Land Conservancy;
the Town of Hoosick;
Warren F. Broderick;
and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation,
and Historic Preservation.
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created February 2006
