Battle of Bennington
Understanding the Battle 0f Bennington
The battle of Bennington was a military confrontation between the Great Britain and its colonies in Northern American in 1775-1783. It took place on 16TH August 1777. The battle field was located along Wallomsac River New York City, as part of the Saratoga Campaign that ended with American victory.
Combatants in the battle included Canadians, Indians, Germans, British, American loyalists from General john Burgoyne’s British army against the American colonists who were largely the New England militia.
The Battle under General John Burgoyne
The British military abandoned almost all their posts in New Jersey and left for New York under the leadership of General William Howe and Lord Charles Cornwallis. At the same time, General John Burgoyne was given authority over the British army to gain control over Lake Champlain and Hudson River valley. He planned to cross over and capture Ticonderoga before advancing to Albany and rendezvous the British army. However, the plan failed when St. Leger was forced back to Canada following the battle of Oriskany and Siege of Fort Stanwix.
The battle of Bennington was therefore fought a few miles along the west side of Wallomsac River. The Americans had a depot in Bennington County and it contained essential supplies, horses and stores making it a prime target for the British army. As General Burgoyne was running short of provisions and essentials, he sent more than 800 troops to Connecticut valley under the leadership of Friedrich Baum, to capture the depot.
More than 2000 New Hampshire militia defended the port. General John Stark led the Americans against the British front and charged up the hill where the British had laid breastworks. The war raged for two hours with the Americans emerging successful. Under the command of Heinrich von Bryman, a reverse outcome was set by German Reinforcements. Seth Warner’s Green Mountain Boys however arrived under Ethan Allen leadership and prevented them. The boys drove them away, took more than 700 prisoners and their arms.
The Hessians were fully surrounded by the troops from Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. They fought, ran out of supplies and surrendered to the continental forces.
It is good to note that the two fighting sides called for reinforcements. Lieutenant Colonel Breymann came with a troop of 642 men and started taking control of the battle. At the time, it appeared like the Americans would lose but Colonel Seth Warner further reinforced its army. Lieutenant Colonel Breyman retreated after losing one third of his men. Colonel Baum was killed in the battle.
The impact of the Battle of Bennington
The fight in Bennington was quite fierce despite the fact that it took a short time. It reduced General Burgoyne’s army in size by about 1000 men. As a result, the general was abandoned by his Indian support and was deprived of essential supplies. This further led to withdrawal to Quebec.
The British were then forced to go to Saratoga without the supplies they were aiming at. They were defeated in the war by Americans who lost only 70 men, captured the four guns and many other small arms therefore, turning the drift of the American Revolutionary War.
The Continental Victory therefore spread through different Colonies and it raised the morale of the continentals because they believed they could fight the British in any stalemate.
Follow up of the Battle
Before the fight, a serious clash there was an impending stalemate between New Hampshire Council and the Congress over General John Stark’s refusal to adhere to instructions issued by Schuyler. He was expected to bring his brigade to the military on the Hutson. As a result, he was appointed the Brigadier in charge of the continental army.
The battle of Bennington was therefore a major battle in creating credibility of the Americans to maintain their own as opposed to regular European troops. This also made stark one of the best soldiers in the American Revolution war. As with many of the American victories, the war revived the fighting spirit of its army leaving Burgoyne’s army with casualties that could not be replaced.
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Sources
http://benningtonbattlemonument.com/battle.html
http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/107bennington/107bennington.htm
http://www.britishbattles.com/battle-bennington.htm