Battle+of+Bennington+Period+8

Victory for the Americans Bennington, Vermont

On the summer day of August 16, 1777 rain struck and delayed both the British and the Americans. British [|Major General John Burgoyne]advanced down the Hudson River valley from Canada with the goal of splitting the rebellious American colonies in two. His purpose to raid on the Americans was to fourfold; to encourage loyalists, frighten New England, replenish his stock of provisions, and mount a regiment of heavily equipped German dragoons. Being confident in a win, Burgoyne's plan took a turn and began to slow due to low supplies such as, shortage of beef, wagons, and draft animals.Torment from the Americans also became a problem. He called on [|Lt. Colonel Friedrich Baum]to gather 800 British men to raid on the Americans in Bennington, Vermont. Burgoyne had heard that the American storehouses at Bennington were poorly defended so he ordered instead that Baum capture them. When information arrived that [|Gen. Authur St. Clair] had retreated and [|Ticonderoga] had been taken, New Hampshire flew to arms, and called for Stark to command her troops. He consented on condition that he should not be subject to any orders but his own; and to this the council of state agreed, because the men would not march without him. Baum was unaware that [|General John Stark] was guarding these storehouses with roughly 1,500 men. Baum was already outnumbered so he called on Fort Miller for more men, [|Colonel Heinrich von Breyman], with about 500 men, was sent to his aid. Stark was so prepared, he started gathering his men and organizing for two days, then on August 16th he positioned for attack on the British. The attack began at 3:00 pm. The attack exposed extreme weakness for the English. Baum’s command was so widely spread out, his auxiliaries were dispersed and his regulars were fixed on a hill overlooking [|Walloomsac River]. All of them were surrounded and most of them dead or captured. The British had severely underestimated the strength of the enemy. Baum and over two hundred of his men were dead, and most of the others were taken prisoner (~700), while only 40 Americans had been killed and 30 wounded. Burgoyne had failed to get his needed supplies. His army was a lot weaker against the Continental forces at [|Saratoga], and after two unsuccessful battles he surrendered on October 17, 1777.

Battle Information: [] Combatants: Germans, British, Canadians, Indians and loyalist Americans from Major General John Burgoyne’s British Army against American Colonists, largely New England militia. Generals: Colonels Baum and Breyman commanded the Germans. Brigadier John Stark commanded the Americans troops.

Losses: Total German and British losses at Bennington were recorded at 207 dead and 700 captured; American losses included 30 Americans dead and 40 wounded.

Bennington was a major battle in establishing the ability of the Americans to hold their own against regular European troops. It also made Stark one of the leading soldiers of the Revolution.

[|Bennington Battle Day] is a state holiday in Vermont, it's a day dedicated to the American victory at the Battle of Bennington during the Revolutionary War in 1777. []

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Questions: 1. How is this battle significant to the Revolutionary War and why was it important to have even occured? 2. If you were General Baum how would you have prepared for this battle differently? 3. Do you think the storehouses were just a setup for an attack on the Americans? //If so,// Why was that a good location to pick?

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