by Bea Peterson
On Tuesday evening, August 16, a small group gathered at the top of the Bennington Battlefield in Walloomsac to commemorate the 234th anniversary of that revolutionary war battle fought so many years ago on those very grounds. After days of rain, the sky was clear, and the site was sunny, with deep shadows as the sun moved toward setting.
John Sheaff, President of the Walloomsac Battle Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, welcomed everyone to the event. He said because of this battle the balance of power shifted in favor of the revolutionaries. He said, “We’re here because of those who have gone before us.” He said we enjoy a wonderful life because of the many who have sacrificed in peace and in war to make this country what it is. There was a youngster in the crowd, and Sheaff said he hopes some day when she grows up she will say her grandparents and parents did a good job for this country.
He thanked the members of the Sons of the American Revolution and the Daughters of the American Revolution, Hoosick Falls American Legion Post #40, Peter Schaaphok as General John Stark and Paul Loding, as a Commander in His Majesty’s 53rd Regiment Afoot and the Brigade of the American Revolution, 2nd Continental Regiment, for participating in the anniversary event. He also thanked the staff at Grafton Lakes State Park for maintaining the grounds at the Battlefield site.
According to Wikipedia, “On August 16, 1777 a rebel force of 2,000 men, primarily composed of New Hampshire and Massachusetts militiamen, led by General John Stark and reinforced by men led by Colonel Seth Warner and members of the Green Mountain Boys, decisively defeated a detachment of General John Burgoyne’s army led by Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Baum and supported by additional men under Lieutenant Colonel Heinrich von Breymann.
Baum’s detachment was a mixed force of 700, composed of dismounted Brunswick dragoons, Canadians, Loyalists and Indians. He was sent by Burgoyne to raid Bennington in the disputed New Hampshire Grants area for horses, draft animals and other supplies. Believing the town to be only lightly defended, Burgoyne and Baum were unaware that Stark and 1,500 militiamen were stationed there. After rain caused a standoff, Stark’s men enveloped Baum’s position, taking many prisoners and killing Baum. Reinforcements for both sides arrived as Stark and his men were mopping up, and the battle restarted, with Warner and Stark driving away Breymann’s reinforcements with heavy casualties.
The battle was an important victory for the rebel cause, as it reduced Burgoyne’s army in size by almost 1,000 men, led his Indian support to largely abandon him and deprived him of needed supplies, all factors that contributed to Burgoyne’s eventual surrender at Saratoga. The victory also galvanized colonial support for the independence movement and played a role in bringing France into the war on the rebel side.”
