by Steve Bradley
Saturday and Sunday August 12 and 13 were busy in Walloomsac, NY, with an encampment and reenactment held on the very locations where they actually took place 240 years ago. Saturday the reenactment took place at the top of Hessian Hill where the biggest battles of the day in 1777 took place.
On Sunday the event was held across the river at the Tory redoubt (a small defensive structure) on a knoll overlooking the river. Before and after the battles, visitors could mingle among the troops of both the American and British sides. Visitors were encouraged to ask questions and were able to see how troops lived during the colonial period. All reenactors must use period correct utensils, tents, clothing, arms, etc.
Historian Robert Selig also delivered a presentation, “Aftermath of the Battle of Bennington,” on Saturday evening between the encampments, focusing on the disposal of the casualties of the Battle of Bennington.