Battle of Bennington

Battle of Bennington
Part of the American Revolutionary War
A 1780 map depicting troop positions at the start of the battle
Date August 16, 1777 Location Walloomsac, New York 42°56′19″N 73°18′16″W / 42.93861°N 73.30444°W / 42.93861; -73.30444 Result American-Vermont victory
Belligerents
United States Vermont Republic	Great Britain Brunswick Hesse-Hanau Iroquois
Commanders and leaders
John Stark Seth Warner	Friedrich Baum † Heinrich Breymann
Strength
2,000–2,500 (Stark)[1][2] 350 (Warner)[3]	800 (Baum)[4] 550–650 (Breymann)[5][6]
Casualties and losses
30 killed 40 wounded[7]	207 killed 700 captured[8][9]
class=notpageimage| Location within New York Show map of New York Battle of Bennington (the United States) Show map of the United States

The Battle of Bennington was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, part of the Saratoga campaign, that took place on August 16, 1777, on a farm in Walloomsac, New York, about 10 miles (16 km) from its namesake, Bennington, Vermont. A rebel force of 2,000 men, primarily New Hampshire and Massachusetts militiamen, led by General John Stark, and reinforced by Vermont militiamen 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 men consisting of Hessian troops, Canadians, Loyalists and the Iroquois.^[8] He was sent by Burgoyne to raid Bennington in the disputed New Hampshire Grants area for horses, draft animals, provisions, 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 a rain-caused 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 a major strategic success for the American cause and is considered one of the turning points of the Revolutionary War; it reduced Burgoyne's army in size by almost 1,000 men, led his Native American supporters to largely abandon him, and deprived him of much-needed supplies, such as mounts for his cavalry regiments, draft animals and provisions, all factors that contributed to Burgoyne's eventual defeat at Saratoga. The victory galvanized colonial support for the Patriot cause, and played a key role in bringing France into the war on the rebel side. The battle's anniversary is celebrated in the state of Vermont as Bennington Battle Day.