John Stark
Peyton Hardin
October 11, 2014
Short #1
The Hero of Bennington
John Stark was a New Hampshire native who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution as a major general. After his service in the Battle of Bennington (1777) he became popularly known as The Hero of Bennington. “Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils.”-John Stark. On August 11, a German force was dispatched under Colonel Friedrich Baum. Their target was pretty clear; the Connecticut Valley to the east. The ultimate plan was to gather horses, saddles and cattle. The soldiers would go into deep forest, remove themselves from the safety of the main army and likely expose themselves to hostile residents. Resistance was met from the beginning, but Baum pushed on toward the community of Bennington. Meanwhile John Stark had raised troops of New Hampshire militiamen. Still angry from being passed over for promotion by Congress, he refused to submit to the authority of the generals in the Continental Army. Stark and his men headed toward Bennington under orders from the New Hampshire legislature. On August 16 both forces met outside of Bennington. The Germans occupied high ground and put up a spirited fight against the odds. Baum fell wounded; only a handful of his men escaped and the remainder had either been killed or captured. At this moment of victory, the battle was reignited with the arrival of a German relief column under Lieutenant Colonel Heinrich von Breymann. Shortly after, the conditions turned, this time with the appearance of Seth Warner commanding a combined force of regular army and Green Mountain Boys and remaining officers under the command of Stark, Breymann’s soldiers were routed and retreated into the darkness at day's end. As a commander, Stark had one rare quality: he knew the limitations of his men. After serving through the rest of the war, Stark retired and went to his farm in Derryfield. It has been said that of all the Revolutionary War
October 11, 2014
Short #1
The Hero of Bennington
John Stark was a New Hampshire native who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution as a major general. After his service in the Battle of Bennington (1777) he became popularly known as The Hero of Bennington. “Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils.”-John Stark. On August 11, a German force was dispatched under Colonel Friedrich Baum. Their target was pretty clear; the Connecticut Valley to the east. The ultimate plan was to gather horses, saddles and cattle. The soldiers would go into deep forest, remove themselves from the safety of the main army and likely expose themselves to hostile residents. Resistance was met from the beginning, but Baum pushed on toward the community of Bennington. Meanwhile John Stark had raised troops of New Hampshire militiamen. Still angry from being passed over for promotion by Congress, he refused to submit to the authority of the generals in the Continental Army. Stark and his men headed toward Bennington under orders from the New Hampshire legislature. On August 16 both forces met outside of Bennington. The Germans occupied high ground and put up a spirited fight against the odds. Baum fell wounded; only a handful of his men escaped and the remainder had either been killed or captured. At this moment of victory, the battle was reignited with the arrival of a German relief column under Lieutenant Colonel Heinrich von Breymann. Shortly after, the conditions turned, this time with the appearance of Seth Warner commanding a combined force of regular army and Green Mountain Boys and remaining officers under the command of Stark, Breymann’s soldiers were routed and retreated into the darkness at day's end. As a commander, Stark had one rare quality: he knew the limitations of his men. After serving through the rest of the war, Stark retired and went to his farm in Derryfield. It has been said that of all the Revolutionary War