The BoB -- Battle One

[H]

[color=Navy]Part 2

Flag of the State of New Hampshire, the 9th state of the Union (thus the 9 stars)


Part 2
Stark completed his trek across Vermont to arrive in Manchester on August 9th, where Seth Warner's Green Mountain Boys had remained. Awaiting him was Major General Lincoln with orders to join the Northern Command of the Continental Army; Stark refused, presenting his stated commission that his only allegience was with New Hampshire. Stark left Vermont's militia along with a single detachment, commanded by Lt. Col Emerson, of the 11th New Hampshire Militia Regiment in Manchester while they awaited a retrieval party to return with weapons that had been abandonned near Hubbardton. Stark, himself, proceeded to Bennington, joining with local Bennington militiamen and sending out scouting parties.
On the morning of August 14, the British chased off a small force under Lt. Colonel Gregg, which fired upon them during retreat and abandoned the food stores at Sancoick's Mills but allowing the only bridge to be destroyed and slowing Baum by the rebuilding thereof. With his enemy having disappeared into the trees, Baum considered that they were either in full retreat or changing deployment as the next two days progressed. Stark sent a message to Warner and a now informed Baum, ably presuming to be outnumbered, was motivated to send a request for reinforcements while hastily setting up defense works on a hill overlooking the Walloomsac River, about 5 miles west of Bennington, in a heavy downpour. Rain continued to drench the area throughout the 15th and into the morning of the 16th, during which the 3rd Berkshire County Regiment, under command of Colonel Symonds, arrived to join Stark. Stark refrained from attacking in the rain, even under concern that more British troups might appear, against Reverend Allen's protest that he had "oft been called out but had never been allowed to fight the British." General Stark replied, "If the Lord should once more give us sunshine and I do not give you enough fighting, I will never ask you to come out again."
After dawn, the Bennington Militia of 300, commanded by Colonel Herrick, had made a long sweep around the south of the British positions while Colonel Nichols' force of 200, the 5th New Hampshire Militia Regiment, with but half the distance to cover, circled around the north. Meanwhile, Colonel Hobart, commanding the 12th New Hampshire Militia Regiment, had moved for position against the Loyalist militia on the near side of the easily fordable river, the southeast front corner of the British stations, with Colonel Stickney's 11th New Hampshire Militia Regiment to the right; Stark lie in wait behind for a full frontal attack against the main British positions.
A tradition says it was a Hoosic, New Yorker, named Jacob Onderkirke and another reports that Thomas Allen pulled the trigger and a ball of lead sped towards the British positions; within seconds, both Nichols' and Herrick's forces were attacking the British flanks. Upon hearing the gunfire, Hobart and Stickney immediately charged and the British responded with fire from their two 3-pounders. Other than about 160 veterans of the Battle of Bunker Hill, Stark's volunteers were void of military training and, with their first taste of cannon fire, Stark eased the tension by loudly quipping, "The rascals know I'm an officer; they're firing a salute in my honor!"
The forces of Hobart and Stickney had crossed the stream, and were upon their opposing positions within moments; Stark closed in behind them. The struggle was minimal; Loyalists and British defenders yielded their posts after one volley, their assailants upon them before they could reload, and Stark charged his force through to attack the main breastwork of dragoons and British sharpshooters. There had been a bit more resistance against the rear assault but there, too, the Loyalists and Natives surrendered or fled, some for parts unknown. Baum's defensive perimeters had completely broken, leaving the horseless dragoons trapped within their hilltop breastwork, wherewithin they refused to succumb.
Colonel Brehmann's force had nearly closed the distance within ninety minutes of the battle but it is said he did not hear the shooting. The gunfire was horrifically intense, later described by Stark as "one continuous clap of thunder," as the dragoons plied their valor and, to instill the fury of his troups, it is reported that General Stark screamed, "Today they are ours or Molly Stark sleeps this night a widow!"

[Hagar]

This is fascinating stuff but your choice of title seems somewhat inappropriate.

[H]

This is fascinating stuff but your choice of title seems somewhat inappropriate.

I don't really disagree, yet it catches the eye here, doesn't it. However, this double engagement of the Battle of Bennington was also a Battle of Britain -- and much preceded the one that has most oft come to mind for more than 6 decades.

[edit]Had to pop back into this. By my thinking, the period of WW2 that is commonly called the Battle of Britain should more aptly be named Battle Above Britain, Battle for Britain or, to keep the initials but capitalize the 'O', Battle Over Britain. But, hey, it's been BoB for over half a century so what are we going to do...
wait a couple more centuries when there's another battle to steal the initials? It's a good thing it was less than a century or BoB would bring the Battle of Baghdad to mind.

8)

[Woodlouse2002]

I disagree with the Battle of Bennington being a Battle of Britain. The BoB was really the Battle for Britain and at no point in the Battle of Bennington was the Britian its self at any risk.

[Hagar]

at no point in the Battle of Bennington was Britain its self at any risk.

Indeed. Even if they wished to do so the colonists were in no position to attack Britain itself.

The great Winston Churchill coined the term Battle of Britain. "What General Weygrand called the Battle of France is over, the Battle of Britain is about to begin".

[H]

We may be confusing the semantics here. We seem to agree that the 1940 plight was a Battle for Britain. Neither do I discount it as one of many battles of Britain. That little preposition 'of' can relate to all battles concerned with Britain, not just those upon its heartland.
As Hagar stated some months ago (did you think I'd forget? ), these colonies were part of the British Empire:
the American Revolution was a civil war and this battle was, by that contention, fought on British soil.

8)

[Hagar]

the American Revolution was a civil war and this battle was, by that contention, fought on British soil.

That might be how you see it. I don't think anyone in Britain ever thought of it in that way. It was merely another colonial skirmish & we've had plenty of them over the centuries. The British Empire would become even more powerful after losing America than it was before.

There is only one conflict that will go down in history as the Battle of Britain, when the very existence of the nation was threatened for the first time since 1066. http://www.raf.mod.uk/bob1940/background.html

[H]

That might be how you see it. I don't think anyone in Britain ever thought of it in that way. It was merely another colonial skirmish & we've had plenty of them over the centuries.http://www.raf.mod.uk/bob1940/background.html

Which basically relates to the excuses for the war in the first place.

There is only one conflict that will go down in history as the Battle of Britain, when the very existence of the nation was threatened for the first time since 1066.http://www.raf.mod.uk/bob1940/background.html

Or since what might have been if not for some bad 1588 weather. In that respect, the nation's existance was not threatened in 1066, only its leadership, howbeit some changes came about due to it.
Neither is it a certainty that there will never be another Battle of Britain so dire as in 1940. We see it as improbable but, in truth, can but hope.

8)

[Hagar]

I'm not going to argue about British history. My point is that you can use BoB to represent the Battle of Bennington if you wish but please don't associate the Battle of Britain with the American War of Independence.

[H]

It actually has a reverse association which I'd expected someone to pick up on. There were three major contenders in the Battle of Bennington. The British and Germans were allies and, basically, remained so for another century. Soon after the battle (even because of it), the French actively allied with the Americans.
Suddenly comes the 20th century and it shifts around, something nearly unbelievable to those of the 19th century; the Germans are the enemy and the Americans and, forbid it, the French are allies.

8)

[Hagar]

It actually has a reverse association which I'd expected someone to pick up on. There were three major contenders in the Battle of Bennington. The British and Germans were allies and, basically, remained so for another century.

I thought the French influence went without saying. It's debatable what the outcome would have been without the intervention of the French fleet in particular. This was basically an extension of a European conflict with Britain & Germany as allies against France & Spain. Even Adolf Hitler remarked that Britain & Germany were not natural enemies. The matter was finally settled at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

France & Britain had been traditional enemies for centuries. (Hundred Years War, Battle of Agincourt on St Crispin's Day 1415 & the origin of the traditional V sign taunt by the English archers against the French.) George III, on the British throne at the time of the War of Independence, was of direct German descent. He was the third Hanoverian monarch and the first to be born in England and to use English as his first language.

[H]

The sad part of it is not that many right here in New Hampshire should be ignorant of the Battle of Bennington; rather that, with "LIVE FREE OR DIE" emblazoned across the top of our number (license) plates, they have no idea where the motto came from.

:-/

Those who read the AFTERMATH section of Battle Two will at least know for as long as their memory holds it. During the course of checking my 'infallible'  ::) memory, I also learned a few things (including how infallible my memory isn't ). When the battle began and the Loyalist position was overrun, a Loyalist managed to reload just as a provincial yelled his name and bayonetted him. The bayonet having missed a vital thrust, the Loyalist managed to put his gun's muzzle to the man. He never forgot the remorse he felt as he killed him -- a man he knew, his wife's cousin.
Part of the reason that we have memorials isn't just for fun, food and games. People have died so that their children, grandchildren -- generations unborn -- will not. Somewhere down the line, the children forget. Then someone comes along to twist it all around or even start it all over again.