USA > Massachusetts > Berkshire County > History of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of its prominent men, Volume I pt 1 > Part 22
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The frequent tedious marches which they had made, to the intercept tion of their faim labors, and only to be sent home again without any opportunity to meet the enemy, had left them in no very good hummer. and much disposed to regard the present alarm as the old ery of " Wolf." Only the sterling reputation of Stark as a fighting commander brought about the general rally which was made to his standard ; and even this did not entirely dissipate the distrust which had become chronie in the Berkshire mind. This affords the explanation of a story, told by Edwant Everett in his " Life of Stark," which would otherwise make Rev_ Mr. Allen appear like a sadly unreasonable person.
" Among the reenforcements front Berkshire county came a clergyman [Reci Thomas Allen] with a portion of his flock, resolved to make bare the arm of flesh against the enemies of his country. Before daylight on the morning of the roth lie
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addressed the commander as follows: . We, the people of Berkshire, have been frequently called upon to fight, but have never been led against the enemy We have now resolved, if you will not let us fight, never to turn out again . Com. Stark abbed him 'if he wished to march then when it was dark and rainy,' 'No.' was the answer. ' not just this minute.' ' Then,' continued Stark, 'if the Lord should once more give us sunshine and I do not give you fighting enough. I will never ask you to chile again." '
The morning of the 16th of August dawned bright and clear, and Stark prepared to make good his promise of action A dose report noissance, together with the report of scouts, showed that the energy were carefully, if not at all points skilfully, posted and intreached. The at tillery occupied a hill of very moderate height, which rose just west of the New York State line from the Wallauste, a little stream fordulat all points, which had little or no influence on the battle, except to afford drink to the soldiers. The tories and French Canadians were placed behind the first line of breastworks. between the Americans and the river. On this, the southeastern side, the hill is quite abrupt, but it Sols off more gently to the north and west. Stark promptly availed himself of these conditions, and sent Colonel Nichols with 200 men and Coloquel Herrick with 300 to simultaneously assail the rear of the dragons and sharpshooters. The maneuver, which shows that Stark was a Kittul strategist as well as a man of heroie daring, was successfully excentel. notwithstanding the outlying of the Indian scouts, who, finding them- selves between two fires, and terrified by an aspect of affairs so different from what they had been led to expect, broke through the lines and fied. leaving a considerable number of dead and wounded. Baum, sharing the dear delusion which his tory counsellors and flatterers had so she cessfully cherished in Burgoyne, really believed that the militia nien stealing behind him in their shirt sleeves, and for the most part armer with fowling pieces, were loyalists of the country seeking the protection of his lines. He was not undeceived till they opened fire. Small de- tachments making feint at other points helped maintain the dereit.
/In the meantime the Berkshire militia men advanced with the mam body, which, led by Stark in person, was slowly approaching the tots breast- works by marches and countermarches, and sometimes circling aromipl a hillock. The object of these singular maneuvers puzzled the enemy, who probably attributed them to a reluctance to advance upon them, In truth Stark was impatiently waiting to hear the rattle of musketry on the other side of the works, which was to be the signal for his own attack.
In the morning the Berkshire men would not leave their camp until Rev. Mr. Allen had prayed to the God of Armies, that he would " teach their hands to war and their fingers to fight." The passer was offered with that fervor of spirit for which the patriot parson was noted, and w inspirited the men like the harangne of a friend commander -and por- haps more so, for it caused the men to believe that the Lord of Hosts
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was their leader. There are many who to this day attribute the glorious success which followed to the efficacy of that pages That certainly would be to rob Stark of his due honor if it means that a miguel was effected by Mr. Allen. But who that even in these days of less faith still trusts in the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous woon will re. buke the Berkshire soldiers of Bennington for superstition in their con- fidence that they fought under divine guidance and with divine support -and fought the more manfully for it.
As the Berkshire regiment approached the tony empposs, Mr. Allen. who knew that some of his old neighbors, members of his spiritual flock, must be there. was moved by a sense of duty which he fond that resist, although conscious of the extreme danger, to go still maner god. standing in open view upon a fallen tree, to conim thing to content from the enemies of their country and save the effusion of bloel : at The same time warning them of the consequence of persisting in their hostility.
There were probably from 75 to 100 Berkshire tories in the works, and prominent among them was John Graves, a member of an asisto- cratic provincial family and a distant relative of Admiral Graves of the British navy. He was still smarting under the parson's plain talk and still more physically from the "handling" which he had suffered at the hands of the committee, instigated. as he believed, by that talk. He now shouted, "There's Parson Allen. Let's pop him." A shower of bullets followed. riddling the tree on which he stood but sparing His por son. He probably owed his safety to the nervous marksmanship of the musketeers, but his comrades in the ranks found in it now assmance of divine protection. The intrepid parson, feeling that the Mool of the traitors would now be upon their own heads, turned coolly to his brother. Lieut. Joseph Allen, who had followed him under cover of the tree, and said, " Now give me my musket: you load and I'll fire." And fire he dil, -the first gun in that glorious fray.
This was, it must be confessed, in violation of orders, But Stark, almost at the same moment, heard the welcome sound of Nichol' sathick- ing musketry, and gave the word for the assault. It was made with such impetuosity and such a continuous deadly fire that the first line of in- trenchments was soon too hot for its tory defenders, who had cerratedy been given the post of honor if danger could make it so. Panie stricken. and expecting little mercy at the hands of their exasperated countrypont. the unhappy soldiers who loved George III. better than their country desperately attempted to reach the works above by scaling the sheep face of the hill, which had been rendered extremely slippery by tho deluging rain which prevailed when the surface earth was being removed for the construction of the intrenchments. Hardly able to maintain a precarious foothold at the best, but now constantly exposed to the gelenadres ar! unerring aim of the forest trained milithe, the wretched fugitives wat indeed in pitiable plight. Linus Parker, afterward the famous Pittshold
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hunter and marksman but then a volunteer from Lenox. describel the scene as horribly ludicrous when a glimpse was caught, through the veil of smoke, of the dark figures scrambling desperately up the steep and smooth acclivity, and one after another, killed or wounded, tumbling helplessly to its base. " I could not." he said. " have kept from shaking with laughter if I had known I was to be shot dead the next minute." At this stage of the conflict there was not much merey in the hearts of the defenders of their homes, of Stark's men, who rushed fearlessly up. the steep ascent-now by their own blood and that of the tories rendered more slippery than the rain had left it -- to within a few paces of the can non's mouth, the more surely to pick off the cannoneets. Attacked in front and rear, his cannon taken, his ammunition nearly expended. Baum gave the order for his dragoons and infantry to cut their way with sobre and bayonet through the militia who were nearly destitute of both. The charge was bravely made and bravely met. Banm fell mortally wounded, and those of his men who survived were made prisoners.
Victory now seemed assured, and Stark's troops were scattered in various directions : some attending the wounded ; some seeking and car ing for the dead ; some betraying instincts of irregular troops by plan- dering the British camp. At this moment of dispersion and demoralize tion the alarm was given that Burgoyne was near at band with the seen foreing corps which has been described. nearly or quite equal to Baum's command. It was impossible to collect at once a large portion of ilis scattered forces, and there was the utmost danger that the fortunes of the day would be reversed. Lieutenant Colonel Rossiter greatly distinguished himself by his coolness. energy, and courage in attempting to prevent this by collecting and reorganizing the men ; but it would have been in vain had it not been for one of those circumstances so frequent in the Burgoyne invasion that they may truthfully be said to have determined. its issue, where a higher power than man's converted seeming dithigules and disaster into the means for final and more signal triumph. Colonel Warner was with General Stark when the news of Burgoyne's approach reached him, and acted as his aid and counsellor from that time. His regiment, reduced to less than 150 men by the slaughter of Hubdu's town, was at Manchester under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Sat ford, and it responded with alacrity to the call of Stark and its com mander, and by a forced march through the rain and mud reached Ben nington during the forenoon of the 16th ; but they were obliged to wait for rest and to put their firelocks in order, so that they could not take part in the first encounter, but came on to the field fresh and eager to emulate the exploits of their brethren in the forenoon, just in time to turn the scale in which victory seemed to be indining toward the enemy. Breyman began a retreat which soon became a fight, aband ming his ar- tillery, a large number of small arms, and many of his wounded Dark ness preserved the broken remnant, that was met in Boulogne who was
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advancing to their relief with the 42d British regiment, with what feel- ings can well be imagined.
The victory was complete. In both engagements Stark lost only about thirty killed and forty wounded, while the loss of the Pheniy. wounded and prisoners, was more than 1.000. The prisoners alone welp at least 690, of whom 400 were Germans and 175 were tories. The fruits of the victory in materials of war were fom cannon. 900 hagoon swords. 1,000 stand of excellent arms. and four ammunition wagons, besides what the militia men secured personally.
Most of the prisoners were sent to Boston under charge of General Fellows ; but a portion were left in charge of the committees of Berkshire and Hampshire, by whom they were permitted to him out to work on such terms as the committee deemed equitable. A considerable number of them did so to the great relief of the searcity of labor produced by the war. Some of them, as well as others taken with Burgoyne, became permanent and valuable settlers.
No battle in the Revolution took a more powerful and permanent hold upon the hearts of the people than that of Bennington. The dark background which it relieved contributed much to this effvet. Its result shed light and hope where before there was almost unbroken gloom and dismay. At the moment when it took place the tories were rapidly in- creasing in numbers from the ranks of those whose position was ile termined by the prospects of success : and we find in letters of that period that in Albany and Berkshire counties even some pronomen whigs, in their alarm, were seeking the intercession of their leading op- ponents with Bnigoyne, in case his legions should reach them. Sunk's victory changed all that, and gave the people courage and vigor to meet him victoriously. The romantie scenery of the region in which the boa tle was fought, and the character of the soldiers by whom it was wout. also contributed much to its effect on the imagination. In the sober view of history its importance can hardly be overestimated. but its name is also surrounded by a poetic radiance which gives its memory a peculiar luster.
The conflict is called " The Battle of the Militia," and so, as regards the organization of the troops which won it, it was. But not in regard to their training. Almost every man who answered to Stark's call had for years been trained as a soldier, and had lived in daily expectation of hoing called to the field, and had received the hardening of a response to several alarms. Many of them had been under fire, not a few were veterans, and some who volunteered as privates were even veteran officers. It was a battle of militia, but not all of raw militia.
Shortly after the battle of Bennington a service was performed by Colonel Brown, which from its striking similitude to his early exploits. as well as from other circumstances, we are led to believe mi inated with himself. We are not informed where he was at the time of the battle. He was certainly not at home, nor at Manchester with Lincoln. as he had
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recently been : otherwise he would have been in the fight and in com- mand of the Berkshire militia. It is altogether probable that he was making a reconnaissance as far as the neighborhood of Ticonderoga Ac cording to a statement of the selection of Pittsfield, made to the Gogeral Court in December, 1779. for the purpose of obtaining a certification of their quota of men. it is stated that Captain John Strong went to Skelles. boro, September 6th, with thirty one men. "each with a horse and a bag of meal." No rank is mentioned for either of the thirty-one. but among them were .John Brown, who was the colonel of the recipient, and James Easton, the former colonel. The company was part of a detail from the three Berkshire regiments which reported to General Lincoln at Powlet as soon as they could reach him after the 6th.
On the 13th General Lincoln sent ont three detachugents for the pur. pose of capturing some posts in the rear of Burgoyne, and entting off his communication with Canada. One of these, under comund of Colonel Johnson, of Hampshire county, consisted of several hundred Berkshire militia, including the Berkshire detail, and was sent to threaten Ticon deroga from the Vermont side and. if opportunity offered, to attack Fort Independence. It marched as far as Skenesboro, now Whitehall. but made no captures. A second was composed of the Vermont rangers under Colonel Herrick. What its object or shecess was we do not know. The third corps, consisting of 500 picked men, was placed under the command of Colonel Brown, with orders to proceed to Fort George. destroy the British stores collected there, and release the American pris- oners for whom it had been made a depot and. if circumstances favared. to unite with Johnson in an attack on Ticonderoga.
With so much discretion and spirit was Brown's expedition conducted that, leaving Powlet on the morning of the 13th, by the morning of the 18th he had not only accomplished all the objects designated in the gon. eral's orders-except the last and contingent one-but, passing up Lake George, he had surprised all the ontworks between its northern land. ing place and the main fort of Ticonderoga, including Mount Hope. Mount Defiance, an isolated blockhouse, and the old French lines. B. sides these an armed brig, several gunboats, and 200 batteaux had fallen into his hands. He had made 223 prisoners, embracing four companies of regular infantry and nearly as many Canadians, besides the officers and crews of the flotilla. Five cannon, and small arms in proportion to the number of prisoners, were among his spoils. And. to crown the gratify- ing character of the achievement, 100 American soldiers were released from captivity, and the continental standard which had been left behind in the unseemly haste of the late evacuation was recovered.
Having accomplished this Colonel Brown summoned the commander of Ticonderoga to surrender, but having not sufficient siege artillery or men to enforce compliance, after making demonstrations asminst the place for a few days, he burned the captured vessels, and returned
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safely with his other captures to headquarters, having lost in killed and wounded ouly nine men.
The importance of Brown's success in this expedition, in connection with the battle of Bennington, is well illustrated from the following par- agraph from a Life of Burgoyne, published at London, in 1876, under the auspices of his family, as a vindication of his personal and military character :
" The Americans were greatly clated by this success [the Bennington victory ] To Burgoyne the loss of 700 men was a serious blow, and the mire so since the fall ure upon Bennington necessitated his awaiting supplies from the north and prevented , his meeting the enemy before they could collect in force."
The destruction by Brown of the means of water communication. Com the north (an achievement it will be remembered which was not incluited in his instructionsy eut off any further supplies from Canada, and con tributed much to that scarcity of provisions which a month later conr pelled his surrender.
Three days after the battle of Bennington General Schuyler was again succeeded in command by Gates-a man with few of his noble qualities, and with many of his weaknesses, besides others which Schuy ler had not. Still the new commander had a psuedo reputation as a fighting general which rendered him popular with the militia and will those who did not like the Fabian policy of Washington. The militia of Berkshire flocked eagerly to his standard. Although Brown and Euston knew him too well to trust him. they did not consider it pargiotie to chienk the popular enthusiasm which was. in that emergency all importunit to one hance.
In the meantime, and before Brown's expedition. Burgoyne, by the most arduous exertions. had succeeded in transporting Ist Goals Troen Lakes Champlain and George, and accumulated a supply of provisjous for one month, which made everything to that extent ready for the long delayed advance to Albany. But now the occupation of Stillwatere by the Americans had rendered that movement impossible unless they were first dislodged. To accomplish this he could muster at the best to glory than 6,000 men, and in order to swell his numbers as ninch as possible he resolved to call in the garrisons stationed at Skenesboro, Fort Midler. will Fort Edward. thus relingnishing communication with Coand. It lins been said that the necessity for such a measme had been foroseen by Gene erals Gates and Lincoln, who had organized the Power expeditions to prevent it. But it is not clear how an expedition against Ticonderoga and Fort George, which he did not abandon, could have prevented Bur- goyne from withdrawing his garrisons from the posts below : aud if the garrisons in those posts had orders to rejoin the main body it is dithenit to see how Colonels Johnson and Herrick could have prevented it unless they took them by surprise. At any rate, when Johnson reached Skenes boro the garrison had already left.
Burgoyne, on the 14th of September, crossed the Hudson on a birbilge
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of boats. The Americans were strongly intrenched at Stillwater, and Burgoyne soon had strong works at Saratoga. The series of battles, which ended in the capitulation of Burgoyne's entire punt on the light of Un- tober, commenced on the 19th of September. The Berkshire militia were engaged in great numbers, but detail seems to have relieveil detail so that generally the whole body was not present at the same time, and we have few particulars of its service. A map of the hell, printed in the Life of Burgoyne before quoted. represents General Follows as holding the east bank of the Hudson, with 3 000 men. from Deplug fich until die capitulation.
Burgoyne, from the time he took position at Surroga. podle almost frantic efforts to communicate with General Clinton on The Power Hool son, but of his many messengers only three of four reached their desting- tion, and only one returned. What the Berkshire militia woordoint Ion tween their homes and the Hudson, and how vigilant they were isshown in part of the story told by one of these messengers of lis many ditbe culties and dangers :
"The 27th of September, in the evening, I left Gen. Burgoyne's camp with des spatches for Sir Henry Clinton; passed to the east bink of the Hudson, but could get no further into the woods than a mile and a half, owing to the darkness of the night and a swamp we got into. Set out, the 28th, in the morning, keeping the woods until we got to the banks of the Husack creek, which we found was guarded at all the fords by the enemy to prevent the friends of government toom gelting into Gian Burgoyne's camp, which obliged us to remain quier all day. Passed several of their guards that night and, by the assistance of a thick fog, passed the creek carly to the morning of the 29th, and got four miles beyond Pittstown [ Pn:shield [ a: which dice my guide from Gen. Burgoyne's camp left me to a German, where I stayed all night"
After several times narrowly escaping either a bullet or a halter, the messenger, Capt. Thomas Scott, of the 33d regiment, reached Clinton! but he had learned too much of the dangers of the runje to attenipt to return.
The number of officers and men who laid down their arms at Bur- goyne's capitulation was 5.791. Of the original army 1,85, who had before been made prisoners, were not included in the articles of capitala tion. The whole body, except some Germany who, not loging guard. I with especial care, slipped away and remained as good American cifi zens, were sent to Boston in two divisions. One of these, of 2,500 med. passed through Williamstown. Lanesboro, Pittsfield. Dalion, and Peru, In Pittsfield they emcamped or bisonacked on East and South strats, where of course they attracted great crowds of spectators. We have no particular information how the division that went by this toute were greeted by the country people; but the road by which they mordred through Dalton and Peru, not now that the most traveled, is still known as the " Burgoyne road." at least to the older inhabitants and points on it are considered of great local interest, It is not proteste that gold coin was over abundant with the officers, but it looked like a maint in the eyes
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of the people to whom they paid some of it for entry heures A til dictionary belief existed until quite recently that they lafried boards of it along the roadside, and men came from long distances to die for them as for Captain Kidd's hidden treasures. What reason men in their posizion could have for hiding the best friend they could have in a region to which they never expected to return, wenn never to have dented to them to ask.
A second and somewhat larger division passed Through Great Bar rington, which place it reached on the Pathof Ourober It was acron panied by General Burgoyne and the Baron Reidosel who, being ill. node in a carriage with his wife and children. Teams for the calltrying of the sick and the provisions were to have been changed lare, but as no orders had been given in advance, a considerable delay was necessary Taylor says, " A portion of the prisoners had its camp in the hollies of the hillside, westerly from the late residence of Mis. Mark. Rossiter. in the northerly part of the village," and that "a larger section was elf. camped in the south part of the village on the level ground lying west of the main street, and north of the road leading from the burial ground toward Green River. The officers, among whom was the Hessian gen- eral, Baron Reidesel. had their quarters in the old Episcopal church. and General Burgoyne, who was ill disposed and depressed in spirits. remained for several days at the house of Col. Elijah Dwight, in No. Henderson house. During their stay the prisoners were more kindly treated than would reasonably be expected at the hands of an exhausted people. Many of them were sick and suffering from camp fever, and it is related that Capt. Truman Wheeler collected toots, boiled them and personally distributed the decoction among the invalide, with good efect. and that one of the British officers presented him with a substantial token of appreciation of the kindness shown the prisoners." Cool Stone, writing on the authority of Reidosel, says that at Great Hatrings ton " they for the first time on their march eddained shelter in barns." From the context and from the probabilities of the case " they " seems to refer to the captive soldiers, but it may mean, or include in its wodne ing. General Reidesel and his family, who might desire quarters apart. from those of the body of the officers.
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