PRELUDE TO SARATOGA:
Herkimer at Oriskany; Stark at Bennington
By ELMO SCOTT WATSON
THE surrender of "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne, the luck
less British commander, at Saratoga on October 17, 1777, is
not only one of the high spots in the history of the United States
but it is also a milestone in world history. "Rebellion, which a
twelvemonth ago was a contemptible pygmy, is now in appear
ance become a giant" wrote a contemporary and his estimate
of the importance of that event soon proved to be accurate.
T7? ! --t- * A
r ur u ub victory won lor
the American Patriots an al
liance with France, Eng
land's traditional enemy, and
this marked the beginning of
the end of their fight for free
dom. So there was good rea
son for Creasy, the historian,
to include the fighting around
Saratoga among his "Fifteen
Decisive Battles of the
World." But ' a necessary
prelude to that fighting were
two other engagements, small
in terms of the number of men
engaged but big in their re
sults. It is doubtful if Horatio
Gates could have stood at
Saratoga as the victor had it not
been for Nicholas Herkimer at
Oriskany and John Stark at Ben
nington.
*****
Asthe year 1777 opened, the Brit
ish government began to realize
the real magnitude of its task of
subduing the rebellious American
colonies. Three plans of waging
a successful war against them
were open. The first was a strict
naval blockade combined with
placing strong garrisons at stra
tegic points from which attacks
could be launched against detach
ments of rebel forces. The sec
ond was to concentrate on Wash
ington's army and destroy it.
The third plan, outlined to Lord
?Germain by Gen. John Burgoyne,
second in command in Canada,
was to march one army south
from Montreal, another east from
Oswego and a third north from
New York, all three to unite at
Albahy. Thus, by holding the
Hudson river, the British would
isolate New England from the
other colonies and "cut off the
head of the rebellion."
The plan was fundamentally un
sound because it would draw each
army far from its base of sup
plies as it advanced and it would
enable an active enemy, operat
ing on interior lines, to strike and
defeat the separate armies before
they could join forces.
But Germain, as though to
justify his right to the title of
"England's worst war minister,"
decided to adopt Burgoyneis idea.
Even at that, it might have sue
the present site of Utica, N. Y.,
and reached Whitestown the next
day. Here Herkimer sent a mes
senger to Gansovoort to arrange
for co-operation against the ene
my. The commander at Fort
Schuyler was to fire three cannon
shots as a signal that a detach
ment was ready to make a sortie
from the fort, whereupon Herki
mer would launch his attack
against St. Leger.
The Impatient Militiamen.
But his couriers were delayed in
getting through the enemy's lines
Schuyler. Gansevoort, who had
been wondering what the distant
firing meant, immediately or
dered the three cannons fired as a
signal that he was ready to make
a sortie. Herkimer's men heard
the reports but they could not ad
vance now.
So great was the slaughter on
both sides that finally the In
dians, who had been assured of
an easy victory, became discour
aged. Raising the cry of retreat,
"Oonah! Oonah!" they left the
field. Seeing this and hearing the
firing in their rear, caused by
Colonel's Willett's sortie against
St. Leger's camp, the Tories also
retreated. Late in the afternoon
Herkimer's army held the field
which it had bought at such a
fearful price ? 150 dead, 150
wounded and 60 or more missing.
Ten days later "Old Honikol"
Herkimer died at his home near
Little Falls, to whioh he had been
removed after the battle.
Meanwhile General Schuyler
was met by General Lincoln with
orders to join Schuyler at Still
water. He was also met by the
Vermont council of safety which
ur^ed him to disregard Schuyler's
orders. The state government of
New Hampshire upheld him in his
decision to go to Bennington.
On August 13 Stark received
word of the approach of Baum's
expedition. Without waiting to
be attacked, Stark marched out
the next morning to meet the Hes
sian commander. He also sent
messengers to Manchester to
summon Col. Seth Warner's regi
ment of Continentals, which had
been left there in charge of Lieu
tenant-Colonel Safford, and or
dered him to rally the militia in
that section. He then drew up his
forces near the little settlement
of Walloomsac to await Baum's
attack. Although the engagement
which followed is always referred
to as the Battle of Bennington,
and is regarded as a high point in
Vermont's history, it was not
s? mm mmm&r vtmrnrn*. '?' -m
"I V'lLL FACE THE ENEMY!"? General Herkimer at the Battle of Oriskany. (From the paintinB
by F. C. Yohn, courtesy, the Glens Falls Insurance Company.)
and the unruly militiamen ? most
of them frontiersmen and typical
"rugged individualists" ? began to
chafe at the delay. Again and
again they demanded that their
officers lead them against the foe.
Enraged by Herkimer's refusal,
they went so far as to call him a
Tory who would betray them and
sacrifice the defenders of Fort
Schuyler. But the crowning insult
came when Coionel Cox shouted
"He dares not march! He is a
coward!" Herkimer sprang up,
his face white, his eyes blazing.
Colonel Bellinger and Major Frey
THE BATTLE OF BENNINGTON (From the painting by Cbappel).
ceeded if the minister had not
showed such a perfect genius for
blundering.
Burgoyne's Invasion Begins.
In June, 1777, Burgoyne started
south from St. Johns with his
army of British regulars, French
Canadian militia, Hessian merce
naries, and a large force of In
dians. He easily captured Fort
Ticonderoga, thanks to the blun
der of its American commander,
Gen. Arthur St. Clair, in not for
tifying Sugar Hill which over
looked the fort. After a difficult
march through the wilderness,
the British commander also cap
tured Fort Edward.
Meanwhile, the invasion from
the West had begun. With a force
of 1,500 men, including British
" regulars. Loyalist (Tory) volun
teers and Indians, Col. Barry St.
Leger advanced from Oswego and
on August 3 laid siege to the old
British post of Fort Stanwix which
had been renamed Fort Schuyler
by the Americans. The fort which
stood on the present site of Rome,
N. Y., was garrisoned by Conti
nentals commanded by Col. Mari
nus Willett and Col. Peter Ganse
voort who immediately appealed
to the Committee of Safety in Try
on. county for help.
The chairman of this committee
and brigadier-general of its mili
tia was Nicholas Herkimer ? "Old
Honikol Herkimer," they called
him He at once set out for the re
lief of Fort Schuyler with a force
of about 800 militia divided into
four regiments, :ommanded by
Col. Ebenezer Cox, Col. Jacob
Klock, Col. Frederick Visscher
and Col. Peter Bellinger.
On August 4 this force assem
b.ed at Fort Dayton near the
mouth of West Canada creek,
crossed the Mohawk river near
begged him to remain firm in his
decision. "Py Gott, no!" he thun
dered. "If you vill haff it so, your
blood be on your heads! Vor
warts!"
Half an hour later a disorderly
mob, rather than a disciplined
army, streamed out of its en
campment. At Oriskany creek
the road led across a narrow
causeway of logs over a marsh
with thick woods on either side.
Hidden in these woods was a force
of Loyalists from Sir John John
son's regiment of "Johnson's
Greens," commanded by Major
Watts, and a body of Mohawk In
dians led by the famous Thayen
danegea or Joseph Brant.
Caught in a Trap.
Just as -the head of the column
marched on to the causeway, the
Indians impetuously opened fire.
Herkimer's rear guard retreated
almost immediately but the rest
took shelter behind trees and be
gan returning the enemy's fire.
This marked the beginning of one
of the fiercest battles ever fought
on this continent. Some of the
"Johnson Greens" were old neigh
bors of Herkimer's men and Oris
kany was civil war at its worst.
For the most part it was a hand
to-hand affair in which former
friends killed each other with in
describable fury.
Colonels Cox and Paris were
among the first to die. Herkimer
was disabled early in the battle
with a bullet through his knee.
Urged to retire to a safe place,
he gave the re>ly which has be
come historic, "I vill face the en
emy." They laid him under a
tree and there he sat propped up
and directed his forces as they
fought for their lives.
During the course of the battle
his messengers reached Fort
had called for volunteers at Still
water to go to the relief of the
fort which bore his name. Bene
dict Arnold led them and as he
neared the fort he sent spies into
St. Leger's camp who spread
word of the coming of a great
force of Americans. The Indians,
still further discouraged by this
news, decamped by the hundreds,
as did many of the Loyalists. St.
Leger was forced to withdraw his
regulars in haste, leaving behind
him all of his camp equipment,
which fell into the hands of the
defenders of Fort Schuyler. So
Herkimer and his men had not
died at Oriskany in vain.
The Second Blow.
The second blow was struck in
Vermont on the very day that
"Old Honikol" died. It was the
victory which John Stark and his
New Hampshire and Vermont
militia, plus a small force from
Massachusetts, won from a de
tachment of Burgoyne's army and
it, perhaps even more than Oris
kany, sealed the doom of "Gen
tleman Johnny's" high hopes for
success.
When that general reached Fort
Edward on July 30 he found him
self in a difficult position. He
had positive orders from Lord
Germain to push on to Albany. His
baggage train was sadly inade
quate for a march through the
wilderness ahead of him.
At Bennington, Vt., some 30
miles southeast of Fort Edward,
a great store of supplies had been
gathered for Schuyler's army and
General Burgoyne decided to risk
a foray to capture them. But
when he sent Colonel Baum with
a force of 600 Hessians to capture
the supplies he was underestimat
ing badly both the numbers and
the fighting qualities of Stark's
men. ,
Stark was a native of Manches-.
ter, N. H., and had served with
distinction with Rogers' Rangers
in the French and Indian war and
as a colonel at Bunker Hill, at
Trenton and at Princeton. When
congress passed him by m pro
moting officers in the Continental
army, he resigned from the army.
Several months before, Ver
mont had declared its independ
ent as a state. When Burgoyne
captured Ticonderoga consterna
tion spread throughout the new
commonwealth because the Ver
monters felt that this capture laid
them open to whatever punish
ment Burgoyne might wish to in
flict upon them. So they called
upon New Hampshire for assist
ance in repelling the invaders.
A Premature Censure.
Accordingly, New Hampshire
raised a force of militia and put
John Stark in command with the
rank of general. Incidentally, offi
cers of the Continental army and
congress resented this action and
the latter, on August 9, passed a
vote of censure upon him for ac
cepting the appointment. This
was three days after his victory
and just a day before the news <w
it reached them!
On August 7 Stark marched Ms
ir.en to Manchester, Vt., where he
fought at Bennington nor was it
in Vermont. Walloomsac is in
New York, six miles from Ben
nington, and Stark's victory
should more properly be known
as the Battle of Walloomsac.
Baum arrived near Bennington
on August 15 and, gaining some
idea of Stark's strength, pitched
his camp, entrenched and sent
back to Burgoyne for reinforce
ments. The next morning, al
though it was raining in torrents
and Warner's force had not yet
arrived. Stark decided to attack.
After skilfully surrounding the
enemy, he launched his assault on
Baum's entrenchments.
Stark's men fought desperate
ly, and early in the afternoon
gained the crest of the hill and
after a half-hour of desperate
fighting, much of it hand-to-hand,
they shattered Baum's force. -Its
survivors fled from the field, leav
ing in the hands of the victors
their mortally wounded comman
der.
No sooner was the victory won
than the undisciplined frontiers
men scattered over the field to
plunder the Hessian baggage
train. Their commander had com
pletely lost control of them and
was entirely unprepared for
battle when a force of 500 British,
commanded by Lieutenant-Col
r ? -
Gen. John Stark
onel Breyman, suddenly came up.
At this critical juncture Warner
marched on the field. Stark's men
rallied around them and Breyman
was defeated.
The Battle of Bennington raised
the morale of the Patriots after
a long, unbroken chain of dis- 1
couraging reverses. Congress now
reversed its censure of Stark by
voting its thanks to him and his
men and making him a brigadier
general in the Continental army.
But most important of all was
the effect which this battle had
on the fortunes of General Bur
goyne. Weakened by the losses
of the force he had sent to Ben
nington and struggling against a
shortage cf supplies, he plunged
on southward to keep his rendez
vous with final failure at Sara
toga.
Western Nevipapcr UnJoo.
Ask Me O
Another ?
A Quiz With
Answers Offering
Information on
Various Subjects
X. Has the population of the
United States increased or de
creased in the last ten years and
how much?
2. What is the world's longest
airline?
3. How many people have lived
since the beginning of recorded
history?
4. For what countries did the
United States coin money last
year?
5. What was the beginning of
the motion picture industry in Hol
lywood?
6. Do the cold waters of the
temperate and frigid zones con
tain more plant and animal life
than do the warm waters of the
tropics?
7. How does the Maxim silencer
work?
8. Why do sharks fight back
down?
Answers
1. A census of population was
taken in this country in 1930 and
the next will be taken in 1940. Any
other figures that may be given
are simply estimates. The United
States had a population of 122,
775,046 in 1930; the estimated pop
A Refreshing Drink
IN THE summertime, cool drinks
* are so grateful to parched
young throats. Here is a cold
cereal drink you can mix in a
jiffy. It is very refreshing and
nourishing to boot.
Quick Cooler.
2 level teaspoons Instant Postum
1 cup cold milk
Combine ingredients in bev
erage shaker or in glass jar with
tight top. Shake thoroughly until
all cereal is dissolved. Sweeten to
taste and serve. Serves one. ? Adv.
ulation on July 1, 1935, was 127,
521,000, showing an increase of
nearly five millions in five years.
2. The world's longest air line is
that between Amsterdam, Hol
land, and the Dutch East Indies,
9,000 miles away. There are two
departures weekly at each end
of it.
3. The eugenics department of
the Carnegie institution estimates
that 30,000,000,000 people have
lived since the beginning of rec
orded history, some 6,000 or 7,000
years ago.
4. For Cuba, Honduras, Mexico,
Nicaragua, Venezuela, Costa Rica,
Colombia and San Salvador. This
coinage totaled 72,180,449 pieces.
5. In 1907 Selig opened the first
California studio in Los Angeles.
The first picture was the "Count
of Monte Cristo" in 1,000 feet.
Soon after that time other motion
picture studios in New York
opened California studios.
6. More plant and animal life
per square mile is found in the
cold waters of the temperate and
frigid zones than in the ocean
waters of the tropics.
7. The Maxim silencer is a tub
ular device attached to the muzzle
of a firearm that renders the dis
charge practically noiseless. The
device has an interior spiral
which, permitting the ejection of
the bullet, retards the explosion
of the gases by causing them to
rotate before escaping.
8. Because of the peculiar con
formation of the shark's mouth, it
is necessary for it to turn on its
back when attacking an object
at the surface of the water. A
shark's mouth opens below its
snout on the under side of its
body and it is, therefore, unable
to bite anything directly above
it without turning over.
Uncle J^hll
SfcujA:
WOl
-Jm
Praiseworthy Spirit
What we call public spirit is a
moral quality, a particular and
highly specialized form of unself
ishness.
It was Dean Inge who said then
was snch a thing as fatty degen
eration of the conscience.
A man allows himself to becom*
"slouchy" because he feels he has
something more important t*
think about than beauty.
Move or Be Mastered
Most people master their en
vironment, if they ever do, bj;
moving away from it. Perhaps,
in their case, that's the best way.
A man of few words may cosh
vince you of his wisdom; bat far
companionship he is a Sop.
Better to be afraid of the dark
than to be afraid of tl^e light.
With all its drawbacks, life is
still a splendid adventure.
Analysis Might Kill It
People love without reason, and
they are averse to analyzing tbs
emotion. t
Don't drive anyone into a coraer
where he has to tell the truth if
you value his friendship.
A "rugged individualist" is one
who hurts your feelings and
doesn't care if he does.
"Humanitarian" is a modem
word coined to express a modern
idea.
Only One Blue
True blue is not the kind that
means a melancholy depression of
spirits. That blue rests on fais*
premises.
It is more blessed to give thaa
to receive; but one likes to hm
this fact acknowledged by ft*
beneficiary.
A foolish man pursues a cours*
that he knows will make
drunk and then is disappointed ;
the result.
WLf MORE FARM
TRACTORS ARE EQUIPPED
WITH FIRESTONE TRACTOR
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tfaAsneM KNOW
Qncund (flip,
PROVIDE GREATER TRACTION
INCREASED DRAWBAR PULL
SAVE MORE TIME AND MONEY
I
NOW THE 1
AmayUuf,
New
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greater traction.
Farmers everywhere are welcoming this new
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with tractors equipped with steel lugged wheels.
With this amazing new tire you get up to 30%
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yoar nomt and oddm?
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rOR CARS . TRUCKS . TRACTORS AND ALL WHEELED TARM IMPLEMENTS j
? ? ? ? ? ? * Ti 1 4