When is Bennington Battle Day?
Bennington Battle Day is a state holiday in Vermont, observed on August 16th or the nearest weekday if August 16th falls on a Saturday or Sunday.
It commemorates the Battle of Bennington, a battle of the American Revolutionary War that took place on August 16th 1777.
History of Bennington Battle Day
In July 1777, the British had recaptured Fort Ticonderoga and under the command of General John Burgoyne, had pushed into New England with the aim of cutting them off from the other colonies.
In order to keep his supply lines strong enough to support his troops and maintain his advance, Burgoyne had dispatched a well-equipped raiding party on August 9th 1777, led by the German colonel Friedrich Baum, to plunder military supplies from Bennington, Vermont.
The 800 strong raiding party met with initial success, winning a skirmish with a group American militia, led by Vermont Brigadier General John Stark, on August 14th 1777.
Beaten but not defeated, the Americans regrouped, strengthened their numbers and on August 16th, Stark moved his troops to intercept the British five miles north of Bennington.
The Americans attacked the British simultaneously from several directions. Many of the British contingent ran away under these first assaults and Colonel Baum was fatally wounded, reducing the British appetite for the fight and they surrendered shortly afterwards.
After the battle, the final tally was that the Americans had lost 30 troops with 42 wounded, while the British dead numbered 207, and had 700 troops captured. The victory at Bennington was a great boost to American morale and contributed to the defeat of Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga, a major turning point for the American Revolution.
Today the scene of the Battle of Bennington is commemorated by a historical park near Walloomsac and by a 306-foot (93-metre) monument at the village of Old Bennington.
As this is a state holiday, many government offices will be closed, but federal offices will remain open.
