Bennington's Historical Society celebrates the Battle of Bennington

The Bennington Historical Society is going to be celebrating the Revolutionary War victory at the Battle of Bennington.  Bennington was named in remembrance of that important battle for independence.  Come join us to celebrate Sunday, August 18 from 6 to 9 pm at Centennial Park in Bennington.  Festivities start with a covered dish picnic in the park.  Admission is one covered dish, beverage and your own plates and hardware.  There should be quite an assortment of food.  This will be followed by three video presentations starting at 7:30 in the Library Community Room and the opening of the Society's Museum.  One video presentation describes who and what was here before Bennington was dedicated in 1887; another about the business district that established in the late 1800's, and the last is a centennial rememberance of the 1913 fire that destroyed much of the business district.  Come, bring the family and friend and celebrate our heritage.  For more information, call 402-614-7509 or 402-238-2145.

The Battle of Bennington:
An American Victory

(Collections of The Bennington Museum, Bennington, Vermont) D uring the summer of 1777, the British put in motion an ambitious campaign designed to isolate New England from the rest of the colonies and thereby crush the American rebellion. For two months, General John Burgoyne led his army down the Lake Champlain-Hudson River corridor toward Albany with apparent ease, capturing several American forts along the way. In August, however, he found himself in desperate need of provisions, wagons, cattle, and horses. Burgoyne then made the fateful decision to send an expeditionary force to the small town of Bennington, Vermont to capture these much needed supplies. At the Battle of Bennington, which took place between August 14 and 16, the British army and its Canadian, Indian, and Loyalist supporters faced Patriots defending their newly proclaimed independence. What might have seemed like a minor victory for the Patriots contributed to the British defeat at Saratoga a few months later and thus helped decide who would win the American War of Independence.