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The American Revolution

During the Revolutionary War, a significant number of women accompanied armies in the field. Often, they were wives of sol- diers. They performed a variety of essential duties, including cooking and caring for the wounded. They shared in the hardships faced by the army and were subject to military discipline.

Indian allies were discontented in the wake of the battle. They abandoned the expedition at the approach of another American relief column. Over- estimating the relief column’s size, St. Leger retreated to Lake Ontario in late August. He later pulled back to Quebec. Burgoyne, meanwhile, had run into troubles of his own. American forces chopped down large trees to block roads. They destroyed bridges. Burgoyne’s column slowed to a crawl. His supplies began to run out. And Burgoyne received a letter from General Howe. It informed him that Howe would not be leading a force up the Hudson Valley, as Burgoyne expected.

By early August, the British column was still more than 50 miles north of Albany. Bur- goyne detached 800 men from his main force. Commanded by Friedrich Baum, a Hessian lieutenant colonel, the detachment was to march southeast to the town of Bennington (in present-day Vermont). There, the soldiers were to seize horses, cattle, and other badly needed supplies. A 2,000-strong American militia force quickly assembled to counter the threat. Com- manded by General John Stark, it consisted largely of NewHampshiremen. On August 16, Stark’s force surrounded and routed Baum’s

General John Stark commanded militia fromNewHampshire. His men defeated part of the British army at the Battle of Bennington, Vermont.