A New Trail, 249 Years Later

The Battle of Bennington was fought along the Walloomsac River in the state of New York on August 16, 1777. This battle resulted in a setback for British forces and their allies attempting to reach Albany. The failure of the supply mission combined with the loss of about 10% of Burgoyne's invading army basically doomed the invasion.

Of a force of 1,470 fighting for the crown, 230 were killed or wounded, including the commanding officer Friedrich Baum, and 670 were captured. American forces suffered 33 killed and 50 wounded out of a force of 2,000.

The main portions of the battlefield are preserved today as a New York State Historic Site. The new trail which opened this year follows the circumference of the fields along the river where the first stage of fighting ended and Baum was mortally wounded. Some fighting later in the day took place slightly to the west along the river as reinforcements for both sides arrived on the scene.