A presentation was given at the Hoosick Falls high school auditorium about archaeological research at the Bennington Battlefield on Friday evening November 4. [private]The work was done under a grant from the American Battlefield Protection Program. The Contractor for the study was the Commonwealth Heritage Group, a large consulting firm with offices across the country. The Project Manager is Wade Catts.
The project undertook to gather archaeological data and combine it with maps and first hand accounts to get an accurate picture of what happened during the battle. The project recruited a cadre of volunteers with metal detectors to gather artifacts.
They divided up key areas of the battlefield into grids to make sure that all areas were covered, and the volunteers spent 435 hours detecting. 200 battle-related artifacts were found. Most of these were bullets, but there were also a number of buttons and coins. Each of the artifacts was tested for traces of blood, and those that tested positive were found in the places where one would expect the most casualties. The archaeological part of the project was led by Field Director Chris Espenshade, who gave a powerpoint presentation showing his findings in detail.
Another aspect of the project was gathering as many of the primary documents as possible. This part was undertaken by Military Historian Dr. Robert Selig. He said there are about 200 accounts of the battle from a variety of sources. Many of these came from the 1830s, when historians like Jared Sparks and Asa Fitch traveled around to gather accounts of the battle before the participants died. Also in the early part of the 19th century there were a lot of pension applications from participants in the battle which described what happened. In addition, said Selig, there are about 30 to 35 accounts written by the German soldiers who took part in the battle on the British side.
These documents gathered by Selig will form an appendix to the project’s final report, which is not out yet. It is possible that they will be made available online at some point for all to see.
Selig said the Americans’ superior knowledge of the local terrain allowed them to execute a pincer movement which attacked the British stronghold at the top of the hill from two sides and forced them to abandon that commanding position, which enabled the Americans to capture their cannon and turn it on them. The Tory Fort, he said, was poorly located from a military perspective, and it fell almost immediately when the Americans were able to sneak up through a gully and remain hidden until they were very near the fort. After these two disasters, the Crown forces fled west, where they met Breymann’s relief column of 642 men and were able to regroup for the “second battle.” This time the Crown forces were pushing back the Americans, but Selig said the Crown forces were wasteful with their ammunition and began to run low, so that when Seth Warner’s division of about 330 men arrived, the Americans soon gained the victory.
The project also deployed ground penetrating radar at key parts of the battlefield, which gives some indication of where there may be structures buried under the ground. This may lead to excavations later on to learn about such things as for example, the precise location of the Tory Fort.
The project has certainly brought more understanding of the details of the battle, and suggested avenues for future research. A report is being put together, which is not yet ready for release.[/private]