Re-enactors march out of the field after commemorating the anniversary of
the Battle of Hubbardton, the only revolutionary war battle fought in Vermont.
Posted on 07/08/2010 11:40:12 AM PDT by Pharmboy
Re-enactors march out of the field after commemorating the anniversary of
the Battle of Hubbardton, the only revolutionary war battle fought in Vermont.
HUBBARDTON – The famous battle did not make much of a physical mark on Hubbardton.
“It was hay fields and cow pastures before and it was hay fields and cow pastures immediately after,” said David Bernier, who coordinates the annual re-enactment of the battle.
The ensuing two centuries may have changed the rest of the town, but they still made little mark on the battlefield. So, when between 300 and 500 re-enactors converge on it this weekend, Bernier said spectators will get to see one of the most accurate recreations possible.
“Hubbardton is a special place,” Bernier said. “It's one of the few Revolutionary War battlefields that is still in pristine condition and it's one of the few sites where there's a battlefield that they allow us to have re-enactments”
The event runs Saturday and Sunday, with the full-scale narrated re-enactment taking place Sunday morning and various smaller events and demonstrations both days.
Re-enactors camp on-site in period style. The site opens at 9:30 and the camps open at 10 a.m. Saturday. Events include unit drilling, an American court-martial, an 18th-century school house and various hands-on children's activities.
The battle itself begins at 8 a.m. Sunday. Bernier narrates the event in the guise of a Continental general.
The camps open at 9 a.m. with demonstrations of colonial-era cooking, crafts and medicine, along with other aspects of 18th century life. Sunday features a British court-martial and an artillery demonstration.
Both days feature a history scavenger hunt along with guided tours of the camps and battlefield. Vendors will offer various colonial-style goods and other items of interest to the historically minded.
The battle took place July 7, 1777. British troops, after being delayed by a naval battle on Lake Champlain the previous year, had moved down from Canada. When the American commanders at Fort Ticonderoga saw British guns on the high ground above the fort, the Continental Army abandoned its position there as untenable, crossing the lake into Vermont.
British soldiers and German mercenaries set out after them in hot pursuit. Waiting for them at Hubbardton was a force, left behind to protect the American rear, led by Seth Warner of the Green Mountain Boys. The Vermonters were joined by regiments for Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
More than a thousand men fought on each side, with a total of roughly 100 killed and more than 200 wounded. The British held the field and more than 200 prisoners at the end of the battle, but it is still celebrated as the action bought the rest of the Continental Army time to escape.
The Americans were able to regroup and deal the British a defeat later that year at Saratoga. That battle is considered the turning point of the Revolutionary War.
“If you don't know that part of your Vermont Heritage, come on out and we'll give you a nice history lesson,” Bernier said.
Admission each day is $5 for adults and free for children under the age of 15.
Looks interesting!
We have a similar story here. There is an enclave in Denver that is an independent city called Glendale. Legend has it a number of years ago there was bad blood between the two governments when a big fire broke out on the Glendale side of the main drag separating them. Supposedly, Denver lined fire trucks up on its side to stop it from spreading but refused to help fight it.
I worship at the feet of guys like this...Legends...
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