Surveying Bennington

Theodolite at Bennington Museum (Photo from Wikipedia)

A couple of months ago I became interested in the equipment and techniques used by colonial surveyors. I don't recall what spurred me to start looking into them, but I've been studying some period books and journals regarding the subject, and began looking into recreating replicas of some of the tools so that I can use them in the future to demonstrate 18^th century surveying to the public.

Field Notes of an Unkown Surveyor from New York, 1765

During my high-level online research, I found that the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont has, in its collections, a few original 18^th century surveying items, including a field book from an unknown New York surveyor from 1765. The field book is not on display, but I was able to make an appointment to view the item at the museum's library and archive. In addition to being able to view it, the curator there allowed me to take photos and later emailed me a transcript of the book. I've been reading, re-reading, and studying the book over the last few weeks. It's really sort of fascinating.

The first thing that I came across of interest was a statement by the surveyor regarding the temperament of some of the people who lived in the area that he was surveying. He was working on land that was contested by the colonies of New Hampshire and New York, and not all of the settlers were friendly. Having purchased their land from New Hampshire, many people in the Bennington area were not happy to see a New Yorker who was trying to claim the land for someone else. On the second page of his field book, the unknown surveyor states:

"Going North a Little to the S there Lives one Wickwire & on[e] Pratt I did the Same manner Demand the Possesion of that House & Lot in your Name, here I had like to have had my head broke, & he forwarned me Running across his Inclosion I told him Shurely Would & the, he might Sue for a Trespass of [if] Chose-"

Knowing the history of the New Hampshire Grants, and the residents border dispute with New York, it was pretty neat to see a literal first-hand account from someone who was there, in the midst of it.

Danby, New Hampshire Grants, Land Survey, 1775

Another item that I was able to look at was an original survey of land in Dorset, Vermont, dated 1775. The survey was a single page, and outlined a plot of land that I was later able to draw a map of. I haven't tried placing it within the town lines yet, but based on the survey notes, it was on the northern town line.

After spending an hour or so in the archives, I took a look around the museum. They have a really great collection of items from the area, including a lot of artifacts from the Battle of Bennington. Back to the topic of surveying, one item on display was a theodolite captured after the battle, thought to belong to a local Tory by the name of Colonel Francis Pfister. Pfister and Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Baum, leader of the German troops at Bennington, were both mortally wounded during the battle, passing away at a house where they were taken after the battle.

Bennington Battle Day

241 years ago, on August 16^th, 1777, Lt. Col. Friedrich Baum and Lt. Col. Heinrich von Breymann led an attack against the town of Bennington in the New Hampshire Grants with the main goal of capturing supplies stored in the village there. Colonial forces, led by Gen. John Stark of New Hampshire, met the German and Loyalist troops just outside of Bennington, engaging in battle at Walloomsac, New York. Stark's New Hampshire men, rebel militia, and Continental Troops led by Col. Seth Warner, defeated the invading troops in what many call a turning point in the Saratoga campaign of the war.

Bennington Battle Monument

Today, in Bennington, a stone monument, over 300 feet tall, marks the location of the storehouse that was the target of the German forces. Each year the State of Vermont celebrates Bennington Battle Day on the 16^th of August. Our only state holiday, we pause to remember the battle that took place nearby.

Bennington Battle Day has another meaning for me. In 2014, the reenactment of the Battle of Bennington was my first time taking part in “Living History”. I had joined up with Warner's Regiment, a group of reenactors who portray Seth Warner's Extra-Continental Regiment, but I hadn't yet taken part in an event. The Battle of Bennington would be my first.

I arrived in the morning with a half-price musket and a few clothes I had sewn for myself, nervous at the idea of spending the day with strangers (I'm a natural introvert). After getting signed in, and meeting Warner's, I quickly found myself in good hands. Spare clothing and gear was literally being thrown in my direction, and within minutes I had been transformed from awkward 21^st century guy to awkward 18^th century militia guy.

Militia at Bennington. I'm in the blue coat, 2nd rank in the center.

During the morning I received some training in basic musket use and maintenance, safety, and some basic commands. By afternoon, we were ready to take the field. Not being safety cleared yet, I was to go out with a wooden driver in my musket, meaning it would function as it should, but would not spark. This would allow me to follow the unit, go through the motions of firing, but not be a danger to myself or anyone around me should I do something wrong. We marched from our camp next to the Walloomsac River to the top of the hill at Bennington Battlefield. Our route took us through the woods, and everyone quickly fell into character. As we walked, warnings of “Keep an eye on the trees. Look for the white trim on their caps,” were whispered. I was easily transported back 230+ years. I was a nervous 18^th century militia man, tagging along with veteran troops, with no idea what to expect next. I imagined the residents of Bennington felt much the same way during the time period.

Once we were at the top of the hill, the modern world came back. It was a warm August day, and health and safety is priority #1. Bottled water was handed out to troops on both sides of the conflict, and jokes were traded as red-coated troops walked past our line to get into their starting position for the public portion of the event. They soon disappeared back into the woods, and we were sent to our starting position.

We started off in a thicket on the far side of an open field. Being New England, the thicket was covered in prickers and pokey things, making it easy to become entangled. Fighting in this kind of terrain, I quickly learned, is the Warner's Way.

My first taste of battle.

Soon the battle started. The pop of a musket could be heard in the distance, then suddenly we were moving. We came out of the thicket, quickly crossed the open field, then were back into the woods. I don't recall when the smoke started, or what was going on along either side of me. My main focus was to stay with the unit, and go through the motions of firing a musket. At some point the word “FENCE!” came through to my brain, and I realized that we were all about to charge through a barbed wire fence in the woods. We came to a quick halt while an opening was found. We all shifted positions to move through the opening, then went back into line. Soon we were through the woods, facing the main road at the top of the Battlefield. Calls of “PUBLIC TO THE FRONT!” were heard. We hunkered down in the bushes, still trading shots with the enemy, just being very careful of where we were pointed.

The charge below, I think, is one of the coolest photos I've seen from an event. When the order was given, the entire militia line sprang from the woods, crossed the road, and assaulted the German redoubt. With the capture of the redoubt, phase I of the recreated Battle of Bennington was complete, and I had had my first taste of being a reenactor.

CHARGE!!

I was hooked.

Another couple of battles happened that weekend, along with a commemoration ceremony. Last year, in 2017, we returned again to assault the redoubt. This time, however, I had all my own gear, and a couple of years of reenacting behind me. That was the year of the infamous Hessian melee attack, which single-handedly wiped out a large percentage of the American forces (2 of us) and caused a disturbing safety issue (fortunately the entire line didn't fire point blank at the guy). Below is my lifeless body, respectfully covered by our regimental pastor as he checked for dead and wounded in the aftermath.

Pvt. E. Davis, slain by a Hessian sabre - Rest in Peace.