They Saw.US

In August 1777, British General John Burgoyne was marching his army south through upstate New York, toward an appointment with destiny at Saratoga. On August 9, hoping to acquire much-needed supplies and reinforcements, Burgoyne detached a force of about 800 men and sent them toward the New Hampshire Grants (now Vermont), an area he believed to be lightly defended if defended at all.

The detachment was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Baum, a Hessian who spoke no English. Most of the men in the detachment were dismounted Hessian dragoons, but it also included Indians, Loyalist militia, and a company of British sharpshooters. Their mission was to try to commandeer food, horses, and supplies in the region, and to gather up new Loyalist recruits. It was to be Baum’s final assignment.

Burgoyne was mistaken about the region being undefended. In fact, over the previous month Patriot Major General John Stark had raised a command of about 1,500 New Hampshire militiamen and had marched them to the defense of the area, where he was joined by another 500 or so men—Green Mountain Boys, a company of Massachusetts militia, and a contingent of Stockbridge Indians. Stark’s men, still smarting over not having made it to Fort Ticonderoga in time to help defend it, were eager for a fight.

When the two forces collided on August 16 near Bennington (now Bennington, Vermont), Baum was not only outnumbered, but he was over his head, lacking the experience and skill of Stark. Stark ordered his men to attack, exclaiming, “They are your enemies! They are ours or this night Molly Stark will sleep a widow!”

Stark drove his men at Baum’s center, while sending out flanking parties to envelope him. Seeing themselves being surrounded, Baum’s Loyalist militia and Indian allies soon fled or surrendered. Baum and his Hessian dragoons tried to fight their way out of the trap, but their situation was hopeless, and they too were overwhelmed. Those who weren’t killed in the fighting surrendered.

Baum was shot in the stomach during the breakout attempt. He was taken prisoner and carried to Bennington, where he died two days later, on August 18, 1777 (two hundred forty-nine years ago today).

The destruction of Baum’s detachment had a significant impact on the rest of the campaign. The victory boosted Patriot morale, denied Burgoyne much-needed provisions, dampened Loyalist enthusiasm in the area, and caused nearly all of his Indian allies (many of whom were essential and valuable scouts) to abandon him. Burgoyne’s surrender two months later encouraged France to recognize the United States and enter the war as its ally.

The painting is by Don Troiani and depicts Lt. Colonel Baum ordering his dragoons to draw their swords and attempt to cut their way out. Baum would be mortally wounded shortly after this.

Today in American history, we revisit one of its oldest mysteries. When John White finally made it back to Roanoke after a delayed resupply voyage, he found the settlement silent—houses dismantled, no bodies, no battle scars. Just a single carved clue: CROATOAN. White had told the colonists to carve a cross if they were in danger; none appeared. Weather and a damaged ship forced him to abandon the search, leaving the fate of roughly 115 people to legend.

This wasn’t just a ghost story; it was a turning point. Roanoke’s failure taught England hard lessons about logistics, Indigenous diplomacy, and the brutal realities of Atlantic supply lines—lessons that shaped Jamestown two decades later. A detail many miss: White discovered his own daughter and granddaughter, Virginia Dare—the first English child born in the Americas—were among the missing, adding a deeply personal ache to the enigma.

On the 436th anniversary, Roanoke endures as a question mark that sparked an empire’s recalibration.

Archaeology Excavation Program | Montpelier 2026 Join a hands-on archaeology dig at James Madison’s Montpelier. Excavate an 18th-century site alongside professionals in this immersive 2026 expedition.

Women make up 50% of your ancestry, yet their lives, experiences, and even complete names are all too often forgotten by written history. This course will help you reclaim their stories by providing resources and strategies for finding maiden names, discussing women’s legal rights through history as they pertain to genealogical documents (such as land and probate records, voting lists, naturalization, etc.), uncovering material and written culture left behind, and using mitochondrial DNA to trace maternal lines. https://hubs.ly/Q04srcwM0

🇺🇸📜 April 19, 1775 — Battles of Lexington and Concord

On April 19, 1775, armed conflict broke out between colonial militia and British forces in the towns of Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. British troops had been dispatched from Boston to seize military supplies stored by colonial forces.

The first engagement occurred on Lexington Green, followed by continued fighting at Concord’s North Bridge and along the route back to Boston. These events marked the beginning of the American Revolutionary War.

🎨 Painting: The Battle of Lexington (1910), William Barnes Wollen, oil on canvas, National Army Museum.

As Fort Ticonderoga commemorates the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution, our 2026 Author Series programs focus on the events of the American Revolution. The next Fort Ticonderoga Author Series on Sunday, April 12th, features Mark Anderson, author of "Down the Warpath to the Cedars: Indians' First Battles in the Revolution." Free for members. REGISTER here:

https://www.fortticonderoga.org/ft_events/virtual-author-series-featuring-mark-r-anderson-2/

Can’t make it to Washington, D.C., to see our new exhibition, Voices of Revolution, in person? We’ve got you covered!

To accompany the exhibition, we’ve developed a digital interactive that allows users to learn about 25 battles of the Revolutionary War through people who experienced them. The digital interactive includes summaries for each battle, as well as quotes drawn from first-hand Continental, militia, British, Loyalist, German, Spanish, French, and Native American participants, along with civilian eyewitnesses, that demonstrate the complexities and variety of experiences of the Revolution. The best part is that you can experience it from anywhere!

Access the digital interactive and start exploring at: https://bit.ly/4mhrYWT