The military history of Vermont covers the military history of the
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
state of
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
, as part of French colonial America; as part of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York during the British colonial period and during the
French and Indian Wars
The French and Indian Wars were a series of conflicts that occurred in North America between 1688 and 1763, some of which indirectly were related to the European dynastic wars. The title ''French and Indian War'' in the singular is used in the U ...
; as the independent
New Connecticut and later Vermont during the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
; and as a state during the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
and the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
.
In 1666,
Fort Sainte Anne was established as the first permanent European settlement, by the French, at
Isle La Motte, Vermont
Isle La Motte is an island in Lake Champlain in northwestern Vermont, United States. At 7 mi (11 km) by 2 mi (3 km), it lies close to the place that the lake empties into the Richelieu River. It is incorporated as a New England town in Grand Isle ...
. This was done to protect Canada from the Iroquois.
Pre-revolutionary battles
At the time of the arrival of Europeans early in the 17th century, the territory of Vermont was home to the
Abenaki
The Abenaki (Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was predom ...
peoples and was frequently raided by the
Iroquois
The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...
and their allies. These Indian nations regularly fought each other in this area.
Zadock Thompson wrote ''several powerful tribes who were incessantly at war with each other, it became the bloody theatre of their battles.'' Then, when the English and French occupied North America, the area became a battleground between these colonial powers and their Indian allies. In
King William's War
King William's War (also known as the Second Indian War, Father Baudoin's War, Castin's War, or the First Intercolonial War in French) was the North American theater of the Nine Years' War (1688–1697), also known as the War of the Grand All ...
and
Queen Anne's War
Queen Anne's War (1702–1713) was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought in North America involving the colonial empires of Great Britain, France, and Spain; it took place during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. In E ...
raiding parties crossed the territory to attack targets in
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
and
New France
New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spai ...
. These notably included the 1704
Raid on Deerfield
The 1704 Raid on Deerfield (also known as the Deerfield Massacre) occurred during Queen Anne's War on February 29 when French and Native American forces under the command of Jean-Baptiste Hertel de Rouville attacked the English frontier settle ...
, Massachusetts, and the 1708
Raid on Haverhill
The Raid on Haverhill was a military engagement that took place on August 29, 1708 during Queen Anne's War. French, Algonquin, and Abenaki warriors under the command of Jean-Baptiste Hertel de Rouville descended on Haverhill, then a small fron ...
, Massachusetts, both conducted by combined French and Indian forces departing from the Saint Lawrence River valley.
Father Rale's War
Father Rale's War
Dummer's War (1722–1725) is also known as Father Rale's War, Lovewell's War, Greylock's War, the Three Years War, the Wabanaki-New England War, or the Fourth Anglo-Abenaki War. It was a series of battles between the New England Colonies and the ...
(1722–1725) (the Fourth Indian War) took place in present-day Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.
Fort Dummer
Fort Dummer was built in the winter of 1724 in what is now the Town of Brattleboro in southeastern Vermont. Today, it is notable as the first permanent European settlement in Vermont. The original site of the fort is now lost below the waters of ...
was established in Vermont.
American Revolution
Battle of Valcour Island
Considered the first naval battle of the
Revolutionary War, was fought on
Lake Champlain
, native_name_lang =
, image = Champlainmap.svg
, caption = Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed
, image_bathymetry =
, caption_bathymetry =
, location = New York/Vermont in the United States; and Quebec in Canada
, coords =
, type =
, ...
with the American side being commanded by
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold ( Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American military officer who served during the Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defect ...
.
Battle of Hubbardton
The Battle of Hubbardton was fought on 7 July 1777, near Hubbardton, Vermont. An engagement between General
Simon Fraser of
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
and
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
forces retreating following the
Siege Fort Ticonderoga, it was the only battle properly fought on the soil of what would become the state of Vermont.
The battle was a victory for the British, due to the arrival of
Hessian
A Hessian is an inhabitant of the German state of Hesse.
Hessian may also refer to:
Named from the toponym
*Hessian (soldier), eighteenth-century German regiments in service with the British Empire
**Hessian (boot), a style of boot
**Hessian f ...
forces under the command of General
Friedrich Adolf Riedesel
Freiherr Friedrich Adolf Riedesel Freiherr zu Eisenbach (3 June 1738 in Lauterbach/Hesse – 6 January 1800 in Braunschweig) was a German officer who served in the Seven Years' War and American War of Independence. He was the commander of th ...
; however the cost of the victory was sufficient to discourage pursuit of the retreating American forces.
Battle of Bennington
The
Battle of Bennington
The Battle of Bennington was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, part of the Saratoga campaign, that took place on August 16, 1777, on a farm owned by John Green in Walloomsac, New York, about from its namesake, Bennington, Vermont. A r ...
was fought 16 August 1777 in what is now
Walloomsac, New York
Walloomsac, New York is a location in New York State, on the Walloomsac River. It is to the east, and upstream, from North Hoosick, New York. It includes the Bennington Battlefield, which was fought on both sides of the river and listed on the ...
. The territory at the time disputed between
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
and Vermont, was fought over supplies and troops based in Bennington. Brigadier General
John Stark
Major-General John Stark (August 28, 1728 – May 8, 1822) was an American military officer who served during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. He became known as the "Hero of Bennington" for his exemplary service at the Batt ...
's brigade of New Hampshire militia was based at Bennington, Vermont.
The battle is commemorated by the
Bennington Battle Monument
The Bennington Battle Monument is a stone obelisk located at 15 Monument Circle, in Bennington, Vermont, United States. The monument commemorates the Battle of Bennington during the American Revolutionary War.
In that battle, on 16 August 1777, ...
, located in Bennington, Vermont; the monument is the tallest man-made structure in the state of Vermont.
Royalton Raid
In October 1780 British commanders led an
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
raid against various towns along the
White River Valley.
War of 1812
Although Vermont was not the scene of any major battles during the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
, its position as a border state with
British North America
British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English overseas possessions, English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland (island), Newfound ...
, and the demands by the federal government for the recruitment of troops dictated the state's involvement in the war. Several regiments of U. S. Army troops were raised, as were militia companies for the defense of the state's northern border areas. Vermont troops served primarily in the military campaigns in northern New York.
American Civil War
St. Albans Raid
*
St. Albans Raid was the northernmost land action of the American Civil War, taking place in St. Albans, Vermont on 19 October 1864.
References
External links
Bennington Flag US postage stampcommemorating the Battles of Fort Stanwix, Oriskany, Bennington, and Saratoga.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battles In Vermont
Military in Vermont