Bennington Battle Monument

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name = Bennington Battle Monument
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caption = The Bennington Battle Monument
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location = Monument Circle
Bennington, Vermont
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added = March 31, 1971
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refnum = 71000054
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governing_body = The Bennington Battle Monument is a 306 ft (93 m) stone obelisk located at 15 Monument Circle, in Bennington, Vermont. The monument commemorates the Revolutionary War's Battle of Bennington.

In that battle, on August 17, 1777, Brigadier General John Stark and 1,400 New Hampshire men, aided by Colonels Warner and Herrick of Vermont, Simonds of Massachusetts, and Moses Nichols of New Hampshire, successfully defeated two detachments of General Burgoyne's British army, who were apparently seeking to capture a store of weapons and food maintained on the site of the battlefield. While the battle is termed the Battle of Bennington, it actually occurred about 10 miles away, in New York; the Bennington Battlefield, a U.S. National Historic Landmark, is entirely within New York State.

In 1877 a local historical society began to plan a monument for the battle's centenary, and considered many designs. One which called for a slender stone column only 100 feet tall was showcased during the battle's centennial celebration, which was attended by President Rutherford B. Hayes. The committee eventually accepted J. Phillip Rinn's design with some changes. The monument's cornerstone was laid in 1887, and it was completed in November 1889 at a total cost of $112,000 (including the site). It is constructed of Sandy Hill Dolomite from present day Hudson Falls, New York, a blue-gray magnesian limestone containing numerous fossils. Dedication ceremonies were delayed until 1891, when President Benjamin Harrison attended the ceremonies and held a reception at the nearby Walloomsac Inn. Today the Bennington Battle Monument is a Vermont State Historic Site.

The monument is the tallest man-made structure in Vermont. From its observatory level at 200 feet, which can be reached by elevator (but not the stairs, which are closed), one can see Vermont, New York, and Massachusetts. A kettle captured from General Burgoyne's camp at Saratoga is visible in the monument along with a diorama of the second engagement, and information on how the monument was built. Statues of John Stark ("Live free or die"), Seth Warner, and other notables ornament the grounds.

The monument, while 10 miles from the relevant battlefield, is located very close to the Catamount Tavern where Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys dwelt.

ee also

*Bennington Battlefield, USS Bennington Monument, Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, Point Loma, San Diego, California

External links

* [http://www.dhca.state.vt.us/HistoricSites/html/bennington.html Vermont Historic Sites: Bennington Battle Monument]
* [http://www.bennington.com/chamber/walking/monumentdescription.html Bennington.com: The Bennington Monument]