icans. The disciplined regulars of Baum’s
command fought ferociously, but they were
outnumbered and hopelessly surrounded.
Stark’s men massed and picked off the Ger-
man defenses piecemeal, for they were not
placed in mutually supporting distances of
each other. Baum attempted to make a last
stand at his redoubt on what the Americans
dubbed “Hessian Hill” until his ammunition
gave out. Collecting the dragoons, he then or-
dered the men to draw sabers—and charged
into the astonished militiamen to cut their
way out. However, only seven dragoons ever
reached Burgoyne’s camp. Baum was mor-
tally wounded while bravely leading his men
and was captured. He died two days later.
Meanwhile, a relief column of 640 Germans
under Lt. Col. Heinrich Breymann made its
appearance toward the close of the action. He
had been dispatched by Burgoyne following
the receipt of Baum’s letter, but rain and bad
roads prevented him from reinforcing Baum
at the critical moment. Pressing ahead, Brey-
mann was suddenly assailed on both flanks by
militia under Col. Seth Warner and was
routed. This last action concluded the victory
at Hubbardton, which cost Stark less than 100
casualties, including a handful of dead. In re-
turn, he accounted for 200 German killed, 700
prisoners, and four brass cannons. More im-
portant, the defeat of Baum’s foraging expedi-
tion ensured that Burgoyne lacked the food
and draft animals he so desperately needed. It
was the first nail in the coffin that ultimately
buried British aspirations at Saratoga two
months hence.Bibliography
Arndt, Karl. “New Hampshire and the Battle of Benning-
ton.” Historical New Hampshire32 (1977): 198–227;
Eelking, Max von. German Allied Troops in the North
American War for Independence. Baltimore: Ge-
nealogical, 1969; Gradisch, Stephen F. “The German
Mercenaries in North America During the American
Revolution: A Case Study.”Canadian Journal of His-
tory4 (1969): 23–46; Haarman, Albert V. “Notes in the
Brunswick Troops in British Service During the War
for Independence.” Journal of the Society for Army
Historical Research48 (1970): 140–143; Ketchum,
Richard M. “Bennington.” MHQ10, no. 1 (1997):
98–111; Lowell, Edward J.The Hessians and Other
German Auxiliaries of Great Britain in the Revolu-
tionary War.New York: Harper and Bros., 1884; Parks,
Joseph W.P.The Battle of Bennington.Old Benning-
ton, VT: Bennington Museum, 1976; Stephens, Thomas
R. “In Deepest Submission: The Hessian Mercenary
Troops of the American Revolution.” Unpublished
Ph.D. dissertation, Texas A&M University, 1998; Wohl,
Michael S. “The German Auxiliary Troops of Great
Britain in the Saratoga Campaign.” Unpublished mas-
ter’s thesis, Tulane University, 1976.BAYERLEIN, FRITZ
Bayerlein, Fritz
(January 14, 1899–January 30, 1970)
German General
S
tocky, little Bayerlein was a resolute
panzer leader with distinguished ser-
vice in four theaters during World War
II. By the time American units encountered
him, he commanded one of the Wehrmacht’s
most powerful units, the dreaded Panzer
Lehr Division.
Fritz Bayerlein was born in Wurzburg,
Bavaria, on January 14, 1899, and joined the
army at age 16 to serve in World War I. As part
of the Second Jaeger Battalion (1916–1918),
he fought against British troops. Bayerlein
then mustered out, but he was allowed to re-
join the postwar Reichswehr in 1921 on the