Editing Battle of Bennington (section)

==Aftermath==
[[File:Bennington Flag.svg|thumb|left|The ''[[Bennington flag]]'' was long incorrectly believed to have flown during the battle.<ref name="BenFlag">[[#BenFlag|A history of the Bennington Flag]]</ref>]]
[[File:CW memorial Bennington VT.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Bennington Battle Monument]] in [[Bennington, Vermont]]]]
Total Hessian, Loyalist and Iroquois losses at Bennington were recorded at 207 dead and 700 captured;<ref name="Pancake139">[[#Pancake|Pancake (1977)]], p. 139</ref> American losses included 30 Americans dead and 40 wounded.<ref name="Crockett135"/> The battle was at times particularly brutal when Loyalists met Patriots, as in some cases they came from the same communities.<ref name="K297_325">[[#Ketchum|Ketchum (1997)]], pp. 297, 325</ref> The prisoners, who were first kept in Bennington, were eventually marched to Boston.<ref name="K326">[[#Ketchum|Ketchum (1997)]], p. 326</ref>

Burgoyne's army was readying to cross the Hudson at Fort Edward on August 17 when the first word of the battle arrived. Believing that reinforcements might be necessary, Burgoyne marched the army toward Bennington until further word arrived that Breymann and the remnants of his force were returning. Stragglers continued to arrive throughout the day and night, while word of the disaster spread within the camp.<ref name="K321">[[#Ketchum|Ketchum (1997)]], p. 321</ref>

The effect on Burgoyne's campaign was significant. Not only had he lost nearly 1,000 men, of which half were irreplaceable regular troops, but he soon lost his Indian allies as well. In a council following the battle, the tribesmen (who had traveled with him from Quebec) gave up on Burgoyne and deserted him. This loss severely hampered the general's reconnaissance efforts in the days to come.<ref name="Pancake139"/> The failure to bring in fresh supplies resulted in even greater strain on the already overextended British supply lines from Canada, which eventually broke in September.<ref name="K340_1">[[#Ketchum|Ketchum (1997)]], pp. 323, 340–341</ref> The shortage of supplies was a significant factor in Burgoyne's decision to surrender at Saratoga,<ref name="K418">[[#Ketchum|Ketchum (1997)]], p. 418</ref> following which France entered the war.<ref name="N411">[[#Nickerson|Nickerson (1967)]], p. 411</ref>

American Patriots reacted to news of the battle with optimism. Especially after Burgoyne's Indian screen left him, small groups of local Patriots began to emerge to harass the fringes of British positions.<ref name="N268_9">[[#Nickerson|Nickerson (1967)]], pp. 268–269</ref> A significant portion of Stark's force returned home<ref name="N265">[[#Nickerson|Nickerson (1967)]], p. 265</ref> and did not again become influential in the campaign until appearing at Saratoga on October 13 to complete the encirclement of Burgoyne's army.<ref name="N385_6">[[#Nickerson|Nickerson (1967)]], pp. 385–386</ref>

John Stark's reward from the New Hampshire General Assembly for "the Memorable Battle of Bennington" was "a compleat suit of Clothes becoming his Rank".<ref name="Ketchum327">[[#Ketchum|Ketchum (1997)]], p. 327</ref> A reward that Stark likely valued the highest was a message of thanks from [[John Hancock]], president of the [[Continental Congress]], which included a commission as "brigadier in the army of the United States".<ref name="Ketchum327"/>