June 3, 2010
Contact: Elsa Gilbertson, Regional Historic Site Administrator, 802-759-2412,
Elsa.Gilbertson@state.vt.us
BATTLE OF HUBBARDTON ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND
HUBBARDTON, Vt. –At the Battle of Hubbardton living history weekend on Saturday and Sunday, July 10 and 11, the public is invited to enjoy a colorful pageant of history, excitement, and entertainment for all ages in honor of the July 7, 1777, Revolutionary War battle. It was in these green hills 233 years ago that British troops under Lt. Gen. John Burgoyne first met the resistance and bravery of Americans in battle. Experience the sights and sounds of the Revolutionary War and colonial times—musket fire cracking, black powder smoke curling in the air, seeing food cooking over open fires, men and boys in breeches and waistcoats, and women and girls in long skirts and caps.
The weekend features activities for all ages and interests. Reenactors portraying American, British, and German soldiers will set up camps and offer tactical and artillery demonstrations, camp life activities, courts martial, learning how to drill, and guided camp and battlefield tours. Mistress Davenport will set up her popular school, and offering storytelling and hands-on activities for children. There’s a history scavenger hunt, and sutlers row for a colonial shopping experience for the public. Saturday afternoon is the dramatic military tactical, weather permitting.
The weekend highlight is the battle on Sunday morning, with troops starting formations about 7:30 a.m. and the extended tactical demonstration beginning at 8:00 a.m. Around 9:00 a.m. see the start of a symbolic Revolutionary relay across Vermont to Windsor’s Old Constitution House, celebrating a 233rd anniversary of Vermont’s Constitution. The modern relay will carry to the constitutional delegates in Windsor the news about the battle and withdrawal from Mt. Independence and Fort Ticonderoga.
During the Battle of Hubbardton soldiers from Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire fought in a decisive rear guard action to halt the British army and allow the main American army under Maj. Gen. Arthur St. Clair to withdraw southward to safety from Fort Ticonderoga and Mount Independence. Events at Hubbardton saved St. Clair’s troops and led to the stunning American victory in October 1777 at the Battle of Saratoga, considered a turning point in the Revolutionary War and in world history.
The site opens at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. Sunday’s events start about 7:30 a.m. Admission each day is $5.00 for adults and free for children under 15. There will be food available both days and plenty of nearby parking. The event is offered by a partnership of the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, Living History Association, and the Hubbardton Historical Society with support from many other Hubbardton organizations and area Scouts and businesses.
The Hubbardton Battlefield State Historic Site is located on Monument Hill Road 6 miles off VT Route 30 in Hubbardton or 7 miles off exit 5 on US Route 4 in Castleton. Carefully follow the signs. The site is regularly open Thursdays through Sundays and Monday holidays, 9:30 to 5:00 p.m. For more information about the Battlefield or this event, call (802) 273-2282 or consult www.hubbardton.net for background, images, and a schedule of events.
For information about Vermont’s state-owned historic sites: John Dumville, 802-828-3051, www.HistoricVermont.org/sites
