August 16 in American History

August 16, 1777 — the Battle of Bennington

New Hampshire militia under John Stark crushed two detachments of Burgoyne's army near Bennington, Vermont. Stark reportedly told his men: "There are your enemies... they are ours, or this night Molly Stark sleeps a widow." The loss bled Burgoyne ahead of Saratoga — the victory that brought France into the war.