Biography of General John Stark of New Hampshire (Revolutionary War) Source: New England Historical and Genealogical Register, NEHGS, July 1853, Vol. VII, No. 3, pages 201-205 Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by MLM, Volunteer 0000130. For the current email address, please go to http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00001.html#0000130 Copyright. All rights reserved. ************************************************************************ Full copyright notice - http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm USGenWeb Archives - http://www.usgwarchives.net ************************************************************************ [page 201] ON the banks of the Merrimack river, a little above the city of Manchester, N.H., there is an ancient burial place, upon a stone in which is the following inscription: "Here Lies The Body of Mr. ARCHEBALD STARK. He Departed This Life June 25th 1758, Aged 61 Years." That stone denotes that the father of the "Hero of Bennington" lies buried there. He was a Scotchman, and was born at Dunbarton in 1693. His parents must have been of considerable consideration, as they were able to educate Archibald at the University, and we are told that he graduated at that of Edinburgh. Soon after he graduated he went over to Ireland, and resided in the county of Londonderry. This accounts for Gen. Stark's being sometimes called an Irishman. Although Archibald Stark married in Ireland, his wife was a Scotch girl. In a short time after his marriage, Stark emigrated to New England, and settled at Londonderry, N. H. How long before the year 1736 this was, is not stated, but in that year Stark had his house burned, and he moved to a place "a little north and east of the Falls of Namaoskeag." General John Stark was born at Londonderry, 28 August, 1728, and had brothers, William, Archibald and Samuel, who, like him- self, were all "soldiers in the Indian wars," and noted "trappers." It was in this last employment, far in the wilderness, that John was taken prisoner by a party of St. Francis Indians, April 28th, 1752. After the usual hardships of an Indian captivity,* he was redeemed at a "great ransom;" so well were the Indians satisfied that they had secured a valuable prize. ----------------- * Detailed in my Book of the Indians and many other works. [page 202] In 1756 he was made Captain of Rangers under the famous Major Robert Rogers. This was the school in which, not only John Stark learned the practice of war, but many others of the same stamp, on the borders of New Hampshire, were thus prepared to dare and overcome the power of England. On hearing of the affair of Lexington, in 1775, Stark repaired to Cambridge. He was at once commissioned Colonel, and the same day eight hundred men, most of whom had followed him from New Hampshire, enlisted to serve under him. With these men he met the enemy on Bunker's Hill. Early on the morning of the 17th of June, Col. Stark, with others, visited the works on the Hill; and though he evidently saw the site was ill chosen, and, as he used to say afterwards, was better calculated for a pound in which to secure cattle, than to protect men; yet fighting was what was desired, and fighting they were determined to have, at some point; therefore little was said about the position at the time. While Stark was on the Hill, the British cannon were opened upon it, and he hastened to Medford where his regiment was quartered, to be in readiness for action. As soon as the men were in a fighting condition, they moved on for Bunker's Hill, led by Stark in person. As they marched over Charlestown Neck, they were exposed to a raking fire from the enemies' ships, which caused some of the more impetuous to urge a quickened step; and Capt. Dearborn (afterwards General Dearborn) who led one of the flanking companies of the regiment, suggested to the Colonel, that it might be well to hasten on; whereupon he replied, "Captain Dearborn, one fresh man in battle is worth a dozen tired ones." Arrived on the Hill, Stark posted his regiment at a rail-fence, between the redoubt and Mystic river, and here it was that the British columns were successively swept away with the most terrible slaughter. Against this point came the Welsh Fusileers, the flower of the British army, many of whom had fought at Minden. But the details of the Battle of Bunker's Hill are everywhere to be read; they will therefore be passed over here. After the evacuation of Boston by the British, in March, 1776, Stark was ordered to New York. Here he remained till the following May. In the Army of the North, Stark was placed at the head of a brigade by Gen. Gates, and soon after joined Gen. Washington in Pennsylvania, with whom he fought the battle of Trenton, having the command of the "right wing of the advanced guard," under the immediate command of Gen. Sullivan. He next shared in the honors of the battle of Princeton. Notwithstanding Stark's brilliant achievements in these fields, in the promotions which took place in the army by order of Congress soon after, he was passed over. This was owing to some misstatements and misunderstandings of an earlier date, out of which an assumption was framed that Stark had disobeyed [page 203] certain superior officers. But in that early day of the Revolution, when all was confusion, it is not at all strange, that where there was nothing but conflicts, that conflicting opinions should be found. The result was Stark immediately resigned his place in the Army. His own State considered that he had been wronged, and its representatives gave him their entire approbation in a strong vote of thanks. This was something towards preparing him to defend her with vigor, when required to do so. The news of the approach of Burgoyne hurried Stark again from his farm on the Merrimack, whither he had retired on resigning his commission in the Continental Army. Now he was commissioned by the Provincial Congress as Brigadier General, and was accountable to New Hampshire only for his conduct. He made Number Four (since Charlestown) his rendezvous. To this point the frontier's men flocked in great numbers, and he soon had an army again at his command. Gen. Stark was at home in the country through which Burgoyne was to pass, and though his numbers were fewer his knowledge was far greater than that of his enemy in that respect. On the 8th of August Stark proceeded to Bennington, a place selected by him as the best for annoying and watching the movements of the enemy. Five days after, news was brought that 200 Indians and 1500 Hessians were arrived at a place called Cambridge, lying in a northwesterly direction, distant about 14 miles. The General immediately detached Col. Gregg to secure a quantity of flour in the vicinity of Cambridge, which he supposed to be an object the enemy had in view, and soon followed Gregg with his whole force. He soon met the advance detachment in full retreat before the Hessians and Indians under Col. Baum. Both parties halted, and the Germans took a commanding height and commenced fortifying it. Thus closed the operations of the 14th of August. The 15th was so rainy that neither party could well change their ground, had they desired to do so, though the Hessians proceeded with their fortification, and despatched a message to Burgoyne for a reinforcement. Many tories had joined the enemy, and Stark at once saw that in the smoke and confusion of battle his own men could not be distinguished from them, as they were dressed in the same country costume; he therefore ordered them to place a husk of corn in their hats, that thus they might know their friends from their enemies. This they readily and easily did from an adjacent cornfield. The morning of August 16th, (1777) was bright and beautiful, and Stark's "Green Mountain Boys" were eager to show what they could do, and their leader soon gave them an opportunity; that they were to attack an enemy behind a breastwork, and at great odds as to numbers, seems not in the least to have disheartened them. Col. Nichols was ordered to lead his division against [page 204] the left, and Col. Hendrich his against the right. Before they marched to the encounter, the General called the attention of the soldiers to himself, as though he was about to make a long address to them. What he had to say occupied but a moment. "Boys!" said he, "there's the enemy. They must be beat, or my wife this night sleeps a widow! Forward, boys! March!" Colonel Nichols brought on the action at precisely three o'clock in the afternoon. He was seconded by Colonels Hubbard and Stickney. The plans of the Commander in Chief all succeeded perfectly; every man did his duty. The breastwork was stormed, and carried, though not without considerable loss on the part of the besiegers; for it was defended partly by Tories, who fought with desperation. The party to whom was assigned the duty of attacking the breastwork in front, met the muzzles of the enemy's guns directly in their faces. Having discharged their pieces, some scaled the logs of which it was composed and engaged the foe inside with their muskets clubbed; and now it was that the corn husks stood them in good stead. The Tories were soon overpowered and the contest ceased; though they continued to fight after the Hessians had surrendered. Before six of the clock, however, Stark had secured and sent off his prisoners, and his men were seeking some rest and refreshments, of which they stood in great need. Meanwhile intelligence was brought that a reinforcement of the enemy was not far off; and fortunately for the Provincials, they at about the same time learned that a reinforcement of their own countrymen was at hand under the conduct of the brave Col. Warner. No time was to be lost. Stark collected and rallied his wearied forces, and ordered Warner to press forward with his fresh men and begin the attack. He obeyed with alacrity. Confidence in any undertaking has great effect. Stark and his men had now acquired all that was necessary of that important item. They felt, that, to meet the enemy was to beat him; and so it proved. Warner was able to hold the enemy in check, and when Stark brought his men into action the enemy soon began to waver, and in a short time broke and fled in every direction. Stark pursued them till darkness interposed, and lent its kind wings to shield the poor German soldiers, who were ignorantly fighting battles against humanity. The fruits of these victories were four brass cannon, eight brass drums, several hundred muskets, 750 prisoners, and 207 killed, among whom was Col. Baum, the Commander of the enemy. Stark lost but thirty killed and forty wounded. The General and his followers were not the only ones who gained confidence by the battles of Bennington; its effects were at once visible throughout the Continent. Congress received the news while in session at York, Pa., and that body not only voted him its thanks, but appointed him a Brigadier General in the Continental Army. [page 205] After this, Gen. Stark joined the Northern army under Gen. Gates, and essentially aided in completing the work which he had so successfully begun at Bennington. In 1779 he served in Rhode Island. In 1780 he was with Washington at Morristown, and fought in the battle of Springfield, and he was a member of the Court Martial that sentenced Andre to be hanged. He continued in the service till 1783, when he carried the news of Peace to his native Colony, now a State. Henceforth he declined public employment. Gen. Stark lived to a great age, dying May 8th, 1822, aged 93 years, 8 months and 22 days. A granite shaft marks the place of his interment, on the east bank of the Merrimack, inscribed only with his name, "MAJOR GENERAL STARK." It was omitted to be noticed, that Gen. Stark was in the expedition against Ticonderoga under Gen. Abercrombie, and though he shared in the disaster of that affair, he did not suffer any of its disgrace. On his return he married Miss Elizabeth Page, daughter of Capt. Caleb Page of Dunbarton.* ----------------- * The Memoir of Gen. Stark by Hon. Judge Potter has been chiefly followed.