John Stark, born in Londonderry, New Hampshire, on the 28th of August,
1728, was of Scotch descent, his ancestors having been among the
followers of John Knox. His early life was spent in agricultural
pursuits, hunting, and trapping,--vocations which, though hazardous
and laborious, imparted a wonderful degree of physical power and
mental resource. At the age of twenty-five, he was taken prisoner by
the St. Francis tribe of Indians while on a hunting expedition, and
detained many months; but such was their admiration for his courage and
daring that they formally invested him with the dignity of chief, and
permitted him to share in the honors and successes of the tribe. Being
finally ransomed by the Commissioners of Massachusetts, the General
Court of that State having a “fund for the release of captives,” he
returned home, and as New Hampshire never refunded this money, $103,
Stark paid it back himself, earning the money by his own labor. Through
the French and Indian War he sustained a distinguished part, and at the
head of the “New Hampshire Rangers” often bore the brunt of the battle,
when the British regulars were baffled and defeated by the Indian
modes of warfare. During the twelve years of peace which followed,
Stark devoted himself to his old pursuits, and to the training of his
four sons; but within ten minutes after hearing the news of the battle
of Lexington, he had buckled on his sword and started for the scene
of action, calling upon all who loved their country to follow him.
Twelve hundred men answered his summons, and from these he organized
two regiments, ready for action under the Provincial authority. During
the remainder of this year and all the next, Stark did all that a
patriot could do to uphold the cause of liberty and independence. The
enthusiasm of his men for their leader was such that when their term of
enlistment expired, the regiment to a man re-enlisted; but Congress,
for some inexplicable reason, passed over his claims to promotion, and
advanced younger and far less experienced officers above him. Finding
his protests of no avail, he resigned his commission and retired to
his farm, sent his four sturdy sons into the ranks, and justified his
conduct in withdrawing from active service by saying, “An officer who
cannot maintain his own rank, and assert his own rights, cannot be
trusted to vindicate those of his country.”
The summer of 1777 threatened evil for the New England States. Burgoyne
was invading our territory from the north, while Lord Howe was making
unmistakable preparations to join him by way of the Hudson. At this
time of peril, the General Assembly of New Hampshire appealed to John
Stark to take command of the militia and check the triumphant progress
of Burgoyne. His consent was hailed with joy; willing troops flocked to
his standard; and his homely appeal on the 16th of August, 1777, “We
must conquer to-day, boys, or Molly Stark’s a widow!” incited his men
to such deeds of valor that the battle of Bennington resulted in the
complete rout of the enemy and the capture of seven hundred prisoners,
four pieces of brass cannon, and many hundred stands of arms,
broadswords, drums, etc. This brilliant achievement forced Congress to
acknowledge their former injustice and Stark’s true worth; on the 4th
of October, 1777, he was reinstated in the regular army, with the rank
of brigadier-general. He remained in active service until the close of
the war, when he once more retired to his farm.
Loved and revered by all who knew him, the veteran of two protracted
wars, Stark lived to see that of 1812, though too old then to take
the field in person. When the news reached him of the capitulation
of General Hull, and the loss of the cannon which he had won at
Bennington, the hero of many battles was fired with all his old
enthusiasm and longed once more to lead our troops to victory. He lived
to the age of ninety-four, dying at Manchester, New Hampshire, on the
8th of May, 1822. His grave on the banks of the Merrimac is marked by a
granite shaft bearing the simple inscription: