JOHN STARK.
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:
MAJOR-GENERAL STARK.
JAMES WILKINSON.
James Wilkinson, born near the village of Benedict on the Patuxent, Maryland, in 1757, began the study of medicine with an uncle, who, having been a surgeon under Wolfe, told his pupil many anecdotes of the war in Canada. The military bias of his mind was further strengthened by what he saw during his frequent visits to the barracks, while attending the medical school in Philadelphia. Although having returned home to practise his profession, upon hearing the news concerning the battle of Bunker Hill, he hastened to join the army under Washington at Cambridge. Here he made the acquaintance of Benedict Arnold and Aaron Burr, and being given a captain’s commission, joined the former’s expedition into Canada. In July, 1776, he was appointed major and attached to the staff of Gates, who sent him in December with despatches to the commander-in-chief; this gave him the opportunity of taking part in the battles of Trenton and Princeton.
In 1777, Wilkinson was advanced to the rank of colonel and afterward adjutant-general, in which capacity he fought in the battles of Bemis Heights, on the 19th of September, 1777, and of Saratoga, on the 7th of October. Prior to the latter engagement, under cover of the darkness, Col. John Hardin, of Kentucky, penetrated the British lines, and gained an actual view of their strength and position. Regaining the American camp and meeting Wilkinson, he confided to him his discoveries, with the entreaty that he would immediately inform General Gates. Wilkinson did so, suppressing Hardin’s name and making himself appear the hero of this midnight exploit. When Burgoyne surrendered, therefore, Wilkinson was sent to bear the news to Congress with a recommendation to make him brigadier-general. Stopping in Reading for some time, he consumed eighteen days in making the journey, and thus the news was a week old when he reached Philadelphia. A proposal in Congress to present him with a sword was defeated by Dr. Witherspoon dryly remarking, “I think ye’d better gie the lad a pair of spurs!” Nevertheless, a few days later, those members who accounted themselves personal friends and admirers of General Gates, carried the motion to make Wilkinson a brigadier-general, by brevet, on the 6th of November, 1777, and soon after he was appointed secretary of the Board of War, of which Gates was president. His delay in Reading, however, was eventually of great service to the country, for, having visited Lord Stirling’s headquarters at that place, he dined with the officers. After Lord Stirling left the table, Wilkinson, in a moment of post-prandial confidence, revealed to Major McWilliams, an aid to Lord Stirling, the scheme at that time being set on foot by Mifflin and Conway, to have Gates supersede Washington as commander-in-chief of the army. McWilliams felt it his duty to report what he had heard to Lord Stirling, who in his turn felt constrained to communicate the plot to Washington. When this infamous conspiracy became known, forty-nine officers of his own rank petitioned Congress to revoke Wilkinson’s appointment as brigadier. Hearing this, Wilkinson wrote to Congress on the 3d of March, 1778, that he was