USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Manchester > Manchester on the Merrimack, the story of a city > Part 4
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To be a backwoodsman, in one distinguished case, was to have soundness of mind, vigor of body and some rare quality of spirit all com- bined in such perfect balance as to give their possessor extraordinary power over men and circumstances alike. It was to have the keen vision and the clear understanding of a military genius, one capable of swinging a victory at the critical moment when a defeat would have
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written American independence off the books perhaps permanently. For John Stark, the backwoodsman, was at one tense point the pivot on which America's future was poised. He was, in truth, Derryfield's man of destiny.
JOHN STARK'S HOUSE ON RIVER ROAD
Derryfield's Man of Destiny
"The victories of Bennington, the first link in the chain of successes which issued in the surrender of Saratoga, are still fresh in the memory of every American, and the name of him who achieved them dear to his heart."
Thus wrote Thomas Jefferson to General John Stark in 1805, finishing his letter with these words, "I salute you, venerable patriot and general, with affection and reverence." Definitely and unmistakably he identified this man as the person responsible for the victories
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that led directly to American independence. The great war was not long over when that very significant letter was penned by one not accustomed to throw his words about with prodigal carelessness. Thomas Jefferson had lived through the Revolution and he was in a position to appraise wisely the men and events of that critical period. It is well for us to pause and give consideration to his pronouncement, rendered long enough after the war clouds had cleared to give unblurred vision and yet not so long after as to be a matter of hearsay. Briefly and with directness he gave unqualified credit to the Derryfield general for maneuvering suc- cessfully one of the most critical moments in the war.
That the Battle of Bennington was the turn- ing point of the struggle no one can doubt. In an address given before the New York Histori- cal Association, in 1904, Dr. William O. Still- man plainly and concisely gave this battle its place in history:
"The battle on the Walloomsac* was un- doubtedly the turning point of the British suc- cess in America. It made possible the great victory at Saratoga which determined the des-
*The so called battle of Bennington was in fact fought on the banks of the Walloomsac river in New York State.
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tiny of a continent, and is ranked along with Marathon and Hastings as one of the fifteen great battles in the history of the world."
But Bennington was not the sole contribu- tion to General Stark's military glory. There were also Bunker Hill and Trenton. The three were considered together in an address given in 1894 in Washington by the Honorable Henry W. Blair. He said:
"Without John Stark, Bunker Hill would have been a useless slaughter and a precedent of subsequent defeats and general demoralization, instead of a substantial victory which brought encouragement and hope of ultimate success. Without him, Trenton probably would have been a failure; Bennington never would have been fought at all; Burgoyne would have com- pleted his mission and laid waste this section of the country and there would have been no surrender at Saratoga. Without Saratoga, there would have been no recognition by France, no French fleet and troops, no surrender by Corn- wallis at Yorktown, no independence, no in- dependent, happy, free united America."
The years 1805, 1894, 1904 are the dates of these three separate and mutually independent judgments concerning the war contribution of John Stark of Derryfield. They mark three con- curring appraisals, and it would seem that these
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pronouncements might be regarded as
convincing.
And what manner of man was this who could so deftly accomplish the transition from the role of an ordinary farmer and saw-mill operator to that of high-ranking military strate- gist and who could so swiftly emerge from ob- scurity into the glow of fame? What was his background, his ancestry? By what steps did he rise to fulfill his high destiny?
What an individual owes to inheritance is always a matter of interesting speculation, and in considering the life of General Stark we can- not omit reference to at least one preceding generation. He was the son of Archibald Stark of Glasgow, Scotland, who in Londonderry, Ireland, married Eleanor Nichols, also of Scot- tish descent. Adventurous blood ran in the veins of Archibald Stark, and in 1720 he and his wife joined a company of people bound for the new world across the Atlantic. New Hamp- shire was their objective, but because of numer- ous cases of small-pox aboard ship, they were not permitted to land at the port of Boston. A sea-coast town called Sheepscot, near the pres- ent Wiscasset, Maine, became their haven, and from this settlement, after a year of privation and hardship, Archibald Stark emigrated to Nutfield, New Hampshire, territory now
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Derry, Londonderry and vicinity, where friends of theirs were already settled.
Here John Stark was born, on August 28, 1728. In 1736 the home at Londonderry was de- stroyed by fire, and Archibald Stark moved his family to Derryfield, where he built the house that still stands, a veritable historic shrine, just below the Falls. Part of the six hundred acres purchased by Archibald Stark included what is now the site of the Governor Smyth estate, and material for the new home was furnished by trees on this land. Transportation was easily accomplished: the logs were simply rolled down the hill to the building lot. It may be imagined that the whole process of bringing the home to completion was equally simple. There was no waiting for hardpressed plumbers, for harried electricians or for priority-regulated fixtures. Life was simpler in 1736.
In this house, Eleanor and Archibald Stark reared their four sons and three daughters, giving them personally what they could provide in the way of education. It is well to remember that Archibald Stark had attended the Uni- versity of Glasgow, and to realize that although John was to be denied the advantages of much formal schooling, it is probable that he was encouraged in any attempt at self-education he may have made. His correspondence reveals
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him as a master of clear, terse English, the re- sult, undoubtedly, of carefully-chosen reading. And if we are led to question how a frontiers- man of that day could have mastered so readily the art of military strategy, we find the answer, in part at least, in the boy's eager interest in the study of history, and particularly the history of warfare. It is said that he was thoroughly familiar with the campaigns of Frederick the Great and of Charles XII of Sweden, whom he greatly admired. Thus unwittingly as a lad he was laying the foundations for his later brilliant accomplishments as a military leader. Life be- gan early to groom him for her purposes.
But young John's interests were by no means confined to books nor to concern with battles long-ago. Today presented its challenge and its problems. His parents were in very truth pioneers, and the pattern of his boyhood was a rigorous one, calculated to develop sturdiness of body and resourcefulness of mind. There coursed in his veins the adventurous spirit that had sent his father from the comfortable old world to the untried new one, and we may well imagine that the wilderness to the north of Derryfield called to him more than once. It is related that when he was twenty-four years old, having gone with a party of hunters up into the vicinity of Baker's River, he and a friend were
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captured by the St. Francis Indians and held for ransom. Part of their experience was to run the gauntlet. One of the captives, making ready to speed between the two lines of brandished rods, shouted, "I'll beat all your young men!" This angered the Indian braves, and they meted out severe punishment to the hapless youth. But young Stark displayed tact and resourcefulness. "I'll kiss all your young women!" he sang out as he advanced toward his captors. The war- riors were so amused and delighted by this un- usual approach that they let him off with only light punishment. He found favor in their eyes also because of his aptitude in learning to speak their language. Finally his ransom was paid, the sum of one hundred three dollars, and he was released. The following year he repaid the ran- som money with earnings from his trapping. Shortly after this adventure, young John en- listed under Robert Rogers and served with distinction as one of the famous Rogers Rangers in the French and Indian Wars, carrying the rank of captain.
In 1758, Archibald Stark died, and eventually his son John acquired that part of his large farm property extending from the present Brook Street on the south to the vicinity of the Hooksett line, and from the Merrimack River to what is now the westerly boundary of Derry-
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field Park. Around this period, it would seem that adventure and warfare occupied a place of lesser importance in the young man's mind: possibly he was going through the psychologi- cal process sometimes termed "settling down". He married Elizabeth Page of Dunbarton, the famous "Molly Stark" known to history. Why he chose to ignore the name by which she was christened and to substitute "Molly" is not ex- plained, but this playing with names seems to have been a life-long habit, a whimsical twist affording variety to a somewhat austere nature. When he was in a mood to tease his Molly, he delighted to call her "Debby", a name she par- ticularly disliked because it was associated in her mind with a relative held in scant regard.
In 1765, John Stark built his own home, something less than a mile to the north of the old Stark homestead. It was a substantial and rather more commodious house than his father had built, but simple and dignified in line and proportions. The house was a two-story struc- ture, with an ell. The interior was carefully finished with costly material and General Stark enjoyed pointing with pride to the width and quality of the native woods used in the paneling of the large rooms. Pediment caps ornamented doors and windows and there were generously
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decorated corner cupboards with glass doors at the top and sliding shelves.
But the general had his own notions about modern trends and would not permit either paint or paper anywhere in the house. The symmetry of the outer appearance was spoiled during his later years when age and infirmity confined him more and more to the house. He chose for his own use one of the lower rooms with an eastern exposure and in order to secure more sunlight he caused one of the front win- dows to be enlarged to double its original dimensions.
Unfortunately this house was destroyed by fire in 1866, but the old well in the yard has been preserved by Molly Stark Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. This organization has erected around it a high granite curbing over which there is a replica of the old well-sweep. A tablet fronting the street carries the inscription, "Stark Well 1765".
Eleven children were born to John and Molly Stark, and they enjoyed some happy, uneventful years as ordinary citizens of old Derryfield before the fateful nineteenth of April when the shot heard 'round the world was fired in Massachusetts. That was the day when John Stark, quietly performing a hum- drum, everyday task at his mill, up where
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Dorr's Pond flows into Ray Brook, heard the call of destiny.
Without even stopping for his coat (Molly could bring his clothes later), he seized his musket, flung himself into the saddle, and was off down the old J. Hall Road on his way to Cambridge, gathering followers as he went. Arriving at the scene of action, he organized at once a large regiment later known as The First New Hampshire Regiment-and by hand vote he was elected Colonel. And thus be- gan the Revolutionary career of one of the greatest and ablest in America's long list of military great. Stark at the rail fence at Bunker Hill: the story is old and familiar, but its rep- etition may well cause the blood of Derryfield's descendants to course more swiftly. Space for- bids a detailed recital of that encounter here, but we know he was opposed by the crack regiment of the British army, that he repelled them not once but thrice with terrible slaughter, and that it is to his imperishable glory that he so long held the line that day.
Stark at Bennington, where he executed what may be considered the most brilliant coup of his career, turning the tide of the whole struggle in favor of the colonists. "Boys, yonder are the red-coats. Before night they are ours, or Molly Stark sleeps a widow." Stark in
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New Jersey with General Washington, whose strategy had been well-timed retreats, followed by the construction of protective earthworks; then more retreats and a repetition of the same tatics. "You'll have to begin to fight this war with muskets instead of spades if you want to win," said John Stark with characteristic blunt- ness. Exposing himself to the most dangerous hazards in battle, sharing the bitterest priva- tions and hardships with his men, pleading for clothing, begging for supplies for his troops; winning, retaining and deserving the loyalty of his subordinates everywhere: all these well- known facts reveal General Stark the soldier.
For fourteen years, counting his service in the Colonial and the Revolutionary wars, he devoted himself to military activities and came through miraculously without a wound. Some- one has said that he led a charmed life, but without doubt his good fortune was quite as much due to resourcefulness and cool judgment as to luck. He had almost supernatural instinct in scenting the approach of danger, but no one ever saw him display the slightest indication of fear. His self-control was complete; like a per- fectly-balanced precision instrument it was al- ways to be depended upon. That it was self- control rather than devil-may-care recklessness is indicated by a brief anecdote. After the bat-
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tle of Bennington, an officer remarked: "I would give a fortune if I could rap my snuff- box with your coolness when giving orders." "Ah, sir," replied General Stark, "the coolness is all on the outside."
But what of the man behind the soldier- the man who, after the surrender of Cornwallis, returned to his farm by the Merrimack River and resumed the peaceful activities of an ordinary civilian? No history of Manchester would be complete without a picture of sturdy, broad-shouldered John Stark, the citi- zen, somewhat austere of countenance, bluff of speech, and direct of manner, who trod old Derryfield's muddy thoroughfares or rode the outskirts on his favorite bay horse, Hessian, attending to the business of his extensive lum- ber trade or that of his farm. It is an attractive picture, against a background of peace and plenty, and it reveals a man whose stern ex- terior concealed qualities of unexpected gentle- ness and humor.
Life at the Stark homestead would seem to have been a series of animated Currier and Ives prints. All the essential features were there- full barns, sleek flocks and herds, and a gay and happy household given to hospitality. In the autumn, the General celebrated what he was pleased to call his Harvest Home, a festival for
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relatives and friends from far and near. In his anxiety that no one should be absent who wanted to share in the gaiety, he provided con- veyances for the old and infirm, and even cloth- ing for those who might feel they lacked suita- ble raiment for the festivities. One may imagine the pride and pleasure with which he shared his full harvest with his guests, and how he de- lighted in providing personally-conducted tours over the premises for the purpose of making one and all acquainted with his pet animals. His love for animals extended even to his poul- try, and for them also he had individual names. Apparently his feathered friends responded gratifyingly to his attentions, for it is related that one might see him frequently seated on his sunny lawn surrounded by his prize birds, with the patriarch of the flock perched on his cane, crowing "for Jimmy Madison" or "for Jimmy Monroe", according to request.
These touches throw a revealing light on the character of Derryfield's hero, an individ- ual unique, whimsical and above all human. And being human, it is altogether likely that he did possess the human faults and frailties of which he has been accused. He had un- doubtedly a hot temper and when it boiled
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over considerable steam arose. One may easily visualize him blustering about, under provo- cation, creating emotional tension in his im- mediate neighborhood, storms that probably subsided as quickly as they arose. One may even imagine him trying his hand at governing Molly. But, studying her portrait and giving ear to a few legendary tales convinces one that Molly was amply able to cope with any at- tempts at domineering on his part and is in need of no retrospective sympathy. On more than one occasion she outwitted and outma- neuvered him and very obviously stood in no awe of the celebrated Stark temper. Molly had things "under control", and her resourceful- ness equalled his.
The following story bears out the truth of this statement. Molly was younger than her famous husband, and the frivolities of society were more agreeable to her than they were to him, especially after he became somewhat handicapped with rheumatism. So it seems that frequently she participated in some of the gay doings of the period without his escort, pre- sumably without his complete approval. On one such occasion, when nine o'clock in the evening arrived with no sign of a returning
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spouse, the General stalked to the door, threw the bolt, and chuckling mumbled to himself, "Time for decent folks to be in bed! Let her go back to them that has kept her out so late, the idle hussy! This will be a lesson, maybe." But was Molly dismayed when at a later hour she tried the door and found it fast against her? Not at all. The evening was bright with moonlight, and as she speculated on "What next?" her quick eye spied an open window just above the gleaming shingles of a low shed. In a twinkling she was up over the slanting roof, through the window, and in short order was in the guest-room sleeping the sleep of one who never allowed circumstances-nor a husband-to get the better of her. Next morn- ing when the General came downstairs, he found his truant wife already at her accustomed duties. "Did you have a good night's rest, John?" she asked solicitously.
If Molly Stark did on occasion disturb her more serious-minded husband with her taste for gaiety, we may yet be sure that through- out the fifty-six years of their married life she proved herself again and again the perfect help- meet. And there is no doubt that General Stark's devotion to her was a constant and beautiful thing. She died in 1814, leaving him, then eighty-six years old, to mourn her loss
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for eight years. When she went, age had al- ready laid a withering hand on his rugged health, and he was unable to accompany the funeral procession to the little knoll, in what is now Stark Park, where Molly was laid to rest. From a window he watched the family and friends on their way to the burying ground. "Good-by, Molly," he was heard to say softly. "We sup no more together on earth."
There is another story connected with Molly Stark's funeral that emphasizes the simplicity and sincerity of her husband's character. The clergyman, in the course of his remarks, de- toured a trifle in the direction of praising the General, calling attention to his illustrious career. John Stark, bowed with grief though he was, straightened in his chair and rapped his cane sharply on the floor. "Tut! Tut! No more of that, an' it please you," he said sharply, "this is Molly's funeral!"
In 1809 General Stark wrote the now famous letter with the enclosure of a "volunteer senti- ment" which has since been adopted as the state motto of New Hampshire-"Live Free Or Die". The dignity and restraint of expres- sion in this letter is so typical that it seems fit- ting to present it unabridged, with the letter from the Bennington committee that prompted it.
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First Letter from Bennington Committee To General Stark
Bennington, July 22, 1809.
Honored and Respected Sir-
You can never forget that, on the memorable 16th of August, 1777, you commanded the American troops in the action called Benning- ton battle, and that under divine providence, astonishing success attended our arms. Our enemy was defeated and captured, and this town and its vicinity saved from impending ruin. It has been usual to hold the day in grate- ful remembrance, by a public celebration.
On Thursday last, a large and respectable number of leading characters in this and the neighboring towns, met to choose a committee of arrangements for a celebration on the 16th of August next. More than sixty of those who met were with you in the action. They recol- lect you, sir, with peculiar pleasure, and have directed us to write and request you, if your health and age will permit, to honor them with your presence on that day. All your expenses shall be remunerated.
No event could so animate the brave "sons of liberty", as to see their venerable leader and preserver once more in Bennington; that their young men may once have the pleasure of see-
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ing the man who so gallantly fought to defend their sacred rights, their fathers and mothers, and protected them while lisping in infancy.
Should this request be inconsistent with your health, we should be happy in receiving a letter from you, on that subject, that we may read it to them on that day. Sentiments from the aged, and from those who have hazarded their lives to rescue us from the shackles of tyranny, will be read by them with peculiar pleasure, and remembered long after their fathers have retired to the silent tomb.
Accept, sir, our warmest wishes for your health and happiness, and permit us, dear gen- eral, to assure you that we are, with great esteem,
Your cordial and affectionate friends,
Gideon Olin, Jonathan Robinson, -Committee David Fay,
Answer to First Bennington Letter At My Quarters, Derryfield 31st of July, 1809
My Friends and Fellow Soldiers-
I received yours, of the 22d instant, con- taining your fervent expressions of friendship, and your very polite invitation to meet with
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you to celebrate the 16th of August in Ben- nington.
As you say, I can never forget that I com- manded American troops on that day at Ben- nington. They were men who had not learned the art of submission, nor had they been trained to the arts of war; but our "astonishing success" taught the enemies of liberty that un- disciplined freemen are superior to veteran slaves.
Nothing could afford me greater pleasure than to meet your brave "sons of liberty" on the fortunate spot; but, as you justly anticipate, the infirmities of old age will not permit it, for I am now more than fourscore and one years old, and the lamp of life is almost spent. I have of late had many such invitations, but was not ready, for there was not oil in the lamp.
You say you wish your young men to see me; but you who have seen me can tell them I never was worth much for a show, and cer- tainly can not be worth their seeing now.
In case of my not being able to attend, you wish my sentiments. These you shall have, as free as the air we breathe. As I was then, I am now, the friend of the equal rights of men, of representative democracy, of republicanism, and the declaration of independence-the great charter of our national rights-and of course
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a friend to the indissoluble union of these States. I am the enemy of all foreign influence, for all foreign influence is the influence of tyranny. This is the only chosen spot of liberty-this the only republic on earth.
You well know, gentlemen, that at the time of the event you celebrate, there was a power- ful British faction in the country (called tories), a material part of the force we contended with. This faction was rankling in our councils, until it had laid a foundation for the subversion of our liberties; but, by having good sentinels at our outposts, we were apprised of the danger. The sons of freedom beat the alarm, and, as at Bennington, they came, they saw, they con- quered.
These are my orders now, and will be my last orders to all my volunteers, to look to their sentries; for there is a dangerous British party in the country, lurking in their hiding places, more dangerous than all our foreign enemies; and whenever they shall appear, let them render the same account of them as was given at Bennington, let them assume what name they will.
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