William Stark (1 April 1724 – 27 August 1776) was a Revolutionary War era officer. He was the brother of celebrated Revolutionary war hero John Stark.

Early life

Stark was born in

Londonderry, New Hampshire Londonderry is a town in western Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. It sits between Manchester and Derry, the largest and fourth-largest communities in the state. The population was 25,826 at the 2020 census. Londonderry is known f ...

. He was with his brother John Stark, David Stinson and Amos Eastman, hunting along the Baker River, a tributary of the

Pemigewasset River The Pemigewasset River , known locally as "The Pemi", is a river in the state of New Hampshire, the United States. It is in length and (with its tributaries) drains approximately . The name "Pemigewasset" comes from the Abenaki word ''bemijijoase ...

, on 28 April 1752, when John Stark and Amos Eastman were captured and David Stinson was killed by

Abenaki The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was pre ...

Indians. William escaped in his

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the ter ...

after being warned by his brother.

Career

During the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...

Stark commanded a company of

Rogers' Rangers Rogers' Rangers was a company of soldiers from the Province of New Hampshire raised by Major Robert Rogers and attached to the British Army during the Seven Years' War ( French and Indian War). The unit was quickly adopted into the British arm ...

in northern

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

where he served under James Rogers. He took part in the assaults on

Fortress Louisbourg The Fortress of Louisbourg (french: Forteresse de Louisbourg) is a National Historic Site and the location of a one-quarter partial reconstruction of an 18th-century French fortress at Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Its two s ...

in 1758, the St. John River Campaign and

Battle of the Plains of Abraham The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec (french: Bataille des Plaines d'Abraham, Première bataille de Québec), was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War (referred to as the French and Indian War to describe ...

in 1759, where he served as a Major for General James Wolfe. In the painting by Benjamin West titled "The Death of General Wolfe", Major William Stark is seen holding the mortally wounded General in cradle. Major William Stark was essential in the British triumph and was a pathfinder leading the Royal troops from riverside to the Field of Abraham, high above. Early in the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

, Stark did not join the

New Hampshire Militia The New Hampshire Militia was first organized in 1631 and lasted until 1641, when the area came under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts. After New Hampshire became an separate colony again in 1679, New Hampshire Colonial Governor John Cutt reorgan ...

forces in the

Siege of Boston The siege of Boston (April 19, 1775 – March 17, 1776) was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War. New England militiamen prevented the movement by land of the British Army, which was garrisoned in what was then the peninsular town ...

, but the sounds of the

Battle of Bunker Hill The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the first stage of the American Revolutionary War. The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was peripherally involved in ...

could be heard at his home in

Dunbarton, New Hampshire Dunbarton is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,005 at the 2020 census, up from 2,758 at the 2010 census. History Originally granted as "Gorham's-town" in 1735, and re-granted as "Starkstown" in 17 ...

, and he left on his swiftest horse to fight, but he arrived too late and the battle had already ended. Both General John Sullivan and Colonel Jonathan Moulton recommended Stark to command the new regiment being raised in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

for service with the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

in the invasion of Canada, but the New Hampshire General Assembly gave the command to Timothy Bedel, a former subordinate of Stark's. Stark, feeling ill-used by his home state, left for

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, which was occupied by the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

, and offered his services to them. The

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

made him a lieutenant colonel of

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British C ...

troops. Stark's property in New Hampshire was confiscated by the revolutionary government. Rick Holmes, of Derry News 1 Aug 2013, Derry, New Hampshire wrote: "William Stark was born in 1724 in a small house on Stark Road in Derry. In the 1750s, William moved to Starktown – now Dunbarton, N.H. — where his house was used as the meeting house for the next 17 years. On the frontier, the Stark brothers soon gained a reputation as skilled hunters and trappers who ranged all over New Hampshire and Quebec. While hunting in 1754, they were ambush by Indians. William managed to escape but his brother was taken prisoner. John was taken to Montreal where he was eventually ransomed for $103 – the price of a pony. During the French and Indian War, William Stark was part of Rogers' Rangers – colonial America’s greatest fighting force. William Stark was appointed captain and was second in command to the legendary Robert Rogers himself. During the next few years, he fought with bravery in many battles from Fortress Louisbourg in Cape Breton to Fort Ticonderoga in New York. William frequently traveled with his dog Beau de Bien, who drew full soldiers pay because of services as a scout and guard. William was assigned to go with Gen. James Wolfe to attack the French-held city of Quebec. The general could find no way to attack the French army, which was secure on top of the impenetrable cliffs looming high above the St. Lawrence River. One historian purports that it was Major William Stark who told Wolfe of the hidden path to the top of the cliff. The English went on to win the battle but Gen. Wolfe was critically wounded. Stark was one of the four officers who were assigned to carry Wolfe away from the fighting. In Benjamin West’s famous painting, "The Death of General Wolfe", it is believed that it's William Stark cradling the dying general in a pose reminiscent of Christ in Michelangelo's "Pieta". This battle resulted in England taking control of all of Canada. It is considered one of the most important battles in world history. After Quebec, William returned to his farm high on a ridge in Dunbarton. Here for the next 16 years, the soldier was at peace; here he and his wife raised seven children and took part in small-town politics. During the morning of 17 April 1775, he was startled to hear the distant sounds of cannon fire coming from 70 miles away at Bunker Hill outside of Boston. Immediately, he grabbed his musket, jumped on his horse and rode toward the fighting. By the time he arrived, the battle was over and he joined his brother John in Medford. William Stark was solidly on the patriot side and soon applied for command of an army to protect the northern border and capture the city of Quebec. Because of his experiences in the French and Indian War there was no one who more qualified for that position then Stark. The New Hampshire government saw fit however to award the command to a politically connected soldier who had formerly been one of Stark's lieutenants. This act of disrespect and idiocy infuriated William Stark. He rode to the British line and became a colonel in the king's army. This action was very upsetting to his brother, patriot Gen. John Stark. When hearing about his brother leaving the state, John Stark said that leaving was "the best thing he ever did!” During the war William Stark served in the defense of New York City. The government of New Hampshire confiscated all of his property consisting of thousands of acres of farm and forest land."

Death

Stark died from injuries he received in falling from his

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18t ...

during the

Battle of Long Island The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was an action of the American Revolutionary War fought on August 27, 1776, at the western edge of Long Island in present-day Brooklyn, New Yor ...

on 27 August 1776. Notes from Debbie Carr record that: "According to an "Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots about William Stark" he is buried in: Lyme Plain Cemeter in Lyme, Grafton County, New Hampshire 29I". However, the Cemetery listing is apparently of his son, William, Jr., b. 1740, d. 5 Oct 1787. m. Joanna (1742–1811). https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/121887456/william-stark Stark's death has been incorrectly stated and perpetuated for some strange reason. Major Stark's Corps was raised starting in September 1776 and by May of 1777 consisted of 4 companies, 11 officers and 250 rank and file for his New Hampshire Volunteers. His regiment was disbanded by October of 1778 and he was put on the Second Officer list. He was on Half Pay when he died May 18, 1782 according to his son Lt. John Stark in his claim for compensation as heir of William's property which was confiscated by the New Hampshire assembly in April of 1778. This can be verified in Audit Office 13/52, 496-544. See also American Migrations, 1765-1799. The lives, times and families of colonial Americans who remained loyal to the British Crown before, during and after the Revolutionary War, as related in their own words and through their correspondence. Jan. 4 2011, by Peter Wilson Coldham.

Personal life

Stark was the son of Archibald and Eleanor Nichols Stark and the older brother of General John Stark, the hero of the

Battle of Bennington The Battle of Bennington was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, part of the Saratoga campaign, that took place on August 16, 1777, on a farm owned by John Green in Walloomsac, New York, about from its namesake, Bennington, Vermont. A r ...

. He married Mary Stinson on 22 February 1754 and they had seven children: William JR., John, Archibald, Mary, Stephen, Thomas, and James.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Stark, William 1724 births 1776 deaths People from Londonderry, New Hampshire People of colonial New Hampshire People of New Hampshire in the French and Indian War Loyalists in the American Revolution from New Hampshire United States Army Rangers Deaths by horse-riding accident in the United States Accidental deaths in New York (state) British America army officers People from Dunbarton, New Hampshire