The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-04-02
STARK COUNTY CENTENNIAL
eailiwck Named After Hero Of Ben
nington viii Celebrate.

Stark county, Ohio, which was nam
ed after the commander OF the Amer
lean forces OF the Battle of Bennmg-
ton. Gen John Stark, will observe its
Tooth anniversary the second week
in September with a historical and
Industrial Exposition The commit
tee is endeavoring to locate all the
paintings. pictures and relics Of the
battle Of Bennington that can be
found In connection with this cen
tennial celebration the executive
committee has published and circulat-
ed the following sketch of the life of
Beunington's famous revolutionary
hero:
General John Stark was born in
Londonderry, n. H., August 2S 1927:
died In Manchester, n. H., May 3.
1922. at the age Of nmety-hye years.
His father emigrated from the north
of ireland and settled on the extreme
frontier of New Hampshire on near
neighborhood TO the Indians owned
extensive tracts of land about Amosk-
Gag Fails, and was an original proprie-
tor of Dunbarton (then called Starks-
town.. Here the son grew up with
few advantages OF book education,
but with abundant training in hunting
and all athletic employments
He made frequent hunting eXcur-
sions into the forest, and ON one of
these occasions i'm 1852. was taken
prisoner by the sayages. and retained
10 captivity until he was ransomed by
the colony Of Massachusetts,. The bold
and defiant bearing of Stark excited
the admiration of his savage captors.
and after The initiatory ceremony of
running the gauntlet. in which he
took the unexpected part of using his
club on the Indians, he was called by
them the young chief The know
ledge he thus gained Of forest life and
of the topography OF the border was
of great service I'm subsequent con-
hicts with the Indians
In 1855 he was appointed a lieu
tenant in Major Robert Rogers fam
Gus corps of rangers, and served with
it soon rising to the rank of captain,
through all the indian campaigns
around Lake George and Lake Cham
plain, where traditions still exist of
lllS ndEdNltg dllu III dftl
AT the close of the war he retired
from the army and engaged in farm
ing at Derryfield (now Manchester
n. H. and so continued till tidings
reached him of the battle of licking
ton. Promptly he mounted his horse
and at the head of several hundred
of his neighbors set out to join the
army at Cambridge. Being there APP
pointed colonel, he in one day orga-
nized regiment of eight hundred
hardy back-woodsmen
"On June 17,1775, he was stationed
about three miles north of Boston, in
a position from which he had full
view of Bunker's and Breeds hills.
Seeing that a battle was inevitable,
he waited for no orders, but set out
at once for the ground, which he
reached just before the conflict began.
He led his men into the fight saying:
Boys aim at their Wristbands, an
order that has become historical. His
ammunition giving out, he was forced
to retreat, which he did with much de-
liberation, leading his men under a
hot fire, but in good order, across
Charleston neck to Merlin hill. After
the evacuation of Boston he marched
with his regiment to New York. He
was subsequently ordered to Canada,
and then rejoining Washington, was
with him at Trenton and Princeton.
Having been sighted, as he thought,
in the promotions, he resigned his