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.”