William Stacy
Encyclopedia
William Stacy was an officer of the Continental Army
during the American Revolutionary War
, and a pioneer to the Ohio Country
. Published histories describe Colonel William Stacy's involvement in a variety of events during the war
, such as rallying the militia
on a village common in Massachusetts
, participating in the Battle of Bunker Hill
, being captured by Loyalists
and American Indians
at the Cherry Valley massacre
, narrowly escaping a death by burning at the stake
, General George Washington
's efforts to obtain Stacy's release from captivity, and Washington's gift of a gold snuff
box to Stacy at the end of the war.
During Col. William Stacy's post-war life, he was a pioneer, helping to establish Marietta, Ohio
as the first organized American
settlement in the Northwest Territory
. He was active in the Marietta pioneer community, and served as foreman of the first Grand Jury
in the Northwest Territory, an event establishing the rule of law in the territory. At the age of 56, he ice skated
thirty miles up a frozen river, warning two of his sons of a possible Indian attack, which occurred several days later as the Big Bottom massacre
and marked the beginning of the Northwest Indian War
.
William Stacy's surname has also been spelled as Stacey, Stacia, and Stacie; the correct spelling is Stacy. He is often referred to as Colonel Stacy, an abbreviation of his last rank of lieutenant colonel
.
in 1734 and died in Marietta, Ohio
in 1802. Slightly different years of birth and death have been reported. Stacy grew up in Gloucester on the coast of Massachusetts
and worked as a shoemaker, a trade learned from his father; he may also have worked in the seafaring business. William Stacy married Sarah Day in 1754. Subsequently, during 1757, they moved away from the coast to New Salem
in western Massachusetts, and raised a large family. Stacy took up farming and continued his work as a shoemaker. He also became a commercial banker, loaning money at interest before there were any banks in the area. His customers were from New Salem and other towns in the Province of Massachusetts Bay
. By the time of his early middle age, William Stacy was living a comfortable life; he was successful and widely known. During 1775, at the age of 41, William Stacy’s life changed with the onset of friction between the Thirteen Colonies
and the British Empire
.
William Stacy was an active revolutionary from the beginning of the American War of Independence. By one account, he entered service on April 19, 1775, the day of the Battles of Lexington and Concord
, and the opening day of the war. Another account has William Stacy rallying the militia
at his home village of New Salem
, in the western portion of the colony, on April 20, 1775 upon receiving the news of Lexington and Concord. A memorial plaque was dedicated to Colonel Stacy in 1956 on the village common
of New Salem. The story reflected on the plaque has been handed down for generations beginning with an early history in 1841, and was included in the publication of the New Salem Sesquicentennial Committee in 1904. The inscription on the plaque reads:
The New Salem Bicentennial Commission and town historian later speculated that this event might have occurred earlier, at the time of the Powder Alarm
during 1774. The Powder Alarm was a precursor to the events at Lexington and Concord
.
regiment of Minutemen
, which was organized into Woodbridge's (25th) Regiment
. During the Siege of Boston
, Woodbridge's regiment was based at Cambridge, Massachusetts
, near Boston, and participated in the Battle of Bunker Hill
, the first large-scale battle of the war. An orderly book shows that on June 13, 1775, several days before the battle, Major Stacy was officer of the night guard, while Colonel William Prescott
, who would be the primary leader of patriot forces during the battle, was officer of the day
. Stacy was recommended for commission on June 16, the day before the battle. On June 17, 1775, Woodbridge's regiment of 300 soldiers arrived at Bunker Hill and took up positions immediately prior to the battle, and parts of the regiment engaged. A portion of Woodbridge's regiment
joined Colonel Prescott's regiment
at the redoubt
and breastwork
on the hill, and a company from Woodbridge's regiment deployed on the right flank.
The defenders on the right flank fought valiantly from behind what cover they could find. The men at the redoubt and breastwork fought until they had no more bullets, finally fighting with the butts of their guns, rocks, and their bare hands. Woodbridge's regiment “was not commissioned, and there are few details of it, or of its officers, in the accounts of the battle.” Stacy's disposition is unkown. He later signed an affidavit regarding the guns of a fellow patriot who was killed in action at Bunker Hill. Sergeant Benjamin Haskell (Haskall), also of New Salem and also a co-signer of that same affidavit, was reportedly in the center of the action near General Joseph Warren
when Warren was killed during the battle. The New Salem Sesquicentennial Committee paid homage to Stacy, Haskell, and others of that village, proclaiming:
7th Massachusetts Regiment
during 1777 and 1778. The regiment was sent to Cherry Valley, New York
to protect the local population from Loyalists
and American Indians
. The Loyalists were organized as Butler's Rangers
, a Loyalist militia in the British Army, led by Colonel John Butler
and his son, Captain Walter Butler
. The Loyalists operated together with American Indians, under the leadership of Joseph Brant
, a Mohawk
leader also known as Thayendanegea.
While serving with Colonel Alden at Cherry Valley during October 1778, William Stacy was transferred to the 4th Massachusetts Regiment
, though remaining with Colonel Alden. During that time period, Lieutenant William McKendry, a quartermaster
in Colonel Alden's regiment, kept a journal with firsthand accounts of the actions at Cherry Valley. One of his lighter notes concerning Colonel Stacy was a journal entry for October 6, 1778: “Col. Stacy and Capt. Ballard had a horse race. Col. Stacy won the bet.” However, one month later, Cherry Valley experienced the ravages of war. McKendry's journal entry for November 11, 1778 described the attack: “Immediately came on 442 Indians from the Five Nations
, 200 Tories
under the command of one Col. Butler and Capt. Brant; attacked headquarters; killed Col. Alden; took Col. Stacy prisoner; attacked Fort Alden; after three hours retreated without success of taking the fort.” McKendry identified the fatalities of the massacre as Colonel Alden, thirteen other soldiers, and thirty civilian inhabitants. It became known as the Cherry Valley massacre
and noted as one of the most horrific frontier massacres of the Revolution. Three months later, in his journal entry for February 12, 1779, McKendry describes receiving a report from an Indian of William Stacy in captivity; Stacy was apparently concerned to reassure his fellow soldiers: “the last he knew of Col. Stacy he was well and in good spirits, and told him not to mind it for it was only the fortune of war.”
Several accounts indicate that during the Cherry Valley massacre
or thereafter, Colonel Stacy was stripped naked and tied to a stake, and was about to be tortured and killed, but was spared by Joseph Brant. William Stacy was a Freemason; Joseph Brant was an educated American Indian, and had also become a Freemason. It is reported that Stacy made an appeal as one Freemason to another, thus saving his life. Colonel Stacy was subsequently taken to Fort Niagara
, the Loyalist base in New York
and held prisoner under Colonel Butler during the summer of 1779. At Fort Niagara, Molly Brant, the sister of Joseph Brant, was hostile toward Stacy, and wanted Colonel Butler to return custody of Stacy to the Indians. She proclaimed dreams of her and the Indians using Stacy's head in an Indian football game. Colonel Butler placated Molly Brant with rum and protected his prisoner. Subsequently, from late-1779 through mid-1782, Colonel Stacy was held prisoner at Fort Chambly
near Montreal
.
As a prisoner-of-war
, Colonel Stacy was the subject of high level correspondence and actions of General George Washington and other leaders of the Continental Army. During April 1780, General Lafayette
of France, who fought with the Americans during the Revolution, hand-carried a letter from Continental Army General Heath
to General Washington, describing a reported Loyalist and British strategy concerning Stacy. The strategy was to continue holding Colonel Stacy as a prisoner-of-war, and to use Stacy in a prisoner exchange, should Colonel Butler or another ranking Loyalist officer,
Sir John Johnson, be captured by the Continental Army. During September 1780, General Washington attempted to orchestrate a prisoner exchange for Colonel Stacy, but was unsuccessful. On November 1, 1781, the General Assembly of Massachusetts passed a Resolve
urging Governor John Hancock
to encourage General Heath to pursue a prisoner exchange for Stacy.
Colonel Stacy was not released from captivity until the end of the war, during August 1782. General Washington reportedly gave Stacy a gold snuff box as a personal memento after the war. William Stacy's nephew, Nathaniel Stacy, writes that his first memory of childhood was the return of Col. William Stacy to New Salem after the war.
During early 1788, at about 54 years of age, William Stacy joined with other Revolutionary War officers as a pioneer to the Ohio Country
, and was involved in establishing Marietta, Ohio
at the confluence of the Ohio
and Muskingum
rivers as the first permanent American
settlement in the Northwest Territory
. Colonel Stacy joined this venture as a shareholder in the Ohio Company of Associates
, which was formed and led by Gen. Rufus Putnam
and Gen. Benjamin Tupper
. General Lafayette visited Marietta years later and described these pioneers and former officers: “They were the bravest of brave. Better men never lived.” George Washington commented “I know many of the settlers personally, and there never were men better calculated to promote the welfare of such a community.” Marietta is located in the county of Ohio bearing Washington's name
.
During the settlement of the Ohio Country, two of Colonel Stacy's sons were with a small group of pioneers attempting to establish a settlement on some good potential farmland known as Big Bottom, upriver from Marietta on the Muskingum River. Colonel Stacy ice skated thirty miles up the frozen river in late December 1790 and warned his sons about the danger of a possible Indian attack. His concerns were realized several days later on January 2, 1791 with the occurrence of the Big Bottom massacre
, and the beginning of the Northwest Indian War
. Twelve people were killed in the attack, including Stacy's son John. His son Philemon was taken captive and died later.
William Stacy was a prominent and active member of the pioneer settlement of Marietta. He superintended the construction of a stockade
known as Picketed Point to protect the settlers from Indians, he was an officer in the militia, and he was an officer on the first board of police. Additionally, he served as an officer of the township of Marietta, and he owned one of two hand mills in the settlement. William Stacy was a member of the Society of the Cincinnati
and an original member of the American Union Lodge No. 1 (Freemasons) at Marietta; the name of this lodge was reportedly suggested by Benjamin Franklin
, and the seal engraved by Paul Revere
. Stacy was honored with the position of foreman of the first Grand Jury
in the Northwest Territory
. This was an important event, as this court was the first establishment of civil and criminal law in the pioneer country.
William Stacy lost his wife Sarah to smallpox during March 1790 after 36 years of marriage. He subsequently married Hannah Sheffield during July of that year. "A man highly esteemed for his many excellent qualities, and honored for his services and sufferings in the cause of freedom," William Stacy died in Marietta during 1802 at 68 years of age. He was buried in Marietta at Mound Cemetery, the site of an ancient American Indian
burial mound. Colonel Stacy has good company in his final resting place; Mound Cemetery reportedly contains the largest number of Revolutionary War officers buried in one location. A new memorial marker was dedicated to William Stacy in 1928 in Mound Cemetery.
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, and a pioneer to the Ohio Country
Ohio Country
The Ohio Country was the name used in the 18th century for the regions of North America west of the Appalachian Mountains and in the region of the upper Ohio River south of Lake Erie...
. Published histories describe Colonel William Stacy's involvement in a variety of events during the war
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, such as rallying the militia
Militia (United States)
The role of militia, also known as military service and duty, in the United States is complex and has transformed over time.Spitzer, Robert J.: The Politics of Gun Control, Page 36. Chatham House Publishers, Inc., 1995. " The term militia can be used to describe any number of groups within the...
on a village common in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, participating in the Battle of Bunker Hill
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775, mostly on and around Breed's Hill, during the Siege of Boston early in the American Revolutionary War...
, being captured by Loyalists
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
and American Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
at the Cherry Valley massacre
Cherry Valley massacre
The Cherry Valley Massacre was an attack by British and Seneca forces on a fort and the village of Cherry Valley in eastern New York on the cold, snowy and rainy morning of November 11, 1778, during the American Revolutionary War. It has been described as one of the most horrific frontier...
, narrowly escaping a death by burning at the stake
Execution by burning
Death by burning is death brought about by combustion. As a form of capital punishment, burning has a long history as a method in crimes such as treason, heresy, and witchcraft....
, General George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
's efforts to obtain Stacy's release from captivity, and Washington's gift of a gold snuff
Snuff
Snuff is a product made from ground or pulverised tobacco leaves. It is an example of smokeless tobacco. It originated in the Americas and was in common use in Europe by the 17th century...
box to Stacy at the end of the war.
During Col. William Stacy's post-war life, he was a pioneer, helping to establish Marietta, Ohio
Marietta, Ohio
Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Ohio, United States. During 1788, pioneers to the Ohio Country established Marietta as the first permanent American settlement of the new United States in the Northwest Territory. Marietta is located in southeastern Ohio at the mouth...
as the first organized American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
settlement in the Northwest Territory
Northwest Territory
The Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Northwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 13, 1787, until March 1, 1803, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Ohio...
. He was active in the Marietta pioneer community, and served as foreman of the first Grand Jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
in the Northwest Territory, an event establishing the rule of law in the territory. At the age of 56, he ice skated
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
thirty miles up a frozen river, warning two of his sons of a possible Indian attack, which occurred several days later as the Big Bottom massacre
Big Bottom Massacre
The Big Bottom massacre occurred on January 2, 1791, near present-day Stockport now in Morgan County, Ohio, United States. Delaware and Wyandot Indians surprised a new settlement at the edge of the flood plain, or "bottom" land of the Muskingum River; they stormed the blockhouse and killed eleven...
and marked the beginning of the Northwest Indian War
Northwest Indian War
The Northwest Indian War , also known as Little Turtle's War and by various other names, was a war fought between the United States and a confederation of numerous American Indian tribes for control of the Northwest Territory...
.
William Stacy's surname has also been spelled as Stacey, Stacia, and Stacie; the correct spelling is Stacy. He is often referred to as Colonel Stacy, an abbreviation of his last rank of lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
.
Early life
William Stacy was born in Gloucester, MassachusettsGloucester, Massachusetts
Gloucester is a city on Cape Ann in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is part of Massachusetts' North Shore. The population was 28,789 at the 2010 U.S. Census...
in 1734 and died in Marietta, Ohio
Marietta, Ohio
Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Ohio, United States. During 1788, pioneers to the Ohio Country established Marietta as the first permanent American settlement of the new United States in the Northwest Territory. Marietta is located in southeastern Ohio at the mouth...
in 1802. Slightly different years of birth and death have been reported. Stacy grew up in Gloucester on the coast of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and worked as a shoemaker, a trade learned from his father; he may also have worked in the seafaring business. William Stacy married Sarah Day in 1754. Subsequently, during 1757, they moved away from the coast to New Salem
New Salem, Massachusetts
New Salem is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 990 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
in western Massachusetts, and raised a large family. Stacy took up farming and continued his work as a shoemaker. He also became a commercial banker, loaning money at interest before there were any banks in the area. His customers were from New Salem and other towns in the Province of Massachusetts Bay
Province of Massachusetts Bay
The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a crown colony in North America. It was chartered on October 7, 1691 by William and Mary, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of England and Scotland...
. By the time of his early middle age, William Stacy was living a comfortable life; he was successful and widely known. During 1775, at the age of 41, William Stacy’s life changed with the onset of friction between the Thirteen Colonies
Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies were English and later British colonies established on the Atlantic coast of North America between 1607 and 1733. They declared their independence in the American Revolution and formed the United States of America...
and the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
.
Opening days of the Revolutionary War
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. They were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy , and Cambridge, near Boston...
, and the opening day of the war. Another account has William Stacy rallying the militia
Militia (United States)
The role of militia, also known as military service and duty, in the United States is complex and has transformed over time.Spitzer, Robert J.: The Politics of Gun Control, Page 36. Chatham House Publishers, Inc., 1995. " The term militia can be used to describe any number of groups within the...
at his home village of New Salem
New Salem, Massachusetts
New Salem is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 990 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, in the western portion of the colony, on April 20, 1775 upon receiving the news of Lexington and Concord. A memorial plaque was dedicated to Colonel Stacy in 1956 on the village common
Village green
A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. Traditionally, such an area was often common grass land at the centre of a small agricultural settlement, used for grazing and sometimes for community events...
of New Salem. The story reflected on the plaque has been handed down for generations beginning with an early history in 1841, and was included in the publication of the New Salem Sesquicentennial Committee in 1904. The inscription on the plaque reads:
The New Salem Bicentennial Commission and town historian later speculated that this event might have occurred earlier, at the time of the Powder Alarm
Powder Alarm
The Powder Alarm was a massive popular reaction to the removal of gunpowder from a magazine by British soldiers under orders from General Thomas Gage, royal governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, on September 1, 1774...
during 1774. The Powder Alarm was a precursor to the events at Lexington and Concord
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. They were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy , and Cambridge, near Boston...
.
Battle of Bunker Hill
As the war began, William Stacy served as major in Colonel Benjamin Woodbridge'sBenjamin Ruggles Woodbridge
Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge of South Hadley, Massachusetts, practiced medicine and law, was a colonel in the Massachusetts militia during the American Revolutionary War, and was a commander at the Battle of Bunker Hill. He was also a farmer, and he owned a rum still, a wood lot, a grazing meadow,...
regiment of Minutemen
Minutemen
Minutemen were members of teams of select men from the American colonial partisan militia during the American Revolutionary War. They provided a highly mobile, rapidly deployed force that allowed the colonies to respond immediately to war threats, hence the name.The minutemen were among the first...
, which was organized into Woodbridge's (25th) Regiment
Woodbridge's Regiment of Militia
Woodbridge's Regiment of Militia, also known as the "1st Hampshire County Militia Regiment" and "Woodbridge's Regiment" and "The 25th Regiment of Foot"...
. During the Siege of Boston
Siege of Boston
The Siege of Boston was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War, in which New England militiamen—who later became part of the Continental Army—surrounded the town of Boston, Massachusetts, to prevent movement by the British Army garrisoned within...
, Woodbridge's regiment was based at Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, near Boston, and participated in the Battle of Bunker Hill
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775, mostly on and around Breed's Hill, during the Siege of Boston early in the American Revolutionary War...
, the first large-scale battle of the war. An orderly book shows that on June 13, 1775, several days before the battle, Major Stacy was officer of the night guard, while Colonel William Prescott
William Prescott
William Prescott was an American colonel in the Revolutionary War who commanded the rebel forces in the Battle of Bunker Hill...
, who would be the primary leader of patriot forces during the battle, was officer of the day
Officer of the day
At smaller military installations where no provost marshal has been assigned, the officer of the day is a detail rotated each day among the unit/post's commissioned officers to oversee security, guard, and law enforcement considerations...
. Stacy was recommended for commission on June 16, the day before the battle. On June 17, 1775, Woodbridge's regiment of 300 soldiers arrived at Bunker Hill and took up positions immediately prior to the battle, and parts of the regiment engaged. A portion of Woodbridge's regiment
Woodbridge's Regiment of Militia
Woodbridge's Regiment of Militia, also known as the "1st Hampshire County Militia Regiment" and "Woodbridge's Regiment" and "The 25th Regiment of Foot"...
joined Colonel Prescott's regiment
7th Continental Regiment
The 7th Continental Regiment was raised April 23, 1775 as a Massachusetts militia Regiment at Cambridge, Massachusetts under Colonel William Prescott. The regiment would join the Continental Army in June 1775. The regiment saw action during the Siege of Boston and the New York Campaign...
at the redoubt
Redoubt
A redoubt is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, though others are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldiers outside the main defensive line and can be a permanent structure or a...
and breastwork
Breastwork (fortification)
A breastwork is a fortification. The term is usually applied to temporary fortifications, often an earthwork thrown up to breast height to provide protection to defenders firing over it from a standing position...
on the hill, and a company from Woodbridge's regiment deployed on the right flank.
Joseph Warren
Dr. Joseph Warren was an American doctor who played a leading role in American Patriot organizations in Boston in early days of the American Revolution, eventually serving as president of the revolutionary Massachusetts Provincial Congress...
when Warren was killed during the battle. The New Salem Sesquicentennial Committee paid homage to Stacy, Haskell, and others of that village, proclaiming:
And in those days of darkness and disaster, which, as they come to all nations, will surely again come to us, he will tell us of another Jeremiah Meacham, of more Jeremiah Ballards, of another Benjamin Haskell, of another William Stacy...
Cherry Valley massacre, and prisoner of war
Subsequently during the American Revolution, William Stacy served as lieutenant colonel in Colonel Ichabod Alden'sIchabod Alden
Ichabod Alden was an American Revolutionary War officer and commanding officer during the Cherry Valley Massacre.The great-grandson of the Mayflower pilgrim John Alden, Ichabod Alden was born in Duxbury, Massachusetts...
7th Massachusetts Regiment
7th Massachusetts Regiment
The 7th Massachusetts Regiment, constituted on 16 September 1776 and originally known as Alden's Regiment from its first colonel, Ichabod Alden was an infantry regiment of the Continental Army...
during 1777 and 1778. The regiment was sent to Cherry Valley, New York
Cherry Valley (village), New York
Cherry Valley is a village in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 592 at the 2000 census.The Village of Cherry Valley is in the Town of Cherry Valley...
to protect the local population from Loyalists
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
and American Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. The Loyalists were organized as Butler's Rangers
Butler's Rangers
Butler's Rangers was a British provincial regiment composed of Loyalists in the American Revolutionary War, raised by Loyalist John Butler.Most members of the regiment were Loyalists from upstate New York...
, a Loyalist militia in the British Army, led by Colonel John Butler
John Butler (pioneer)
John Butler was a Loyalist who led an irregular militia unit known as Butler's Rangers on the northern frontier in the American Revolutionary War. He led Seneca and Cayuga forces in the Saratoga campaign. He later raised and commanded a regiment of rangers.-Background:John was born to Walter...
and his son, Captain Walter Butler
Walter Butler (Loyalist)
Walter Butler was a British Loyalist officer during the American Revolution. He was born near Johns town, New York, the son of John Butler, a wealthy Indian agent who worked for Sir William Johnson...
. The Loyalists operated together with American Indians, under the leadership of Joseph Brant
Joseph Brant
Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant was a Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York, who was closely associated with Great Britain during and after the American Revolution. He was perhaps the most well-known American Indian of his generation...
, a Mohawk
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
leader also known as Thayendanegea.
4th Massachusetts Regiment
The 4th Massachusetts Regiment also known as 3rd Continental Regiment was raised on April 23, 1775 under Colonel Ebenezer Learned outside of Boston, Massachusetts. The regiment would see action at the Battle of Bunker Hill, New York Campaign, Battle of Trenton, Battle of Princeton, Battle of...
, though remaining with Colonel Alden. During that time period, Lieutenant William McKendry, a quartermaster
Quartermaster
Quartermaster refers to two different military occupations depending on if the assigned unit is land based or naval.In land armies, especially US units, it is a term referring to either an individual soldier or a unit who specializes in distributing supplies and provisions to troops. The senior...
in Colonel Alden's regiment, kept a journal with firsthand accounts of the actions at Cherry Valley. One of his lighter notes concerning Colonel Stacy was a journal entry for October 6, 1778: “Col. Stacy and Capt. Ballard had a horse race. Col. Stacy won the bet.” However, one month later, Cherry Valley experienced the ravages of war. McKendry's journal entry for November 11, 1778 described the attack: “Immediately came on 442 Indians from the Five Nations
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
, 200 Tories
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
under the command of one Col. Butler and Capt. Brant; attacked headquarters; killed Col. Alden; took Col. Stacy prisoner; attacked Fort Alden; after three hours retreated without success of taking the fort.” McKendry identified the fatalities of the massacre as Colonel Alden, thirteen other soldiers, and thirty civilian inhabitants. It became known as the Cherry Valley massacre
Cherry Valley massacre
The Cherry Valley Massacre was an attack by British and Seneca forces on a fort and the village of Cherry Valley in eastern New York on the cold, snowy and rainy morning of November 11, 1778, during the American Revolutionary War. It has been described as one of the most horrific frontier...
and noted as one of the most horrific frontier massacres of the Revolution. Three months later, in his journal entry for February 12, 1779, McKendry describes receiving a report from an Indian of William Stacy in captivity; Stacy was apparently concerned to reassure his fellow soldiers: “the last he knew of Col. Stacy he was well and in good spirits, and told him not to mind it for it was only the fortune of war.”
Several accounts indicate that during the Cherry Valley massacre
Cherry Valley massacre
The Cherry Valley Massacre was an attack by British and Seneca forces on a fort and the village of Cherry Valley in eastern New York on the cold, snowy and rainy morning of November 11, 1778, during the American Revolutionary War. It has been described as one of the most horrific frontier...
or thereafter, Colonel Stacy was stripped naked and tied to a stake, and was about to be tortured and killed, but was spared by Joseph Brant. William Stacy was a Freemason; Joseph Brant was an educated American Indian, and had also become a Freemason. It is reported that Stacy made an appeal as one Freemason to another, thus saving his life. Colonel Stacy was subsequently taken to Fort Niagara
Fort Niagara
Fort Niagara is a fortification originally built to protect the interests of New France in North America. It is located near Youngstown, New York, on the eastern bank of the Niagara River at its mouth, on Lake Ontario.-Origin:...
, the Loyalist base in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and held prisoner under Colonel Butler during the summer of 1779. At Fort Niagara, Molly Brant, the sister of Joseph Brant, was hostile toward Stacy, and wanted Colonel Butler to return custody of Stacy to the Indians. She proclaimed dreams of her and the Indians using Stacy's head in an Indian football game. Colonel Butler placated Molly Brant with rum and protected his prisoner. Subsequently, from late-1779 through mid-1782, Colonel Stacy was held prisoner at Fort Chambly
Fort Chambly
Fort Chambly is a historic fort in the Canadian La Vallée-du-Richelieu Regional County Municipality, Quebec. The fort is designated as a National Historic Site. Fort Richelieu was part of a series of five forts built along the Richelieu River. Fort Richelieu is at the mouth of the Richelieu River....
near Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
Prisoners in the American Revolutionary War
During the American Revolutionary War the management and treatment of prisoners of war was very different from the standards of modern warfare. Modern standards, as outlined in the Geneva Conventions, expect captives to be held and cared for by their captors...
, Colonel Stacy was the subject of high level correspondence and actions of General George Washington and other leaders of the Continental Army. During April 1780, General Lafayette
Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette , often known as simply Lafayette, was a French aristocrat and military officer born in Chavaniac, in the province of Auvergne in south central France...
of France, who fought with the Americans during the Revolution, hand-carried a letter from Continental Army General Heath
William Heath
William Heath was an American farmer, soldier, and political leader from Massachusetts who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War....
to General Washington, describing a reported Loyalist and British strategy concerning Stacy. The strategy was to continue holding Colonel Stacy as a prisoner-of-war, and to use Stacy in a prisoner exchange, should Colonel Butler or another ranking Loyalist officer,
Sir John Johnson, be captured by the Continental Army. During September 1780, General Washington attempted to orchestrate a prisoner exchange for Colonel Stacy, but was unsuccessful. On November 1, 1781, the General Assembly of Massachusetts passed a Resolve
Resolution (law)
A resolution is a written motion adopted by a deliberative body. The substance of the resolution can be anything that can normally be proposed as a motion. For long or important motions, though, it is often better to have them written out so that discussion is easier or so that it can be...
urging Governor John Hancock
John Hancock
John Hancock was a merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts...
to encourage General Heath to pursue a prisoner exchange for Stacy.
Colonel Stacy was not released from captivity until the end of the war, during August 1782. General Washington reportedly gave Stacy a gold snuff box as a personal memento after the war. William Stacy's nephew, Nathaniel Stacy, writes that his first memory of childhood was the return of Col. William Stacy to New Salem after the war.
Marietta and the Ohio Country
American Pioneers to the Northwest Territory
American pioneers to the Northwest Territory included soldiers of the Revolution and members of the Ohio Company of Associates. During 1788 these pioneers to the Ohio Country established Marietta, Ohio as the first permanent American settlement of the new United States in the Northwest Territory,...
, and was involved in establishing Marietta, Ohio
Marietta, Ohio
Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Ohio, United States. During 1788, pioneers to the Ohio Country established Marietta as the first permanent American settlement of the new United States in the Northwest Territory. Marietta is located in southeastern Ohio at the mouth...
at the confluence of the Ohio
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
and Muskingum
Muskingum River
The Muskingum River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 111 miles long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. An important commercial route in the 19th century, it flows generally southward through the eastern hill country of Ohio...
rivers as the first permanent American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
settlement in the Northwest Territory
Northwest Territory
The Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Northwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 13, 1787, until March 1, 1803, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Ohio...
. Colonel Stacy joined this venture as a shareholder in the Ohio Company of Associates
Ohio Company of Associates
The Ohio Company of Associates, also known as the Ohio Company, was a land company which is today credited with becoming the first non-American Indian group to settle in the present-day state of Ohio...
, which was formed and led by Gen. Rufus Putnam
Rufus Putnam
Rufus Putnam was a colonial military officer during the French and Indian War, and a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War...
and Gen. Benjamin Tupper
Benjamin Tupper
Benjamin Tupper was a soldier in the French and Indian War, and an officer of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, achieving the rank of brevet brigadier general. Subsequently, he served as a Massachusetts legislator, and he assisted Gen. William Shepard in stopping Shays'...
. General Lafayette visited Marietta years later and described these pioneers and former officers: “They were the bravest of brave. Better men never lived.” George Washington commented “I know many of the settlers personally, and there never were men better calculated to promote the welfare of such a community.” Marietta is located in the county of Ohio bearing Washington's name
Washington County, Ohio
Washington County is a county located in the state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 61,778. Its county seat is Marietta. The county, the oldest in the state, is named for George Washington. Washington County is included in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, West Virginia-Ohio...
.
Big Bottom Massacre
The Big Bottom massacre occurred on January 2, 1791, near present-day Stockport now in Morgan County, Ohio, United States. Delaware and Wyandot Indians surprised a new settlement at the edge of the flood plain, or "bottom" land of the Muskingum River; they stormed the blockhouse and killed eleven...
, and the beginning of the Northwest Indian War
Northwest Indian War
The Northwest Indian War , also known as Little Turtle's War and by various other names, was a war fought between the United States and a confederation of numerous American Indian tribes for control of the Northwest Territory...
. Twelve people were killed in the attack, including Stacy's son John. His son Philemon was taken captive and died later.
William Stacy was a prominent and active member of the pioneer settlement of Marietta. He superintended the construction of a stockade
Stockade
A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls made of logs placed side by side vertically with the tops sharpened to provide security.-Stockade as a security fence:...
known as Picketed Point to protect the settlers from Indians, he was an officer in the militia, and he was an officer on the first board of police. Additionally, he served as an officer of the township of Marietta, and he owned one of two hand mills in the settlement. William Stacy was a member of the Society of the Cincinnati
Society of the Cincinnati
The Society of the Cincinnati is a historical organization with branches in the United States and France founded in 1783 to preserve the ideals and fellowship of the American Revolutionary War officers and to pressure the government to honor pledges it had made to officers who fought for American...
and an original member of the American Union Lodge No. 1 (Freemasons) at Marietta; the name of this lodge was reportedly suggested by Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
, and the seal engraved by Paul Revere
Paul Revere
Paul Revere was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. He is most famous for alerting Colonial militia of approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride...
. Stacy was honored with the position of foreman of the first Grand Jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
in the Northwest Territory
Northwest Territory
The Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Northwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 13, 1787, until March 1, 1803, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Ohio...
. This was an important event, as this court was the first establishment of civil and criminal law in the pioneer country.
William Stacy lost his wife Sarah to smallpox during March 1790 after 36 years of marriage. He subsequently married Hannah Sheffield during July of that year. "A man highly esteemed for his many excellent qualities, and honored for his services and sufferings in the cause of freedom," William Stacy died in Marietta during 1802 at 68 years of age. He was buried in Marietta at Mound Cemetery, the site of an ancient American Indian
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
burial mound. Colonel Stacy has good company in his final resting place; Mound Cemetery reportedly contains the largest number of Revolutionary War officers buried in one location. A new memorial marker was dedicated to William Stacy in 1928 in Mound Cemetery.
External links
- William Stacy monument Smithsonian American Art Museum, Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture
- William Stacy biographic sketch Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati, in collaboration with the New England Historic Genealogical Society