Sir Stuart Winchester

The late Captain Sir Stuart Winchester is a ghost who played a major role in Ghost Story. He fought as a colonial marine during the American Revolutionary War. He's lived in Chicago for more than two centuries. He stayed on earth, as a ghost, in order to guard his decendants (including Mortimer Lindquist), and teach new spirits and help them move on. As to why he has the title of "Sir", and a British accent, yet fought against the red coats is "a protracted and complex tale."

He is described as "huge. Not built like a weight lifter or anything, just a naturally big-boned, brawny man standing almost as tall as I. His dark hair was gathered at the nape of his neck with a bit of ribbon. A long, dark blue coat fell to his calves, its sleeves marked with gold braid. Beneath that, he wore a uniform—a tight-fitting blue jacket, white shirt, white pants, and high black boots."

He wields a long-handled axe, a flintlock pistol, and a knife. The pistol uses bullets made out of memories, which can harm vengeful spirits; it's his symbol of authority over the army of ghosts. Stuart gives Harry this pistol (which later becomes a staff) when he's burned by Corpsetaker and half a dozen mortals, in a circle of fire made by gasoline. He survives the fire, but loses too much of himself and becomes something like another mindless shade. At the end, he joins Uriel's team of ghost-police.