Stearns was born in 1853 in Washington, D.C. and although he was only 12 years old when the American Civil War ended, he was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, which indicates he served in some capacity during the war, perhaps as a drummer or messenger.\n', '

For the first three seasons of his career, Stearns appeared exclusively as a pitcher. In 1871—the first year of the National Association—he pitched two complete games for Washington Olympics, winning both, with a 2.50 ERA. In 1872 he pitched 11 complete games for the Washington Nationals, unfortunately losing all of them, with a 6.18 ERA. In 1873 he pitched 32 complete games for the Washington Blue Legs, posting a record of 7–25, with a 4.61 ERA.\n', '

In the final two seasons of his career, Stearns appeared both as a pitcher and an outfielder. In 1874 with the Hartford Dark Blues his pitching record was 3–14 with a 2.95 ERA, and he played 19 games in the outfield. In his final season of 1875—also the final year of the National Association—he was with the Washington Nationals, pitching to a 1–14 record with a 4.02 ERA, and playing 7 games in the outfield.\n', '

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