On August 16, 1777, General John Stark, a veteran of Roger’s Rangers during the French and Indian War, of the New Hampshire militia, fought and won the battle of Bennington. His force, consisting of 1500 New Hampshire militia, more than 10 percent of the male population of New Hampshire over the age of 16, about 500 Massachusetts militia and 350 Green Mountain Boys from Vermont under Colonel Seth Warner, defeated a force of approximately 800 dismounted dragoons of the Brunswick Prinz Ludwig regiment, Canadians, Tories and Indians under Colonel Friedrich Baum, which had been sent out on a foraging expedition by General Burgoyne. The battle was hotly contested, and at the end the Americans had killed or captured all of Baum’s force, Baum being among the slain. At the end of the battle, the Americans fought a second fight against a reinforcing column of around 650 members of the Breymann Grenadiers, an elite force under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Heinrich Breymann, driving them off with casualties of about one-quarter of their force.
Stark is also, unsurprisingly, the originator of the New Hampshire state motto: Live free or die.
“Live free or die” I have always liked that state motto.
all of New England would be lost today in despair.. if not for NH.. if not for “live free or die”. -if not for General John Stark.
“Live Free Or Die; Death Is Not The Worst Of Evils” is the full quote, and was delivered by General Stark as a written toast to the veterans of Bennington at their reunion on the thirty-second anniversary of the battle.
Quite right. The old soldier was in declining health and could not attend in person.
Raised our six in New Hampshire. John Stark High School – The Generals.