General Stark and the history of "Live Free or Die"

[CNHT]

This was a rather nice article I thought of the Globe, seeing as we finally have a live free or die candidate we support..

Rediscovering N.H.'s man behind the motto
By John Dyer, Globe Correspondent  |  September 30, 2007

General John Stark would probably not enjoy all this attention if he were around to see it.

The Revolutionary War hero who gave New Hampshire its famous motto, "Live free or die," was not a self-promoter. After winning fame by playing a decisive role in many of the Revolution's key battles, he eschewed politics, unlike his commanding officer, George Washington, and retired to his modest Manchester farm.

Yet these days the general's star is on the rise.

After decades of few, if any, writers putting pen to paper on the subject of the Londonderry-born Stark, three amateur historians have published books on him this year. Transportation officials are now considering creating a scenic byway to lure tourists to the general's old stomping grounds. In 2004, former New Hampshire governor Craig Benson declared the first official General John Stark Day.

The interest in Stark reflects trends among American history buffs and the country in general, observers say. The recent success of biographies of founding fathers, such as David McCullough's "John Adams," has led some writers to examine lesser-known figures from that era. At the same time, following the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and as Ameri cans witness war and nation-building in Iraq, we are becoming more introspective about our own origins.

"Everybody is trying to figure out what's going on and looking for heroes again, looking for stories that make us feel like we are invincible again," said William P. Veillette, executive director of the New Hampshire Historical Society. "One of our greatest stories is the Revolution."

Born in 1728, Stark epitomized Yankee values. He was tough, independent, and tight-lipped, but well spoken, said Ben Rose, a Lincoln, Mass., resident who wrote "John Stark: Maverick General."

"He emerges as a colorful character," Rose said. "He's much more like George Patton, who was like 'Damn the torpedoes.' He didn't care about politics. He was not particularly well liked by the political leadership. Out of all these guys - Washington, Jefferson - it seems to me he's one of the most significant guys people don't appreciate."

Taken captive by Native Americans when he was 24, Stark survived a forced march into the Quebec wilderness before negotiators freed him. Later, he joined Rogers' Rangers, the predecessor of today's Army Rangers, and fought in the French and Indian War.

That military experience led him to join the outbreak of the Revolution in Boston in 1775. Not only was he adept at commanding troops, but his experience in the rangers had also led him to dislike the British, who treated so-called provincials like him as second-class citizens, Rose said.

Stark crossed the Delaware River with Washington and led a column of troops to victory in the Battle of Trenton. Before the fight, when his troops' enlistments were expiring and the army was threatening to evaporate, he pledged to sell his farm to pay for his men's salaries. "It's hard to imagine our politicians putting their futures aside" like that, Rose said.

Soon after that success, in a moment that perhaps reveals his New England crustiness, Rose said, Stark resigned when the Continental Congress refused to promote him to the rank of general. But later the New Hampshire Legislature promoted him to brigadier general, and he was given command over the northern United States. In that position, he defeated the British at the Battle of Bennington in Vermont.

In 1809, the veterans who had fought under Stark at Bennington requested his presence at a reunion. At 81, Stark was too frail to attend. Instead, he wrote a letter to his former soldiers and offered a toast for the evening: "Live free or die."

Stark's words became the Granite State's motto in 1945. "The context was, here we just defeated the Nazis and Japan in World War II," said Rose. "People were saying, 'Let's adopt a state motto whose essence is that there are things worth dying for.' "

Imprinting Stark's toast on the back of license plates clearly kept the memory of the man alive. But Rose, Veillette, and others couldn't account for the coincidence of three books on him appearing in the same year while other honors were also being planned. "It is wild," said Veillette. "There's no anniversary or anything."

In addition to Rose's biography, books on Stark published this year include Karl Lewis Crannell's "John Stark: Live Free or Die" for young readers, and Clifton La Bree's "New Hampshire's General John Stark."

Ben Hampton, a Goffstown resident and member of the Sons of the American Revolution who lobbied to establish the fourth Monday in April as General John Stark Day, said he wanted to celebrate not only Stark's military service but also his humility.

"He was the type of New Hampshire citizen who did his duty and went home," Hampton said. "It was the average everyday citizen who helped to form this country. They aren't getting their fair share, and Stark is a very good example of what these people can do."

The Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission conceived of a John Stark scenic byway when it was seeking ways to draw tourists to the region, said senior planner Jack Munn.

"We started looking at the history and we realized, wow, Stark comes up everywhere," he said.

The byway would be a 33-mile loop through Goffstown, Dunbarton, New Boston, and Weare that would have signs and other amenities to lead travelers to Stark's farm, a museum holding a cannon from the Battle of Bennington, and other attractions.

State officials are reviewing the commission's application, Munn said. If approved, it would be the first step in the byway becoming a federal scenic route eligible for extra funding.

Maybe "Live free or die" has special resonance in an era when Americans are facing a new enemy in the form of terrorists, said Veillette. Or perhaps Stark is benefiting from political use of the motto, as when critics cited it in their campaign against the mandatory seat-belt bill that failed to become law in New Hampshire this year.

Veillette doesn't know for sure.

"Whatever the reason," he said, "it's just great people are doing it. Stark deserves it."


http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/09/30/rediscovering_nhs_man_behind_the_motto?mode=PF

[Insurgent]

There's even a NH made vodka now being made in honor of him  http://www.flaghill.com/fhdistillery/generaljohnstark/

[ThePug]

Shame they didn't use the full quote in the article The truncated version is probably best for the official NH state motto, but it loses a lot of the eloquence of the original.

Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils.