A Major General in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He is known as the Hero of Bennington for his service at the Battle of Bennington in 1777. In 1809, a group of Bennington veterans gathered to commemorate the battle. General Stark, then aged 81, was not well enough to travel, but he sent a letter to his comrades, which closed "Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils." The motto Live Free or Die became the New Hampshire state motto in 1945.