Live Free or Die*

by chuckofish

Bennington Battle Day is observed on August 16 annually, and this year it marked the 245th year of the battle. It is a state holiday in Vermont honoring the American victory against the British forces during the American Revolutionary War.

The Bennington Battle began in July 1777 when the British forces led by General John Burgoyne captured Fort Ticonderoga and Mount Independence. Their goal was to cut off New England from their other colonies. On August 9, General Burgoyne sent German Lt. Colonel Friedrich Baum with an armed troop consisting of 800 men to raid Bennington and plunder food supplies and ammunition. On August 14, this raiding party won the battle over the American militia, which was led by Brigadier-General John Stark. However, the battle didn’t stop there. The New Hampshire militia regrouped and grew in number to prepare for the final battle that took place just two days later. Reinforced by Vermont militiamen led by Colonel Seth Warner and members of the Green Mountain Boys, they decisively won the battle, capturing at least 700 men.

In 1877, a local historical society began to plan a monument for the battle’s centennial celebration, which was eventually attended by President Rutherford B. Hayes. The monument’s cornerstone was laid in 1887, and it was completed in November 1889 at a total cost of $112,000 (including the site). Dedication ceremonies were delayed until 1891, when President Benjamin Harrison attended the ceremonies. Statues of John Stark , Seth Warner and other notables ornament the grounds.

You may recall that John Stark, while hunting in 1752, was captured by Abenaki Indians, taken to Canada and made to run the gauntlet.  Stark grabbed a club and attacked the Indians who were so impressed by his courage that he was adopted into the tribe. (He was later ransomed.) Stark fought through the French and Indian War as an officer in Roger’s Rangers.  With the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, Stark became colonel in the New Hampshire Militia.  Stark fought at the Battles of Bunker Hill, Trenton and Princeton, before returning to New Hampshire to raise more men for the Continental Army and leading the Americans at the Battle of Bennington. 

And he was married to the redoubtable Molly Stark.

My question is: why was there never a movie made about this hero? Really, there are only a very few movies of consequence about the revolutionary period. The only ones that come to mind are Drums Along the Mohawk (1939), Alleghany Uprising (1939) and Northwest Passage (1940). Can you think of any others? (Please don’t say The Patriot.)

Our country’s 250th birthday approaches–so read some history, watch an (old) movie, visit an historical site. Join your local historical society!

*“Live Free or Die. Death is not the greatest of evils.”–John Stark