The New Hampshire Line - "Live Free or Die" John Stark T-Shirt

"There are the Redcoats. They will be ours, or tonight Molly Stark sleeps a widow." That is what John Stark told his New Hampshire men on August 16, 1777, before he sent them down on a British raiding force at Bennington. By the end of the day, of the 374 trained German regulars he attacked, nine got away. The rest were killed or captured. Fourteen Americans died. It was one of the most lopsided victories of the entire war, and it helped break the back of a British invasion.

The New Hampshire Line was Continental infantry, three regiments of volunteers from a state that punched far above its size. Their most famous son was John Stark: a man who had been taken captive by Abenaki warriors as a young hunter, earned their respect by fighting back, served as one of Rogers' Rangers in the French and Indian War, and answered the call the moment he heard shots had been fired at Lexington.

At Bunker Hill in June 1775, Stark and his New Hampshire men held the rail fence on the American left, the most exposed position on the field. They let the British come close, fired in disciplined volleys, and covered the retreat when the hill finally fell. He went on to cross the Delaware with Washington and fight at Trenton and Princeton. Then, snubbed for promotion by Congress, he resigned, only to come storming back the next year under a New Hampshire commission, on the condition that he answered to no Continental officer. He gathered 1,500 men in six days, more than ten percent of the state's fighting-age men, and marched to Bennington.

That victory starved Burgoyne's army of supplies and men and set up the British surrender at Saratoga, the turning point that finally convinced France to enter the war on the American side. They called Stark the Hero of Bennington for the rest of his life.

The motto came later. In 1809, too old and sick to travel to a reunion of his Bennington veterans, Stark sent them a toast instead: "Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils." New Hampshire made it the state motto in 1945. It is on every license plate in the state. Most people who read it never know it came from a Revolutionary War general who earned the right to say it the hard way.

About this design

This New Hampshire Line design features a distressed layout with the White Mountains, an American eagle and shield, crossed muskets, and the state of New Hampshire in green pine, under the motto Live Free or Die. Part of our America 250 Revolutionary War collection honoring the New Hampshire Continentals and their Hero of Bennington, John Stark.

America 250, made by veterans

This New Hampshire Line shirt is part of our America 250 collection commemorating 250 years of military service from 1775 to 2026. Every design is grounded in actual unit history, not print-on-demand patriotism. Honor 250 years of America and the Continentals who built her. Houston, Texas. Veteran-built.

Product details

• Premium soft cotton tee, ringspun for durability
• Sizes S through 4XL
• Color options: Black, Military Green, Steel Blue, Rust, Coyote Brown
• Distressed vintage print for authentic worn-in look
• Designed and printed in the USA by a veteran-owned brand
• Free shipping on orders $50 and up
• Part of the America 250 Revolutionary War collection from Tactically Acquired

Honor the Past. Wear the Future.