Bunker Hill

The Battle of Bunker Hill

Mike’s Blog

“On the night of June 16, 1775, a detail of American troops acting under orders from Artemas Ward moved out of their camp, carrying picks, shovels, and guns. They entrenched themselves on a rise located on Charleston Peninsula overlooking Boston. Their destination: Bunker Hill.” (www.ushistory.org)

On June 17, 1775 the British troops that were occupying Boston Massachusetts woke up to find that the patriot forces had entrenched themselves atop a hill in prime position to attack them.  The position that they had included a slew or well-placed trenches along the top of Bunker Hill.  Those trenches protected the troops on top of the hill and the cannons that the patriot forces had aimed at the city and harbor.

 

“Major General William Howe, leading the British forces, could have easily surrounded the Americans with his ships at sea, but instead chose to march his troops uphill.” (www.ushistory.com)

The decision to march uphill in a head on battle was most likely an attempt to the Patriots forces to retreat.  Major General William Howe was making that assumption that fear of the most powerful army in the world marching directly at them would scare them into retreating, the plan did not work.

The patriot forces waited for the British troops to get very close to the trenches and then opened fire.  

The first wave of British forces that marched up the hill retreated having taken serious damage and casualties.  The trenches and high ground gave the patriot forces a significant advantage and when the British troops marched up the hill a second time they were again turned back down the hill.  

When the third wave of British troops came marching up the hill the patriot forces had run out of ammo.  “Hand-to-hand fighting ensued. The British eventually took the hill, but at a great cost. Of the 2,300 British soldiers who had gone through the ordeal, 1,054 were either killed or wounded.” (www.ushistory.org)

This battle gave many young patriots hope as their forces had handed the british troops a horrible loss.  While the British did take the hill they lost a substantial amount of life and almost 50 percent of the troops that marched on the hill.  The young patriots that would end up hearing about this great victory would be inspired by the number of British troops killed.  They would be inspired by the fact that the great British army could indeed be injured.