Battle+of+Bunker+Hill


 * the battle of bunker hill wasnt at bunker hill it was at breeds hill
 * 1,500 american troops occupied breed's hill
 * 5,000 british troops where there
 * the british ran up the hill to the patriots
 * the patriots were ready to fight
 * they were locked in battle
 * //The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill//
 * the british lost 1,150 men
 * the patriots lost 450 men
 * unfortinitly the british won

Breed's Hill is the actual site where the Battle of Bunker Hill took place during the American Revolution, located in the Charlestown section of Boston, Massachusetts. The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775 on Breed's Hill, as part of the Siege of Boston during the American Revolutionary War. General Israel Putnam was in charge of the revolutionary forces, while Major-General William Howe commanded the British forces. Because most of the fighting did not occur on Bunker Hill itself, the conflict is sometimes more accurately (though more rarely) called the Battle of Breed's Hill. The colonists were ordered to start fortifying Bunker Hill but fortified Breed's Hill instead. There are many theories as to why they did this. Some historians say it was a mistake due to incorrect maps or miscalculations during the night. Others think it was a strategic decision because Breed's Hill was closer to Boston Harbor and they could attack British ships as well. Another theory is that the men in the field didn't know how to follow orders and selected the wrong hill.

With the outbreak of the war General Gage, the British commander in chief, found himself blockaded in Boston by the American Continental Army, occupying the hills to the West of the city. Gage resolved to seize the Charlestown peninsula across the harbour. Before he could act, on the night of 16th June 1775 around 1,500 American troops of the Massachusetts regiments and Putnam’s Connecticut regiment occupied Breed’s Hill and Bunker Hill on the peninsula. The American troops began to build a redoubt on Breed’s Hill. The fortification was complete by the morning, after a night of frenzied work. The presence of the Americans on the peninsula was observed by His Majesty’s Ship Lively which opened fire on them. Plans were hurriedly put in motion by the British to attack the Americans and drive them from their position. Major General Howe, one of the three generals sent from Britain to assist General Gage, was given the command. While the preparations were in train the Americans extended their fortifications from the redoubt to the sea shore, to prevent a flank attack. More American troops gathered on Bunker Hill but few of them could be persuaded to move to the forward positions on Breed’s Hill

The British commanders for this engagement were General Thomas Gage and General Sir William Howe. These two generals were highly skilled in leading legions of British troops in battle. The Americans commanders were Colonel William Prescott, General Israel Putnam and Joseph Warren. These generals were fairly skilled in combat.

Here is the account of Bunker Hill. On June 16, 1775 ( at night ) more than 1,000 patriots (rebel fighters), under the command of General Prescott, marched to Breed's Hill over the Charlestown neck and fortified it with trenches, bales of cotton and hay by the morning of June 17. After they were done with this, General Israel Putnam took some men and began to fortify Bunker Hill.

Meanwhile in the town of Boston, the British Commander, General Gage just happened to see the Americans occupying the two hills...he ordered the British ships to start bombarding the Americans positions until the British troops could arrive. Soon after the order the British started moving troops to the east of Breed's hill from Boston.

Col. Prescott's men would be the first attacked. This was the first charge with British army on the east side of the hill with the secondary doing a straight attack. General Howe's men lead the attack with 5,000 troops up the hill. But they were not alone, they were covered by cannon from British ships in the river. While this was going on, some of the British ships loaded their cannons with incendiary shells and annihilated Charlestown, where a fraction of American troops were sniping at British soldiers on the battlefield. The first attack failed. The British retreated.

They went up the hill again but with the main group attacking forward and the secondary going east...of course this attempt also failed. The British were thoroughly enraged and took off their heavy packs before charging the third time. The Americans were running low on ammunition and gunpowder, so they had to retreat...through Charlestown neck. And the British got the hills.

The losses were astounding for the British with more than 1,000 men lost, wounded or prisoners. The Americans only lost about 400 or less. By the military tradition of the time, the British won because at the end of the battle they had posession of the field. The casualties however, tell a different story. This attack was immortalized forever in American history. First, because it was the first serious defeat for the British and secondly due to a famous quote attributed to one of the American commanders. To preserve the American's gunpowder, he ordered the patriots, "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!"

The British suffered some 1,150 killed and wounded or nearly half of the force engaged. The American casualties were estimated at 450 killed and wounded.

Under Colonel William Prescott, who had witnessed the dispersion of the Acadians twenty years before, this band of men marched silently to the place. Passing Bunker Hill, for some cause unknown, they reached Breed's Hill at midnight and began to throw up embankments. Faithfully they toiled on till break of day revealed their work to the gaze of the astonished British. The English guns were soon trained on the works, and the sleeping city was awakened by the boom of cannon. But the men on the hill toiled on, and by noon they were well intrenched behind a strong redoubt. The British meanwhile decided to storm the American works.

http://darter.ocps.net/classroom/revolution/bunker.htm http://www.britishbattles.com/bunker-hill.htm http://www.mountalverniahs.org/Mahs/Hist-Lit10/BunkerHill/bunkerbreeds.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bunker_Hillb