Battle of Bunker Hill #BriFri
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Last week, I wrote my first review of an audio course: A Mystics Work: Julian of Norwich. Jeanie read a couple of British mysteries, among other things, in May. Margaret hosted a spot on the blog tour for The Silver Ladies Seize the Day by Judy Leigh, a novel set in a British village with a lot of quirky characters, including a pig.
As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, I wanted to see what I could find out about it from the British perspective.
Two-hundred and fifty years ago, today, June 13, 1775. American rebels learned of a plan of the British army that occupied Boston. After the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the British troops were stuck in Boston. General Thomas Gage wanted to occupy the hills on the other side of the Boston Harbor — Breed and Bunker.
Before Gage could act on that idea, the Americans snuck in and occupied the hills themselves. On the morning of June 17, 1775, a British ship spotted the American fortifications that had been built during the overnight hours. The British hastily formed a plan to seize the hills for themselves, an operation under the command of Major-General William Howe.
By Richard Purcell aka Charles Corbutt (ca 1736-ca 1766) – From the Anne S.K. Brown Military History Collection at Brown University
The site British Battles is a catalog of all British battles in chronological order. It lays out the facts:
Date of the Battle of Bunker Hill: 17th June 1775
Place of the Battle of Bunker Hill: On the Charlestown Peninsula on the north side of Boston Harbour.
Combatants at the Battle of Bunker Hill: British troops of the Boston garrison against troops of the American Continental Army.
Generals at the Battle of Bunker Hill: Major-General William Howe against General Artemas Ward and General Israel Putnam.
Size of the armies at the Battle of Bunker Hill: 2,400 British troops against 1,500 Americans.
Casualties: 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.
There are also terrific illustrations, details of uniforms and equipment, and maps.
Mistakes were made on both sides. The British couldn’t seem to get the right ammunition to the cannons and underestimated the ability of the American troops to withstand a frontal attack. The unseasoned American troops wouldn’t move forward into the fray, even under direct orders, plus there was confusion about the order of command..
This was the analysis of the British Battles page:
While the British drove the Americans from the Charlestown peninsula, it was with heavy loss. The battle was at the time considered to be an American defeat, but has since been lifted to the ranks of a heroic stand against the forces of oppression.
This account of the day by a British lieutenant shows that the British originally thought of the Battle of Bunker Hill as a victory because they drove off the American troops.
Did you learn about this battle? I remembered the name of the battle, but little else.