Battle of Bunker Hill

For a list of numerous places and things that are named after this battle, see Bunker Hill.

Battle of Bunker Hill
Part of the American Revolutionary War

Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill, a portrait by John Trumbull depicting the battle
DateJune 17, 1775
Location
Charlestown, Massachusetts
42°22′35″N 71°3′39″W / 42.37639°N 71.06083°W / 42.37639; -71.06083
Result British victory (see Aftermath)
Territorial
changes		 The British capture Charlestown Peninsula
Belligerents

United Colonies

 Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
William Prescott
Israel Putnam
Joseph Warren †
John Stark		 Kingdom of Great Britain William Howe
Kingdom of Great Britain Thomas Gage
Kingdom of Great Britain Sir Robert Pigot
Kingdom of Great Britain James Abercrombie †
Kingdom of Great Britain Henry Clinton
Kingdom of Great Britain Samuel Graves
Kingdom of Great Britain John Pitcairn †
Strength
~2,400[1] 3,000+[2]
Casualties and losses
115 killed,
305 wounded,
30 captured (20 POWs died)
Total: 450[3]		 19 officers killed
62 officers wounded
207 soldiers killed
766 soldiers wounded
Total: 1,054[4]
Battle of Bunker Hill is located in Boston
Battle of Bunker Hill
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Location of the Battle of Bunker Hill in Massachusetts

The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the first stage of the American Revolutionary War.[5] The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was peripherally involved. It was the original objective of both the colonial and British troops, though the majority of combat took place on the adjacent hill which became known as Breed's Hill.[6][7]

On June 13, 1775, the leaders of the colonial forces besieging Boston learned that the British were planning to send troops out from the city to fortify the unoccupied hills surrounding the city, which would give them control of Boston Harbor. In response, 1,200 colonial troops under the command of William Prescott stealthily occupied Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill. They constructed a strong redoubt on Breed's Hill overnight, as well as smaller fortified lines across the Charlestown Peninsula.[8]

By daybreak of June 17, the British became aware of the presence of colonial forces on the Peninsula and mounted an attack against them. Two assaults on the colonial positions were repulsed with significant British casualties but the redoubt was captured on their third assault, after the defenders ran out of ammunition. The colonists retreated over Bunker Hill, leaving the British[9] in control of the Peninsula.[10]

The battle was a tactical victory for the British,[11][12] but it proved to be a sobering experience for them; they incurred many more casualties than the Americans had sustained, including many officers. The battle had demonstrated that inexperienced militia were able to stand up to regular army troops in battle. Subsequently, the battle discouraged the British from any further frontal attacks against well defended front lines. American casualties were much fewer, although their losses included General Joseph Warren and Major Andrew McClary, the final casualty of the battle.[13]

The battle led the British to adopt a more cautious planning and maneuver execution in future engagements, which was evident in the subsequent New York and New Jersey campaign. The costly engagement also convinced the British of the need to hire substantial numbers of Hessian auxiliaries to bolster their strength in the face of the new and formidable Continental Army.

  1. ^ Chidsey p. 122 counts 1,400 in the night-time fortification work. Frothingham is unclear on the number of reinforcements arriving just before the battle breaks out. In a footnote on p. 136, as well as on p. 190, he elaborates the difficulty in getting an accurate count.
  2. ^ Chidsey p. 90 says the initial force requested was 1,550, but Howe requested and received reinforcements before the battle began. Frothingham p. 137 puts the total British contingent likely to be over 3,000. Furthermore, according to Frothingham p. 148, additional reinforcements arrived from Boston after the second attack was repulsed. Frothingham, p. 191 notes the difficulty in attaining an accurate count of British troops involved.
  3. ^ Chidsey, p. 104
  4. ^ Frothingham pp. 191, 194.
  5. ^ James L. Nelson, With Fire and Sword: The Battle of Bunker Hill and the Beginning of the American Revolution (2011)
  6. ^ Borneman, Walter R. American Spring: Lexington, Concord, and the Road to Revolution, p. 350, Little, Brown and Company, New York, Boston, London, 2014. ISBN 978-0-316-22102-3.
  7. ^ Hubbard, Robert Ernest. Major General Israel Putnam: Hero of the American Revolution, p. 85, McFarland & Company, Inc., Jefferson, NC, 2017. ISBN 978-1-4766-6453-8.
  8. ^ Hubbard, Robert Ernest. Major General Israel Putnam: Hero of the American Revolution, pp. 85–87, McFarland & Company, Inc., Jefferson, NC, 2017. ISBN 978-1-4766-6453-8.
  9. ^ Withington, Robert (June 1949). "A French Comment on the Battle of Bunker Hill". The New England Quarterly. 22 (2): 235–240. doi:10.2307/362033. ISSN 0028-4866. JSTOR 362033.
  10. ^ Hubbard, Robert Ernest. Major General Israel Putnam: Hero of the American Revolution, pp. 87–95, McFarland & Company, Inc., Jefferson, NC, 2017. ISBN 978-1-4766-6453-8.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Clinton19 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Battle of Bunker Hill". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2016. Although the British eventually won the battle, it was a Pyrrhic victory that lent considerable encouragement to the revolutionary cause.
  13. ^ Hubbard, Robert Ernest. Major General Israel Putnam: Hero of the American Revolution, pp. 94–95, McFarland & Company, Inc., Jefferson, NC, 2017. ISBN 978-1-4766-6453-8.