After the events at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts on April 19, 1775, militiamen from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont came together in Cambridge and the surrounding area near Boston. Meanwhile, British General Gage and 6,500 soldiers and marines controlled Boston proper, while the American force consisted of more than 16,000 men. However, sickness and absences reduced the number of available soldiers to around 9,000.
The American force was severely lacking gunpowder, with only about 30 half barrels of powder in addition to what the citizen soldiers carried in their horns. After the Concord incident, efforts were made over the course of two months to bring organization and order to the United States Army. However, progress was slow and the task was challenging. By mid-June, the army remained a collection of individual Militia regiments, led by officers who were seen more as comrades and fellow citizens of the common soldier rather than trained and competent leaders. The Continental Congress was working on legislation to regularize the militia and ensure their payment by Congress, but no action had been taken by mid-June. To exacerbate the situation, militia units were solely accountable to their own militia commanders and state governments.
General Artemus Ward was the commanding general of the Massachusetts militia and led the largest contingent of troops. Although he held nominal authority over the non-Massachusetts forces, General Gage considered his force insufficient to attack the Rebels effectively and maintain control over the surrounding countryside. Moreover, he grew concerned about the possibility of Rebels placing cannons and posing a threat to Boston from the nearby heights of Dorchester and Charlestown. Consequently, General Gage began developing plans to secure these strategic positions. However, news of his intentions leaked out, leading the Boston Committee of Safety to advise Ward to preempt the British by seizing Bunker Hill above Charlestown.
William Prescott was in favor of the plan and was selected to lead a nocturnal mission to establish a small fort on Bunkers Hill. Alongside 300 men from Prescott’s regiment, 200 soldiers from Connecticut, led by Captain Thomas Knowlton from Putnam’s regiment and Captain Samuel Gridley’s artillery company with two light guns, were added to the force. At around 5 o’clock in the evening on June 16th, this combined force gathered on the common in Cambridge and, following a prayer, quietly departed for the Horse’s Neck. The Charlestown peninsula, positioned like a drop of ink extending into the harbor just north of Boston, is approximately one and a quarter miles long. It is situated between the Charles River on the West and the Mystic river on the East.
The peninsula is connected to the mainland by a narrow strip of land, known as the Neck. This strip is only thirty feet wide when the tide is high. Bunker’s Hill, which stands at 100 feet in height, dominates the western end of the peninsula. Any fortifications built there would be beyond the effective range of the British battery on Copp’s Hill in Boston and would be too high for shipboard guns in the harbor. To the south and east of Bunker’s Hill lies Breed’s Hill, which slopes gradually towards the harbor and Charlestown to its south and west. Taking advantage of darkness, the American force crossed the Neck and took control of Bunker’s Hill.
The column stopped on the far slope, leading to a heated argument among the leaders. Prescott believed that Ward had ordered to fortify the lower and more exposed Breed’s Hill. Colonel Gridley, functioning as the engineer, added to the problem by stating that time was being wasted. Eventually, it was decided that Breed’s Hill would be the primary fortification and Bunker Hill would be secondary, given enough time. The column then proceeded to Breed’s Hill where Gridley marked out the outline of a redoubt, measuring approximately 132 feet square. As midnight struck, the men began to dig furiously. Prescott assigned one company to patrol the shore and another to stay close to the town.
At around 4 o’clock, the lookout on the Lively, a sloop-of-war with 20 guns belonging to His Majesty, noticed the construction on the redoubt and alerted others by sounding the alarm. Captain Thomas Bishop promptly prepared his crew for battle and began attacking the redoubt. It is likely that Bishop, who had recently been found guilty by court-martial for purposeful negligence regarding the management of funds from a captured Spanish ship, was determined to avoid being perceived as neglectful again. The Admiral of the fleet dispatched a boat to cease the gunfire, but upon witnessing the issue himself in the improving light, he ordered his ships and the Copp’s Hill battery to commence firing at the redoubt. In response to the situation, Gage, the fleet’s admiral, swiftly convened a council of war. After considering various alternatives alongside Generals Clinton and Howe, Gage ultimately decided on an amphibious assault that would involve landing on Moulton’s Point below Breed’s Hill.
Meanwhile, Prescott’s soldiers had finished digging the redoubt but had run out of food and water. Unfortunately, a cannonball had destroyed the only two barrels of water that had been brought along. As the cannon bombardment continued, the soldiers inside the redoubt began to question whether it was wise to remain under fire. In the daytime, they could see British troops assembling in Boston across the harbor. However, Colonel Prescott was determined to continue fighting. He had already reassured his soldiers by bravely standing on the parapet after the first casualty from a cannon shot, and walking along it to show that they were relatively safe from cannon fire.
With the British now preparing operations against them, some individuals were ready to depart. In fact, a few made their way up and over Bunker’s Hill, continuing on to the Neck and Cambridge. Meanwhile, General Isaac Putnam had ridden out to have a discussion with Col. Prescott shortly after the Lively commenced firing.
Returning to Cambridge, he quickly sought out General Ward, urging him to reinforce Prescott. Ward was worried that sending reinforcements to Prescott would leave his forces vulnerable in other areas, so he wanted to wait until he knew for sure where the British would attack. Around 11 o’clock, two British gondolas reached the Neck and started firing at anything they saw moving. The exact impact of this attack is uncertain, but there were some casualties.
By noon, the British had boarded their boats and Howe, along with approximately 1,500 men, embarked at one o’clock. Ward, whether he had already issued reinforcement orders or not prior to the British movement, now issued orders to nine Massachusetts regiments, as well as John Stark’s and James Reed’s New Hampshire regiments, along with several artillery companies. The situation was extremely disorganized, with each regiment moving as it saw fit and soldiers and officers continuously disappearing unnoticed. The scene at the neck was complete chaos, with several Massachusetts regiments blocking the entrance due to their fear of crossing under direct cannon fire.
Colonel’s Stark and Reed of the New Hampshire troops received orders to advance at two in the afternoon. They quickly gathered their men, only to realize that many of them did not have enough ammunition. Once the soldiers were given their ammunition, they had to take time to adjust it to fit the specific weapon each one carried. Upon reaching the entrance to the Neck and finding the Massachusetts troops obstructing their path, Major Andrew McClary bravely approached the front and politely asked if Massachusetts could kindly move aside to allow New Hampshire to pass through. The Massachusetts soldiers promptly moved into the ditches as Stark and Reed calmly led their men across the Neck.
By two, Howe had his troops landed and surveyed situation and determined that he needed additional soldiers. He sent a boat back to Boston to ask for reinforcements. The artillery battery, previously transported by boat, was now positioned on the forward slope of Breed’s Hill and commenced firing at 3 pm. At this point, two recently appointed American generals, Dr. Joseph Warren and General Seth Pomeroy, had arrived on the scene. Neither desired command but rather requested to be instructed on where the fiercest fighting was anticipated.
The weary and thirsty defenders were greatly cheered when they went to the redoubt. By three, Howe’s reinforcements arrived and he formed the men on line in three ranks. Meanwhile, Stark along with the New Hampshire troops and some other units arrived. They extended the breastworks from the redoubt left to the water by using a stone fence and placing hay between an existing fence and a hastily assembled wood fence. The Americans determined not to fire until the British were close as they advanced. Stark had positioned a stake in the ground 30 yards in front of his fence and encouraged his men to wait until the enemy passed the stake before firing.
Prescott is rumored to have told his soldiers in the redoubt not to fire until the enemy was very close. Meanwhile, on Bunker’s Hill, a diverse group of men assembled, including those who had wandered in from the neck area and others who had taken a break from the ongoing battle. General Isaac Putnam made a strong effort to motivate the men, urging them to either start building defenses on Bunker Hill or join Prescott and Stark for support.
Despite all attempts, including threatening at sword point, none of his efforts were successful. The sole regimental commander present with him, Col. Samuel Gerrish, was either attempting to aid Putnam or concealing himself, depending on differing accounts. Gerrish, who was generally regarded as a coward, managed to avoid controversy until a skirmish weeks after Bunker’s Hill revealed his true nature. As the British approached within thirty yards, the Americans unleashed a devastating barrage of gunfire.
In certain companies, 7 out of 10 individuals perished, while in others, 9 out of 10 lost their lives. The survivors made their way back down the hill. Upon reaching the bottom, Howe inquired about why the artillery battery stopped firing even before they reached the American soldiers. To his disappointment, he found out that boxes containing 12-pound shot had been mistakenly sent, while the artillery cannons were only designed to handle 6 pounds.
Howe commanded the soldiers to shoot grape shot and requested the proper shot from across the water. Meanwhile, the American Company, positioned on Howe’s left, continued firing into his left flank. The Admiral came ashore and inquired about the potential usefulness of burning the town. Howe readily approved the idea, and upon returning to his fleet, the Admiral ordered the firing of red-hot shot into Charlestown.
The town of 400 buildings was engulfed in a massive fire as it ignited in 50 different places. The British made two more attempts with similar casualties before eventually succeeding in capturing the redoubt, though just barely. Prescott’s men were running out of gunpowder and resorted to extracting it from artillery casings and using scrap metal as bullets. In the midst of intense hand-to-hand combat, Prescott ordered a retreat and the remaining soldiers climbed over the back of the redoubt and escaped through a narrow exit. Tragically, Joseph Warren was fatally shot in the back of the head.
Finally, a few additional American Regiments successfully crossed the neck and, going to the right of Bunker’s Hill, provided protective gunfire for Prescott’s men. Gardner, who was the first, was quickly injured. Michael Jackson took over his position and was soon assisted by Connecticut troop companies. Shortly after, the British forces progressed towards them, leading to a violent confrontation.
The troops retreated in an organized manner, occasionally stopping to shoot at the enemy and slow them down. As a result, the majority of the soldiers managed to cross the Neck and reach Cambridge without harm. While the British desired to continue pursuit, the soldiers were exhausted. General Howe decided to strengthen Bunker’s Hill defenses while the Americans constructed barricades on the distant paths leading to the Neck.
The initial British report stated that 19 officers and 207 enlisted men were killed, while 70 officers and 738 enlisted men were wounded. The American side had varying numbers, but Ward’s record book indicated 115 killed and 305 wounded.
