history's colonial wars!?

Question

What was the purpose of Bunker Hill?
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Answer 1

The intent by the British was to easily seize Boston and show-up the American forces as ineffectual. On the other hand the Americans wanted to demonstrate that they could not only fight the British but beat them on the ground.

The Battle referred to as ‘Bunker Hill’ (which was actually fought on ‘Breed’s Hill’) was part of the Battle of Boston and the British had just received significant reinforcements brining the British army to about 5,000 men. Although this was smaller than the American army of about 15,000 men, the American army was no where near as professional.

The British developed a plan of attack which included Major General Howe landing 1,500 men on Dorchester peninsula with the intent to seize the heights south of Boston. From this landing he would proceed to assault the American defense at Roxbury. At the same time Major General Henry Clinton would launch a simultaneous attack from boats across back bay on the banks of Willis Creek opposite the American center at Cambridge where the American supplies were stored. The idea was that capturing these stores their siege of Boston would be over.

To the Americans advantage, the third major General John Burgoyne was a very talkative man and these plans were soon discovered by the Americans. One adviser to the American leader Dr. Joseph Warren was Colonel Israel Putnam (he is worth reading about all on his own) who convinced Warren not wait for a British attack but to rather pick the place to the American’s advantage and that would be to seize the heights on the Dorchester and Charlestown peninsulas and to fortify them to force the British to pay a high price to gain this high ground. This included Bunker and Breed’s hills.

Colonel William Prescott received orders (from the Committee of Safety) to take three regiments and fortify Bunker Hill. The three regiments (augmented by 200 Connecticut men and a company of New Hampshire men). When they reached the heights an argument ensued over which hill to fortify. Putnam pushed for Breed’s hill because the Americans had no cannon powerful enough to reach the city or the British ships in the harbor from the more distant Bunker Hill which could result in the British not paying any attention to it forcing the Americans to a retreat with no gain. Both Prescott and Putnam were intent to deliver a crippling blow to the British and so Putnam won the argument.

During the night the Americans built their fort on Breed’s Hill and in the morning with the rising of the sun the ten guns of the British ship ‘Lively’ began firing on the American position and they were soon joined by the heavier cannon of the ‘HMS Somerset’ as well as other ships in the British Boston squadron. No damage was inflicted on the American heavy fortification. The plan of General Howe was selected from several and its intent was a multiple prong attack which would surround and annihilate the American force ending the rebellion. The actions of the Americans were helping (without his knowledge) the plans of Howe and the force was reduced to about 500 men. However, due to Putnam’s arguments reinforcements (under commander John Stark) were ordered to support Prescott. Putman caught on to Howe’s plan to outflank the Americans and ordered the 200 Connecticut troops to man a hastily constructed breastwork along the slope of the hill and a stone wall and Stark added his 800 men.

The battle began with Howe sending light infantry up the beach to outflank the rail fence. The Americans (in three alternate ranks) fired into the advancing troops and killed 96 men with remainder retreating. Howe himself led a charge against the fence and it is here that Putman issued the now famous order, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.” These elite British troops had units that lost 3/4s and even 9/10s of their men in these continuous volleys from the Americans. No troops could stand such fire and they left the field.

At the same time British troops under Brigadier Robert Pigot attacked up hill to Prescott’s fort and they too were stopped by heavy fire from the fort and the houses of Charleston. Pigot requested the Royal navy to pour hot shot into Charlestown and all 300 houses were burned down. Howe order Pigot’s men to join him in a new assault on Prescott’s fort and order his light infantry to again attack the rail fence. They were cut down by the dozens with their officers being high targets.

Although his officers recommended not to again attack, Howe again ordered an attack with the single intent of capturing Breed’s hill. On the American side they were running out of ammunition. Now with much heavier artillery support Howe’s mass of men began to have an impact gaining the opportunity to attack three sides of Prescott’s fort. As the American’s ammunition ran out the British came over the walls and the fight changed into hand to hand combat A few men led by the General Dr. Joseph Warren held the rear so that others could retreat to Bunker hill and Warren was killed in that effort. With this the battle was ended.

The result of the battle was 19 officers and 207 men were killed with another 70 officers and 828 men wounded (40% of the attacking force).

American casualties were 140 killed and 301 wounded. Because the commanding general Ward didn’t put all of his men into the fight he was replaced with George Washington. The Americans didn’t realize it for some time but this was a victory because it crippled the British army placing it on the defensive for at least a year and, of course, Washington became the head General.

However, this came at great cost with the death of Dr. Joseph Warren with Abigail Adams writing, “ . . . Not all the havoc and devastation they (the British) have made has wounded me like the death of Warren. We want him in the Senate; we want him in his profession; we want him in the field. We morn the citizen, the senator, the physician and the warrior. When he fell, liberty wept. . . . “

Answer 2

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bunker_Hill and http://www.usahistory.info/Revolutionary-War/Bunker-Hill.html

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