The Battle
Jessica K.
Patriot spies heard that the British were planning
an attack on them. Artemas Ward and William Prescott, patriot generals,
decided to have a surprise attack on the British before the British got
to them. The surprise attack was to be brought out at the site of Bunker
Hill. Their orders were to occupy Bunker Hill, but the patriot officers
decided to go closer to Boston, on Breed's Hill. It was night time when
the patriots arrived on Breed's Hill, and they had to build a 160 ft by
80 ft redoubt by morning. They had to be very silent and only had a very
little amount of food and water with them.
The beginning shots of the battle
were shot from the British ship, "Lively" One of the shots hit
the patriot's water supply. They weren't able to drink or eat for a long
number of hours after that.
The British generals decided to march
their troops up the hill to try to defeat the patriots that were stationed
on top of the hill. William Prescott, a general of the patriot troops,
ordered them, "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes."
When the first line of British troops came up the hill, the patriots defeated
them. The British tried again to climb up the hill, and failed, again.
The British called for help to other generals, and more British troops
arrived at the scene. By this time, many patriots had left in fear and
ones that had stayed only had a few rounds of ammunition left. The British
climbed up the hill once more, and finally won possession of both hills,
Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill.
The battle might have been won by
the British, but it was a moral victory for the patriots. The casualties
were: the British, 268 killed and 828 wounded, and the Americans, 115
killed and 305 wounded. Now the patriots knew that they stood a chance
to defeat the British in later battles; they had hope. The battle showed
that the patriots were not weak against the British.
This battle led to the thought that the war would be a long and difficult
one.
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Bibliography
Hibbert, Christopher. Redcoats and Rebels: The
American Revolution through British eyes. New York: W.W. Norton &
Company, Inc., 1990
Parknet. The Battle of Bunker Hill-Reading1. 29
Feb. 2000. Parknet. 19 Oct. 2000 http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/42bunker/42facts1.htm
Parknet. The Battle of Bunker Hill-Reading2. 29
Feb. 2000. Parknet. 19 Oct. 2000
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/42bunker/42facts2.htm
Ronald W. McGranahan. The Battle of Bunker Hill.
1998-1999. 22 Oct. 2000
http://www.dell.homestead.com/revwar/files/BUNKER.HTM
Unrau, Harlan D. Here was the Revolution. Washington: National Park Service, 1976