The Weapons And Military Tactics of the Battle of Bunker Hill
Madeline C.
Musket
The musket was used
in the 17th and 18th centuries. It looks much like the rifle of today,
only it is longer and does not have the spiral interior grooves used to
make the bullet project faster.
The musket loaded from the front, or muzzle.
The soldier would use a ramrod to shove a round bullet and some gunpowder
down into the musket. Once the gun was loaded, the trigger, made of flint,
would be pulled. The flint would strike against the frizzen,
which caused sparks that ignited priming powder.
A well trained soldier could load and fire about three to four rounds
a minute. The range was about 100 yards, thus the quote: "Don't
one of you fire until you see the whites of their eyes."
Bayonet
What is a bayonet?
A bayonet is a short, dagger like weapon that would be attached to a musket,
and later on, to a rifle.
Supposedly, the bayonet was developed in Bayonne, France in around 1650.
It had a handle to fit into the barrel of the musket. The early plug bayonet
was rather hard to use, as if it was jammed in too much, it would be hard
to remove to fire. If it wasn't jammed in enough, the bayonet might stick
into some unfortunate person's chest.
Finally, in the 1700's, a bayonet was invented that would fit around the
barrel of the gun, enabling the operator to stab and shoot with out any
hassle.
The bayonet is still used today, however, the blade length and shape has
changed.
Cannon
A
Madeline and Kathleen in front of a small example of a cannon.
A cannon
is a large military firearm that was fixed on a carriage or mount that
had to be dragged by people or horses.
A German monk, Berthold Schwarz invented the cannon, in the 14th century.
The first cannons used gunpowder to fire rocks
or metal balls. The cannons used during the
Battle of Bunker Hill had smoothbore metal
tubes that had to be loaded from the muzzle.
They also had to be aimed manually. The recoil was absorbed by simply
letting the carriage roll backward.
Military Tactics Of the Battle
Patriots
The Patriot troops were ordered by Gen. Ward
and Col. Prescott to fortify Bunker Hill.
But after some discussion, the commanders decided that Breed's Hill would
be a better site for a battle. It was a smaller hill and would be easier
to fortify.
The militiamen built a fort that was 160 feet long, 80 feet wide, with
6-8 foot high walls of dirt. The soldiers had to work quickly and quietly
during the night, as the hill was surrounded by water on three sides.
Sound carries very easily over water, and the troops did not want to give
away their intentions or position to the British until absolutely necsicary.
By dawn, it was finished.
Because the Americans had to defend themselves from the Indians who did
not "fight politely", as the British did, they fought more like
the Indians than their British relatives did. The militiamen would generally
hide behind fences or stone walls to perform surprise attacks. During
the battle, the colonial troops hid behind the fortifications that they
had built the night before.
British
British soldiers fought in formation like this:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (kneeling
down, getting ready)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (loading)
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (firing)
The soldiers in the last line would be kneeling down, getting ready. The soldiers in the next line would be loading their musket (standard issue, Brown Bess). The soldiers in the front line would be firing.
The colonial soldiers managed to hold back the British for two rounds.
By the third, they had run out of powder and shot.
Although they lost, the Americans still had a victory. They had fought
better than before, and managed to kill more soldiers than they had lost.
The militiamen of the Thirteen Colonies had a moral victory. This gave
them the courage to press onward.
Jessica, Emily, Jess, Kathleen, and Madeline at Bunker Hill National Historical Park.
Sources used:
"Bayonet," Microsoft Encarta
98 Encyclopedia. 1993-1997 Microsoft
Corporation.
"Cannon," Microsoft Encarta
98 Encyclopedia. 1993-1997 Microsoft
Corporation.
Fischer, David Hackett. (1994) Paul Revere's Ride. New York: Oxford University Press p. 113, 160, 195, 218
"Musket," Microsoft Encarta
98 Encyclopedia. 1993-1997 Microsoft
Corporation.
National Park Service. (2000) "The Battle of Bunker Hill: Now We Are At War" URL: http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/42bunker/42bunker.htm 10/17/00