Battle of Bunker Hill

The Battle of Bunker Hill was a really important battle in the American Revolution. It was fought on June 17, 1775. It took place on the Charlestown Peninsula on the North side of Boston Harbor. The combatants were the British troops of the Boston garrison against troops of the American Continental Army. The Generals that took part of this battle were: Major General Howe against General Artemas Ward and General Israel Putnam. The size of the armies was: 2,400 British troops against 1,500 Americans.

On June 15, 1775 the American colonists heard news that the British planned to control the Charlestown peninsula between the Charles and Mystic Rivers. When dawn broke, the British were stunned to see Breed's Hill fortified overnight with a 160-by-30-foot earthen structure. The fighting began as soon as the day did. As soon as the men on British frigate awoke they opened fire on the colonial fortifications. At about 3:00 PM Thomas Gage, the British commander, ordered men to try and take control of the hill. When the British forces were firmly established on the ground at the base of the hill they proceeded to charge. The British just expected to march up the hill and just scare the colonists away.

As the colonists saw this massive red line approach slowly and steadily, they remained calm and did not open fire. Once the British came within range, the colonists began firing, and the British soldiers started to fall rapidly. The British forces were driven back twice. The colonists had run out of ammunition and supplies. The colonists fled back up the peninsula since it was their only escape route. This battle, which lasted for approximately three hours, was one of the deadliest of the Revolutionary War.

Although the British technically won the battle because they took control of the hill, they suffered too many losses to fully benefit from it. Besides having fewer deaths than the British, the colonists believe they had won in other ways as well.