The Bunker Hill Battle Overview
The Bunker Hill battle was fought between the British and American (the colonials) on June 17, 1775, in the wake of American Revolutionary War. The fight was occasioned by the rage of both British and America to fortify Boston city and its Hills. Therefore, on learning that British had planned to send troops to control the hills surrounding Boston, Colonel William Prescot with nearly 1200 colonial militiamen hatched the plan to repeal the British army from occupying the Boston hills. Colonel William Prescot and his team responded by fortifying the Breed’s Hills. They reinforced the top of the mountain facing the Charlestown Peninsula and Boston. They had initially planned to fortify the top of Bunker Hill but resolved to construct their fortifications on the smaller Breed’s Hills. They chose the hill because it was closer to Boston city and Charlestown Peninsula that the British intended to invade. Most combats occurred in the Breed’s Hill contrary to the Bunker Hill where it was initially planned. Despite the inexperienced colonials losing the battle to the British, they caused significant causalities to them. The war also booted the Americans confidence in engaging an experienced army in combat.
Terrain and Weather
The Bunker Hill war was fought mainly on the grounds of Breed’s Hill on a bright, windy day.
Principle Antagonists
The antagonists of the war were the British and Americans. The British wanted to fortify Boston and its surrounding to enable it to control the Boston Harbor, but the colonial troops resisted the British move since they were opposed to British expansion of territorial influence. The British wanted to occupy the Boston hills because they were not fortified and learning the British plans, the colonial troops fortified both the Bunker and Breed’s hills the same night that the British soldiers were to arrive. They also strengthened their base along the Charlestown Peninsula. They constructed a redoubt on the Breed’s Hill to resist the British from conquering the city and its surrounding hills. The colonial troop was inexperienced in matters war, but they were determined to keep the British away from Boston.
On the other hand, the British learned of the existence of the colonial troops on the Peninsula and decided to mount an attack on the same day. Despite being more organised and experienced than the Colonial troops, the imperial forces repulsed the British on two encounters with significant casualties. However, on the third and last assault, the British won the battle. The colonial troops lost the Bunker Hill battle to the British army because they ran out of ammunition. Nonetheless, the British suffered more significant casualties than colonial forces. Many deaths in American troops only occurred when they were retreating. The colonists fled to Cambridge, leaving the Peninsula under the full control of the British.
The Mission of Opposing Force
The colonial troop is regarded as the opposing force for the battle. Their mission was to keep the British off the Boston city and its hills.
Initial Deposition of Opposing Force
General Ward led the colonial forces initially. Colonel Prescott and General Putnam joined General Wards in commanding the troops upon Wards’ request of more soldiers. Nonetheless, in most cases, they acted independently. It is only at the initial stages of the battle that their collective tactical decisions had strategic implications. Initially, they had planned to fortify the Bunker Hill, but upon deliberations, Colonel Prescott and his team, Colonel Gridley, and General Putnam, they arrived on fortifying Breed’s Hill instead of the Bunker Hill. Fortification of the Breed’s Hill proved to be a crucial decision since it placed offensive artilleries closer to Boston town. The move also helped them in monitoring the British and trap them easily. The fortification of the Breed’s Hill also hindered the British from landing their troops and controlling the Charlestown Neck. Fortifying the Bunker Hill could have eased the British landing of their forces in Boston as well as controlling Charlestown Neck efficiently; hence, quickening their victory with fewer casualties.
The Opening Moves of the Battle
The British troops landed, advance to colonists, and fired on the colonial forces in the redoubts. The colonists repelled the British first and second encounter with fierce casualties.
Key Events and Outcomes of the Bunker Hill Battle
On June 18, 1775, nearly 2,200 British forces landed in the Charlestown Peninsula. The troops were under the command of Brigadier General Robert Pigot and Major General William Howe. Upon landing on the peninsula, they marched to the Breed’s Hill. With only a few yards to the colonists’ redoubts, they fired on the Americans in their fortifications. American forces responded with lethal musket fire barrage that made the British to retreat.
The British re-formed and attacked again, but they were repelled the same way. However, despite Prescott asking his men not to “fire until you see the whites of their eyes”, they ran low on ammunition, and when the British troops went up to the hill for the third time, they reached the redoubts and engaged the colonial forces on physical combat. They outnumbered them forcing the Americans to retreat. At the point of retreat, the Americans had killed 200 British men, wounded more than 800 soldiers. On the contrary, only slightly more than 100 colonial troops perished with roughly 300 wounded.
Cause and Effect
The resistance of the colonial troops to the British desires of control of the Boston town, its environs, and resources led to the Bunker Hill Battle. The war led to significant casualties on the British forces, but they eventually took control of Boston and its surrounding hills. The American troops were pushed out of Boston to Cambridge. The battle also boosted the war spirit of the Americans leading to subsequent wars that led to the American Revolutionary War (1775-83). Therefore, the war is among drivers to American independence.
Military Lesson Learned
The made the British to acknowledge that the war with its colonies had just started and they were not going to be tough, long, and costly. Additionally, attacks need full territorial knowledge and understandings.
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