A Landscape of War & Commemoration - Boston, Massachusetts, USA. - Massachusetts Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Winthrop Square is also known as the Charlestown training field, where the Minutemen trained during the American Revolution.

Inscription from the marker:
"Training fields were a familiar sight in early New England in an era of constant alert.

American colonist formed militias for protection and trained in open fields also known as commons. Charlestown Training Field dates from the 1640s after the town's 1629 settlement.It played a part in the American Revolution when Colonial troops marched on Charlestown to prevent the advance of British soldiers and hastily built earthworks on Breed's Hill, just upslope of the Training Field. On June 17th, 1775, in what became known as the Battle of Bunker Hill, British troops attacked the Breed's Hill fortifications, some troops likely approaching through the Training Field.

After the Revolution, the Training Field continued to serve as a mustering ground; a gunhouse was built there in 1832. Military used ceased in the mid-19th century, and became an urban park and a memorial to American servicemen.

The two bronze tablets in front of you, erected in 1889, bear the names of the Colonial soldiers who fell in the battle.

The Soldiers and Sailors Monument behind you commemorates the nearly 3,000 Charlestown men who fought for the Union in the Civil War (1891-65).

The Battle of Bunker Hill
The map shows where the British likely marched through the Training Field before they encountered fierce resistance to the north on Breed's Hill. Numerous British and Colonial soldiers were buried after the battle, some possibly in the Training Field, but their bodies were later reclaimed and moved elsewhere."

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Agency Responsible for Placement: City of Boston Agency Responsible for Placement (if not in list above): Boston Parks & Recreation. Year Placed: 2007 County: Suffolk City/Town Name: Charlestown - Boston Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log User Rating   04/01/2018 veritas vita visited it