Battle of Bunker Hill - Boston, MA
Posted by: Metro2
N 42° 22.586 W 071° 03.657
19T E 330323 N 4693629
The first major battle of the Revolutionary War between the British and American forces occurred here and is commemorated by the Bunker Hill Monument at Monument Square, Boston, MA 02129.
Waymark Code: WM94YX
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 06/29/2010
Views: 31
The Bunker Hill Monument commemorates the Battle of Bunker Hill- but is actually built on Breed's Hill.
Bunker Hill is one of the sites along Boston's famed Freedom Trail. The National Park Service operates a small visitor's center here and there is a Bunker Hill Museum across the street.
On June 17, 1775, the British and American forces had their first major battle here.
Wikipedia, in part describes the Battle thusly (
visit link)
"...1,200 colonial troops under the command of William Prescott stealthily occupied Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill, constructed an earthen redoubt on Breed's Hill, and built lightly fortified lines across most of the Charlestown Peninsula.
When the British were alerted to the presence of the new position the next day, they mounted an attack against them. After two assaults on the colonial lines were repulsed with significant British casualties, the British finally captured the positions on the third assault, after the defenders in the redoubt ran out of ammunition. The colonial forces retreated to Cambridge over Bunker Hill, suffering their most significant losses on Bunker Hill.
While the result was a victory for the British, they suffered a large amount of losses: over 800 wounded and 226 killed, including a notably large number of officers. The battle is seen as an example of a Pyrrhic victory, as while their immediate objective (the capture of Bunker Hill) was achieved, the loss of nearly a third of their forces did not significantly alter the state of siege. Meanwhile, colonial forces were able to retreat and regroup in good order having suffered few casualties. Furthermore, the battle demonstrated that relatively inexperienced colonial forces were willing and able to stand up to regular army troops in a pitched battle."