Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - Miscellaneous bunker hill bunker hill The battle of Bunker’s Hill was one of the most important battles during the Revolutionary War. On June 17, 1775, the Battle of Bunker Hill took place. Fought during the Siege of Boston, it lent considerable encouragement to the revolutionary cause. This battle made both sides realize that this was not going to be a matter decided on by one quick and decisive battle. The battle of Bunker Hill was not just an unplanned, random attack on British soldiers preformed by a few crazed colonists. The battle was the result of struggle and hostility between Great Britain and the colonies for many years. The feelings of angst were due to the simple fact of the taxes the British were placing on them combined with the Intolerable Acts, and whatever ramifications they might have. It would not be true to say that the battle was the beginning of the fight for independence. It is necessary to see that this was not a rash decision that occurred because of one dispute, but rather that the feelings for the British had been getting worse for a long time and were finally released. Perhaps two of the most notable injustices, as perceived by the colonists, were the Stamp Act and the Intolerable Acts. The Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament to raise money for repaying its war debt from the French and Indian War. The Act levied a tax on printed matter of all kinds including newspapers, advertisements, cards, and legal documents. The British government was expecting protest but the hostility was far more than ever expected. The colonists were upset due to the fact that they had no say in Parliament, which passed the law, thus came the famous cry, "No taxation without representation!" The colonists would protest these laws with boycotts and the unwelcome Boston Tea Party. The British responded to this open act of rebellion by imposing the Intolerable Acts, four laws designed to punish Boston and the rest of Massachusetts while strengthening British control over all the colonies. These were not the only incidents that caused unrest to exist between the Colonies and the British. There had been incidents between British soldiers and colonists for some time, due mainly to the Quartering Act. These incidents finally erupted into the Boston Massacre, an event that resulted in colonists’ deaths and more distrust. These feelings of discontent and the growing fear of an uprising would lead the British to proceed to Lexington and Concord and destroy colonial military supplies. This left the colonists with the feeling of hatred and total malice towards the British. Neither side trusted the other, and had concerns that the opposition would launch an attack upon them. When the British planned to occupy Dorchester Heights on the Boston Peninsula, the colonists became alarmed at the build up of British troops off the coast. The colonists decided that action had to be taken; they had to stop the threatening British movement in this territory to protect them from an attack. It was because of this as well as the many small skirmishes through the years, which would lead the colonies into a confrontation with the British. The Battle of Bunker Hill started when the colonists learned about the British plan to occupy Dorchester Heights. The colonists were unnerved by this news. They, the Colonists thought of this as the last straw, they must protect their land at all costs. A small militia was formed to take the defensive position on the hill. The Militia was made up of men from Cambridge, New England, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. In addition, this hastily combined force of men had no assigned commander in chief, but did what their revered Generals instructed them to carry out. On June 15, 1775, the American colonists heard news that the British planned to control the Charleston peninsula between the Charles and Mystic Rivers. Bunker's and Breed's Hill on this peninsula overlooked both Boston and its harbor, thus making the hills critical vantage points. In order to beat the British to the high ground, General Prescott took 1,200 of his often times undisciplined, disobedient, and sometimes intoxicated soldiers to dig into and fortify Bunker Hill with the cover of night on June 16. When dawn broke, the British were stunned to see Breed's Hill fortified with a 160-by-30-foot earthen structure. General Gage dispatched 2,300 troops under the command of Major General Howe to take control of the hill. General Prescott and his men did not take Bunker's Hill, but Breed's Hill instead. How did this happen? One proposed idea is that Colonel William Prescott, since fortifying the hill in the middle of the night, chose the wrong hill. Another theory is that the map the Colonel used was incorrect, since many maps during this period had commonly misidentified the hills. Another suggestion, and probably the most practical, is that Breed's Hill is closer to where the British ships were positioned allowing the colonists a better attacking position than at Bunker Hill. Regardless of the reason, the Battle of Bunker Hill actually took place on Breed's Hill. The battle broke at the break of dawn. British troops, shortly after they awoke, began to take pot shots at Colonial fortifications. One soldier wrote, “ there would be firing for about twenty minutes, then a lull, and then the ships would start firing again.” At about 3:00 PM Thomas Gage, the British commander, ordered men to try to take control of the hill. It took Gage this long to issue a command due to a shortage of boats and an unfavorable tide. Peter Brown, an American soldier, would later write about this, “There was a matter of 40 barges full of Regulars coming over to us; it is supposed there were about 3,000 of them and about 700 of us left not deserted, besides 500 reinforcements… the enemy landed and fronted before us and formed themselves in an oblong square… and after they were well formed they advanced towards us, but they found a choakly [sic] mouthful of us.” When the British forces were established at the base of the hill they proceeded to charge. The British expected to march up the hill and scare the colonists away. The British Regulars advanced with bayonets fixed; many of their muskets were not even loaded. The British troops, wearing their bright red wool jackets and weighed down by heavy equipment, marched up hill over many hidden obstacles. As the colonists saw this massive red line approach slowly and steadily, they remained calm and did not open fire. The fact they waited so long to commence an attack was that General Prescott had been assumed to give the famous order, "Don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes." This command was given to help preserve their already low ammunition supplies, and to help keep the men from shooting out of their capable ranges. Once the British came within range, the colonists began firing, British soldiers fell quickly to the Colonial musket fire. The British forces were driven back twice, but on their third and final thrust forward, the British were able to break through the colonists' fortifications. At that time, the British had taken the hill. The colonists had run out of ammunition and supplies. They fled back up the peninsula, since it was there only escape route. This battle, which lasted for approximately three hours, was one of the deadliest of the Revolutionary War. The battle was an outstanding military victory for the Colonists, despite the fact that they had lost the hill. The British had suffered more than one thousand casualties out of the 2,300 or so who fought, while the colonists only suffered 400 to 600 casualties. Besides having fewer deaths than the British have, the colonists believe they had won in other ways as well. The Americans had proved to themselves, and the rest of the world that they could stand up to the British army in traditional warfare. Only a few days later, George Washington would lead a group of men up to Dorchester Heights, aim their cannons at the British, and watch the Red Coats retreat from the hill. Therefore, even though the British had won the battle, it was a short-lived victory since the colonists took control of the hill again. The Battle of Bunker Hill was important for a variety of reasons. The first one being that it was the first true battle of the Revolutionary War, and because of the fierce fighting that defined the battle it foreshadowed that it was going to be a long, close war. Another important event that came from the battle was that it allowed the American troops to know that the British army was far from invincible, and that they could defeat the British in traditional warfare. The losses experienced on the British side also helped to bolster the colonists’ confidence. Therefore, it came to be that the Battle of Bunker Hill would be the foundation that the colonists would look back to for the many battles that occurred during the American Revolution. Bibliography: 1. http://www.greeceny.com/arm/welch/bunker.htm 2. http://www.bit-net.com/~ddillaby/bunker_hill.html 3. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 1996 4. Survey of American History Volume 1 Word Count: 1519
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