Battle of Bunker Hill

Rarely in military history is a defeat, especially in one of the first engagements of a conflict, venerated and used as a galvanizing force to motivate soldiers toward an overall victory. The Battle of Bunker Hill is one of these rare battles. What ends in American defeat on the battlefield becomes a victory of pride and belief to the fledgling Continental Army of the Americans.

Battle of Bunker Hill: Summary

The Battle of Lexington and Concord precedes the Battle of Bunker Hill in April of 1775, but it is integral to the context of conflict on Breed's and Bunker Hill.

Battle of Bunker Hill: Date

General Gage is again under pressure to end the colonial rebellion. The British ministers believed that a quick and forceful engagement with the colonists would end their belief that winning a war against the might of the British Empire was possible. In June of 1775, reinforcements joined General Gage, and he implemented a plan to attack the colonial defenses outside the city of Boston. The militiamen receive word of the plan in advance, and a force of close to 1,000 men from Massachusetts and Connecticut move into a defensive position on a hill overlooking Charlestown.

Fig. 1 - John Trumbull's painting of the Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker HIll.

June 15 & 16, 1775

Witnessing the movements of thousands of militiamen puts General Gage on edge, along with his newly arrived commanders, William Howe, Henry Clinton, and John Burgoyne. On June 15th and 16th, the militiamen move to Breed’s Hill to prepare to fortify the hill as a defensive position.

June 17, 1775

On June 17, 1775, General Gage ordered his infantry to advance across the harbor to the foothills of the Charlestown defenses. The militiamen watch in preparation from behind their defense works as the British position themselves.

They are commanded by General Howe and the British march on the defenders in formation. When the troops near the defensive militiamen, the Americans open fire with an effective volley, causing immediate carnage in the British lines. After a few more volleys, this initial British attempt to take Breed’s Hill fails, and Howe retreats.

Howe reorganizes his men and again withstands another point-blank volley from the militia once more pushes up toward the Americans. The British broke the American defense line on the third attempt, causing an outbreak of hand-to-hand combat within the militia fortifications. The militia is pushed back off the hill and past Bunker Hill's next hill, which the battler will misname. Though the militia made a valiant defensive effort, the Battle of Bunker Hill was a British victory.

Battle of Bunker Hill: Map

The following maps overview the three waves of British attacks on the American defenses on Breed’s Hill and the approximate troop movements throughout June 17, 1775.

Fig. 2 - The First Attack

Fig. 3 - The Second Attack

Fig. 4- The Final Attack

Battle of Bunker Hill Facts:

Below are some crucial facts about the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775. ¹

Battle of Bunker Hill: Significance

The immediate significance of the Battle of Bunker Hill is that the British gave up on other attempts to take fortified positions around Boston and eventually evacuated the city due to the heavy losses.

The greater significance of the Battle of Bunker Hill is that the American Militiamen, though defeated, were not demoralized. The opposite occurred. Many colonists who wanted independence were wary of a direct military conflict with the British Army and Navy, thinking it was foolish to fight such a powerful and experienced adversary. The militia at Bunker Hill exemplified to the entire continent that they could inflict significant damage on the British. The American forces at Bunker Hill were a rag-tag group of hastily trained militia, and it stirred a belief that with proper training and a more significant force, the Americans could put up a fight.

It is no coincidence that the militia that survived the engagement at Breed’s Hill became the Continental Army's original core under George Washington's command. He traveled to Massachusetts two weeks after the battle to assemble his fighting force.