In the dark of night on June 16, 1775, American militiamen worked hard to dig, build and fortify the area around Breed’s Hill and Bunker Hill outside of Charlestown, Massachusetts near Boston. The soldiers worked into the morning of June 17 to build a barricade against the arrival of the British forces that they knew were waiting on ships in the harbor. It had been less than two months since the defeat of the British troops at Lexington and Concord, and the British were ready to fight back with reinforcements.
The colonies were initially shocked when a battle broke out on April 19, 1775 in Lexington and Concord although tensions between the British and Americans had been building for months. At this outbreak of violence, many colonies sent militiamen and volunteers to Massachusetts as reinforcements in the standoff around Boston that followed. These groups began to form a colonial army, but the British sent reinforcements as well. In June, when colonists received word of British plans to use these newly arrived forces to seize strategic location outside of Boston, they prepared to defend their territory. The “Virginia Gazette” published the following account of the lead up to the battle:
“The reinforcement, both of horse and foot, being arrived at Boston, and our army having good intelligence that general Gage was about to take possession of the advantageous posts near Charlestown and Dorchester point, the committee of safety advised that our troops should possess them, if possible. Accordingly, on Friday evening, the 16th instant, this was effected; and before daylight, on Saturday morning, their lines of circumvallation, on a small hill south of Bunker’s Hill, in Charlestown, was in great forwardness. At this time, the Lively man of war began to fire upon them.”
After the British ships landed, the troops set fire to Charlestown and eventually overran the colonial soldiers. In the June 23, 1775 issue, the “Essex Journal” described the turn in the battle when the colonial army was forced to retreat:
“Notwithstanding which, our troops within the intrenchment, and at a breast work without, sustained the enemie’s [sic] attacks with real bravery and resolution, killed and wounded great numbers, and repulsed them several times; and after bearing for about two hours, a severe and heavy a fire as perhaps ever was known, and many having fired away all their ammunition, they were over powered by numbers, and obliged to leave the intrenchment retreating about sunset, to a small distance over Charlestown Neck.”
The British won the battle, and the city of Charlestown lay in ruins. Though they outnumbered the colonial army, the British also took double the number of casualties. The scale of destruction in this battle made war undeniable. The Continental Congress named a new General to lead the newly forming colonial army in the inevitable conflict: General George Washington.
Additional Resources:
- Search for additional coverage of the Battle of Bunker Hill in Chronicling America*.
- “Bunker Hill,” American Battlefield Trust.
- “The Battle of Bunker Hill,” National Park Service.
- Read more coverage of America250 from Headlines and Heroes.
*The Chronicling America historic newspapers online collection is a product of the National Digital Newspaper Program and jointly sponsored by the Library and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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