AR-SP34 Bunker Hill w/HUB History

This discussion, hosted by Jake Sconyers of the Hub History podcast and featuring Mike Troy of the American Revolution Podcast, commemorates the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, detailing the battle itself and discussing the American Revolution Podcast.  What follows is a summary of the discussion: 

The Battle of Bunker Hill: Context and Prelude The Battle of Bunker Hill, fought on June 17, 1775, was the largest Revolutionary War battle in the Boston area and the bloodiest for the British side. Following the April outbreak of war and the siege of Boston, the British initially expected the American provincial army to disperse. However, the arrival of British reinforcements in late May, along with three new senior generals—William Howe, Henry Clinton, and Johnny Burgoyne—changed the dynamic. These generals, who arrived on a ship named the Cerberus (a three-headed dog guarding the gates of hell in mythology, a detail not lost on anyone at the time), brought instructions from London for General Gage to take more aggressive action. Gage, having faced the Americans at Lexington and Concord, understood their resolve, but the new generals and London believed the militia were pushovers. There was also internal pressure on Gage, as the new generals were "gunning for his job," prompting him to be more aggressive.

The British developed an offensive plan to capture two key areas of high ground: Bunker Hill to the north and Dorchester Heights to the south, to prevent Americans from bombarding Boston or its harbor. News of this plan leaked to the provincials via an anonymous merchant, prompting them to act first.

Jake Sconyers

American Preparations and Command The provincial army was a "complete mess," consisting of ununited militia groups from various states, nominally headed by Massachusetts's Artemis Ward. Despite higher-ranking generals, Colonel William Prescott, a veteran of King George's War and the Seven Years War (where he fought in the siege of Louisbourg and was even offered a commission in the regular army), was chosen to lead the ground operation.

Initially, the goal was to occupy Bunker Hill, but upon surveying the terrain, the forces decided to build their entrenchments on the more aggressive Breeds Hill, closer to the water for potential cannon fire against ships. They constructed a main redoubt, approximately 136 feet square, and breastworks (dirt walls) on either side. While they did not bring artillery overnight, cannons were brought in the morning, and a portal was improvised by firing a cannonball through the mud wall. The American forces, initially 1,200 men, dwindled to about 500 by morning due to desertions. These were largely exhausted farmers and civilians, not professional soldiers. Logistics were severely lacking, with no water, food, or consistent ammunition resupply.

Despite the disorganization, key officers made strategic adjustments on the field:

• Colonel Stark (New Hampshire militia) recognized the American left flank along the Mystic River was exposed. He positioned his men behind a picket fence and supplemented them with field cannons, admonishing them to hold fire until the British were very close (about 30 feet), a tactic similar to the famous "whites of their eyes" instruction.
• General Israel Putnam focused on placing artillery on Bunker Hill to protect the American right flank, deterring a British attack from that direction. He even taught infantrymen to operate cannons in real-time, using soup ladles to load powder due to mismatched cannonball sizes.
• Major General Joseph Warren, though titular head of the provincial congress and suffering from migraines, arrived before the main British attack and served as a volunteer infantryman, commanding about 50 men. Crossing Charles Town Neck was dangerous due to British chainshot fire.

The British Assaults The British were aware of the American activity overnight but decided to wait until daylight to attack. General Howe, the senior officer, opted for a direct frontal assault over Clinton's flanking strategy. Initially, 2,300 troops were committed, with reserves joining throughout the day, bringing the total to 3,000-3,500. Before the infantry assault, British ships and a battery at Cops Hill fired on the American defenses, but this artillery bombardment was largely ineffective, causing only one American casualty. The British also burned Charles Town to dislodge American sharpshooters.

• First Assault: General Howe ordered a two-pronged attack. Brigadier General Robert Pigot led a frontal "feint" on the redoubt to distract, while the main British force aimed for Stark's men on the American left flank. Stark's disciplined fire, holding until close range and firing in volleys from three rows, decimated the British lines, with some units suffering 90% casualties. Prescott's men at the redoubt used similar tactics, causing heavy British losses. Both prongs were repelled.
• Second Assault: Happened quickly after the first, with "full-throated assaults" on both the center and flank. General Howe personally led this wave, miraculously escaping injury while many officers around him were shot. Despite significant casualties, the British again faced devastating fire from the entrenched Americans.
• Third Assault: By this point, the American defenders in the redoubt had dwindled to about 120, and most were critically low on ammunition, resorting to using gunpowder from broken artillery shells or even pebbles as projectiles. General Howe changed tactics:
  1. He sent his soldiers up in three columns instead of lines, making it easier to maintain formation on the uneven terrain and presenting less of a target line.
  2. He ordered soldiers to remove their heavy packs.
  3. Crucially, he ordered them not to load their guns but to fix bayonets and charge, relying on the Americans' lack of ammunition and bayonets. The Americans, though exhausted, showed "amazing discipline," holding fire until the British were within 15 feet. The initial volley was "relentless" and "devastating," causing the British assault to stall. However, Major John Pitcairn's Marines, leading the charge, broke through after Pitcairn himself was shot and killed. With the redoubt breached and out of ammunition, most Americans retreated, using muskets as clubs to hold off the British. Joseph Warren, fighting in the rear guard with Colonel Prescott, was shot in the head and bayoneted multiple times, his body "completely obliterated". Stark's men also retreated, and the heaviest American casualties occurred during the mad rush to escape across Charles Town Neck, under fire from the British Navy. The British did not pursue further, having achieved their objective of taking Bunker Hill.

Aftermath and Legacy Technically a British victory, as they gained the Charles Town Peninsula and set up defensive lines on Bunker Hill. However, the cost was staggering. It was the bloodiest battle for the British in the Revolutionary War, with over 1,000 casualties (dead or wounded) out of 5,000-6,000 total troops in Boston. Many wounded later died due to poor medical care. The heavy losses forced the British to abandon their plan to take Dorchester Heights.

Bunker Hill had a profound impact on both sides' strategies:

• For the British: It disabused Generals Howe, Clinton, and Burgoyne of the notion that American militia were pushovers, confirming Gage's warnings. It made them much more cautious, keeping them on the defensive in Boston until their final evacuation. Clinton himself reportedly remarked that "one more victory like this and it's all over for us British".
• For the Americans: It significantly boosted morale, proving that militia would stand and fight toe-to-toe with regulars. American officer Nathaniel Greene famously quipped, I would love to sell the British another hill at a similar price.

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