17th June 1775, the winds of war are beginning to blow as the Continental Army infiltrates the landscape around the Charleston, Massachusetts Peninsula and a hill overlooking the neck at Copp's Hill which is already in Continental Army possession. As some British officers and sailors in Boston Harbor are aware, the Americans are building earthen fortifications with wooden platforms for the sharpshooters. Redoubts are being dug and reinforced in anticipation of a British attack. Almost every major Redcoat General is involved in the last minute planning and operations to drive the Colonist combatants from the area.

Major players

General's Gage, Howe, Burgoyne, Clinton, and others are confident that their well trained and supplied regulars will be able to dislodge the patriots and drive them out while taking prisoners! Soon, they will find out they are dead wrong! Major Pitcaim, who was involved in the Lexington and Concord battles is part of the British assault as well, but this time he will lose his life among 100 other British generals, majors, captains, and lieutenants as this will be the most devastating loss of high ranking staff in the Revolutionary War.

Battle plans

The British planned on storming the major redoubts with a series of frontal, flanking, and rear attacks designed to wrest control of the battlefield from the Colonists. Heroic efforts by such Continental Army commanders such as Colonel William Prescott, General Ward, General Joseph Warren, and Major Andrew McClary succeeded despite confusion, shortage of gun powder, and the lack of fixed bayonets that British troops were supplied with. Unfortunately, for the Americans the loss of General Warren and Major McClary were suffered during the course of a battle that saw the British repulsed twice by determined Continental Army resistance and accurate musket fire by militia men! The British, confident that their tactics would succeed were astonished at their losses, especially from the American snipers who picked off many a Red Coat officer!

Where the true action was

Even though the famous name of the "Battle of Bunker Hill" is recognized, most of the fighting occurred at Breed's Hill redoubt and other defensive perimeters located about the peninsula. British Generals Howe and Gage assumed that a frontal assault on the Breed's Hill redoubt would be a quick answer to the battle, but were proven wrong as the ranks of their light infantry were mowed down by Colonial musket fire. Howe ordered a retreat as did Gage once their platoons were down to a single soldier left as the close rifle barrages took their toll. The famous saying "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!" Was made by an unclear author, some claiming it was Prescott while others affix the order to other known field commanders as the fighting began.

Botched early

The British lost all initiative early as a planned bombardment failed. The elevation of the hills and distance from the British fleet rendered their cannon ineffective. The British troop movements were frustrated by waist high wheat that hid rocky and uneven terrain below which made footing difficult, and when British troops faced the militia emplacements they were immediately in range of the American muskets. General Gage and General Howe found their commands decimated in minutes forcing them to retreat just as Major Pitcaim's Marine forces were repelled by the gunfire of the supposedly undisciplined militia. General Howe lost most of his officer staff within the first phase of the assault. This experience caused him hesitance in later actions as the war progressed.

A second failure

For the Americans who inflicted 1,054 casualties against the British while losing 450 killed or wounded, the loss of 100 officers crippled British field command capability. The British quickly mustered more reinforcements and supplies for another assault, but confusion, failure by some American officers to resupply and reinforce much needed battle perimeter defense made a certain victory for the colonists just out of reach! The second wave failed much as the first assault as the British once again found their opponents to be deadly accurate riflemen and unwilling to withdraw from their well guarded positions. Still, certain American officers either mistakenly botched orders given or refused to carry out their orders as those who observed the fighting at Breed's Hill from their vantage point on Bunker Hill did not deliver much needed powder, ammunition, and reinforcements.

Almost but not enough

By the time the third British assault took place the American's at Breed's Hill were low on ammunition, some soldiers had retreated leaving only 850 men left with only 150 at the redoubt and prime target of the Red Coat's main assault. The American militiamen were forced to withdraw but did so in an orderly fashion recovering most of their wounded while fighting British with fixed bayonets with their sabers and rifle butts. British General Burgoyne in his report stated that the Continental Armies withdraw was a well conducted and orderly maneuver that afforded the Americans a defensible position. Prescott's forces were able to achieve sanctuary from further attacks in Cambridge.

Conclusion

Had American command been able to coordinate better tactics with less confusion and discourage desertion they would have won the day. In some accounts General Putnam was accused of not resupplying needed munitions and troops to Breed's Hill redoubt. Other American officers were either court martialed or cashiered for not following through on orders they were given. Yet, the British were realistic in assessing the situation acknowledging that several more victories such as Bunker Hill and they would lose the war! The bloody result of the battle and loss of crucial officers taught the Red Coats a lesson. From now on they would need more careful planning and to give the American militia more respect as a fighting force. The militia were no pushovers. They began fortifying their ranks with more Hessian troops (German Mercenaries). The realization that they were in for a long protracted war had set in. In the aftermath the Continental Army lost possession of the peninsula, but the British had now become hesitant to engage in anymore hastily planned attacks.