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Show By Lf S AND FR SON By the middle of June of h.5 the British armv. under General Thomas Gage, had bw-n under aeige in Bsi(m for two months following the grim events of Lexington and Concord. They intended to break the seige as soon as promised reinforcements arrived from Kngland. CENKRAL Gage planned, meanwhile. to occupy Bunker's Hill just north across the Charles River, a position that would give the British land forces complete control of the harbor entrance. He prepared to make this move on June 1H American General Artemus Ward learned of Gage s plans, and after drk on the evening of the 16th, he marshalled 1.4O0 colonial troops at Cambridge about three miles west of the Charleston peninsula. UNDER cover of darkness the main body of the American forces, led by Colonel William Prescott, crossed the isthmus that connects con-nects the peninsula to the mainland and occupied the high ground. The original plan had been to fortify Bunker's Hill, but upon the advice of Engineer Gridley the main fortifica-tions fortifica-tions were erected on Breed's Hiil which is lower than Bunker's Hill and nearer the shore line. This position would increase the effectiveness effec-tiveness of their fire power. RESERVES were left on Bunker's Hill and a line of infantry, under Colonel John Stark, was deployed along the left flank. During the night General Israel Putnam arrived with additional troops, and before dawn the hill was well entrenched with 1,600 Americans under the joint command of General Ward, General Putnam, Colonel Stark, Major Brooks and Colonel Prescott who were positioned to meet the initial assault by the enemy. THE fortification of the hill was a complete surprise for the British, as they became aware of it by the first light of the morning. Their only choice now was to take it by storm. Accompanied Accom-panied by supporting fire from the ships in the river, and the batteries in Charleston Charles-ton Harbor, British Generals Howe and Piggot crossed the nver with 1.5UU soldiers about 3 o'clock in the afternoon with intentions of driving the defenders from the peninsula. THEY received another surprise when they discovered dis-covered that a considerable number of the cannon balls were too large for the cannon bore This error on he part of their ordinance section cost them dearly in the loss of full artillery support. In regular and orderly formation for-mation the Redcoat lines advanced ad-vanced up the slope of Breed's Hill toward the embankment em-bankment along the top where Colonel Prescott and his men waited. HISTORY tells us it was he who gave the order "Don't Shoot nil you see the whites of their eves." Compliance with this order proved to be deadly effective. Twice the British ranks were repulsed with heavy casualties. The fighting was fierce. During the heat of battle General Hw was reinforced with 700 fresh troops from Boston, led bv Generals Henry Clinton and John Bur-goyne. Bur-goyne. THE American's ammunition ammuni-tion supply was exhausted On the third charge the British reached the top write brought them into hand-to-hand engagement with bayonets, gun butts and store's. The courage and determination deter-mination displayed on both sides can never be questioned, ques-tioned, but the Americans were now outnumbered as well as out of powder. They abandoned the hill and withdrew from the peninsula. FROM a tactical point of view it was a victory for the British for they had gained their objective, a small piece of terrain. But they admitted they could not afford many more such victories. Of their 1,054 casualties. 226 were killed outright and 2.(0 of the 828 wounded died later. American losses were 140 dead, including Joseph Warren, 271 wounded and 30 captured. THE BRITISH now had possession of the contested redoubt, but they were unable to cross the isthmus to the mainland. The Americans had pulled back a short way to the north and had fortified both Ploughed Hill and Prospect Pros-pect Hill which gave them fire superiority over the neck of the Charleston peninsula. The seige of Boston remained in force. About eight months later, in March of 1776. the Americans again anticipated enemy intentions in-tentions by moving into Dorchester Heights on the south of Boston. The British now realized they faced destruction if they remained in the city. On March I7th they evacuated Boston by sea. THE Bunker's Hill monument stands on Breed's Hill on the spot where it is believed that General Joseph w arren fell mortally wounded wound-ed Warren was born June 1 1. 1741 in Roxbury. Mass. He attended Harvard and graduated as a physician. When the Stamp Act was passed in 17h5 be became a tireless leader of the patriots, and was closely associated with John Hancock and Samuel Adams in their drive for independence. It was Warren who sent Paul Revere and William Dawes on their midnight - A , lor larjo Cun,T.M t fa. -.r monument u 1 - 15 fee, J;1;-whichisn? J;1;-whichisn? ' stairway of v windows it xhr splendid .. ' ton and ft-v The eio, whster 4i , when thecurrw-rv , m 15 bv hr- ' ' Laf-aveite m tfc ' v . ' many vetrranV fought then? He was the ' when Preside, .,,. ' arrompamed tr. C-..-cabinet mr-mr.rV fJ the sue m jurw. |