Breed's+Hill,+Battle+of+Bunker+Hill

= Breed’s Hill / ﻿﻿﻿Battle of Bunker Hill =



====During the Siege of Boston just after the battles at Lexington and Concord, the British occupied the town of Boston and the sea around it, but wanted to make sure they had secured it from all sides. To do this, they needed to control Bunker Hill and Dorchester Neck which were the highest points to the north and the south of Boston. The British army began making plans to capture Charlestown and Dorchester. On May 25, 1775 four British leaders met to discuss war tactics with 6,000 men under their control. The four leaders were John Burgoyne, Henry Clinton, William Howe, and Thomas Gage. On June 12 they came up with a plan of attack to capture Dorchester Neck and set up a defense on Dorchester Heights. From there, they would ﻿travel to Roxbury to strengthen the southern border. Finally, they would capture Charlestown Heights and drive the colonial troops in Cambridge away. This attack was going to take place on June 18, but on June 13 the Massachusetts Committee of Safety got hold of this information. On June 15 General Israel Putnam was ordered to set up defense on Bunker Hill which was located on the Charlestown Peninsula. ====

[[image:Map_of_Bunker_Hill.gif width="294" height="420" align="right" caption="Map of Charlestown Peninsula"]]
====On June 16, Colonel William Prescott set up defenses on Charlestown Peninsula with 1,200 troops under his command. They set up a main fort or redoubt on Breed’s Hill which was next to Bunker Hill with the help of their engineer, Captain Richard Gridley. When the British learned of the defenses on Breed’s Hill, they prepared for an attack. Their first attack up the hill was unsuccessful because the colonial militia drove them away with their gunfire. The British had to retreat because they suffered many casualties. Their second attack had the same results. However, the Americans ran out of ammunition and could not hold off the British’s third attack. The Americans retreated and the British won the battle. ==== ====The Battle of Bunker Hill actually took place on Breed’s Hill and was seen by many townspeople in Boston. Even though the British army won the battle, they suffered heavy casualties many of whom were officers and while the Americans did not win the battle, they showed that their untrained troops of armed farmers could fight the professional army of the British. ====

media type="youtube" key="yaAIk6ydRwg?fs=1" height="291" width="414"