preview

The American Revolution : The Battle Of Bunker Hill

Decent Essays
The American Revolution
Following the war in a loose chronological order, the main turning points of the American Revolution began as the war itself began. Lexington and Concord, while not being “turning points” per say, were the kick-off. What followed was the erroneously name “Battle of Bunker Hill”.
Bunker Hill, while not officially a ‘win” for the patriots, served two purposes. With British casualties outnumbering Colonial loses nearly 3 to 1 (1,054 British to about 400 Colonial), and Congress’ call for all able bodied men to join the militia, the war was in full swing; but it was not the warfare that the British had expected (Shi).
Professor Freeman, in her lecture titled: “The Logic of a Campaign (or, How in the World Did We Win?)”, talks about “logistical” problems that the British Army faced. First and foremost was the simple problem of supply and demand; regarding both fighting men and basic supplies. England was an ocean away and America’s ports were not always welcoming. Second was the actual lay of the land. British forces were not accustomed to fighting over such a vastly spread out region, nor were the accustomed to guerilla style warfare (Freeman).
So we can look at General George Washington’s tactics of “engage, retreat and exhaust the enemy”, we can look at significant battles such as Bunker Hill, Fort Ticonderoga, and most certainly the shocking outcome at Saratoga, and we clearly see that Patriot resistance to the British forces in New England and New York
Get Access