The Battle of Bunker Hill
By
Connor Estes
Honors U.S History 1
Mr. Murphy
Groton Dunstable Regional High School
January 18, 2016
People may believe that the Bunker Hill Monument is a simple representation of an American pastime that occurred during the Revolutionary War, but there is much more to it than some may believe. The actions that took place on June 17, 1775 became a very crucial, and telling role to how the success of the American forces would come during the Revolutionary War. Information discovered of the British Army planning to take area surrounding Boston on gave way to an intricate plan by the colonial forces to secure the top of Breed’s Hill overnight. Poorly equipped, but with their heads held high, the colonial troops took over the top of Breed’s Hill to take a vantage point against the British. William Prescott leading the fortification of the hill, guided the colonial troops to prepare for their confrontation with William Howe and the British Army. The heart and pride of the American forces at the Battle of Bunker Hill was a sign
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to the British Army, that the Americans had no intentions on collapsing quickly in the oncoming war. The will and fight by the Americans against the British during the Battle of Bunker Hill was expressed throughout the process of before and after the battle. Even though the Americans were not well equipped or prepared,
The Battle at Bunker Hill had many events leading up to, and causing the event. The first of these was the Battle at Lexington and Concord which ultimately slowed the British down and keeping them inside Boston by Minute Men. Then Fort Ticonderoga was captured by Benedict Arnold, and the Green Mountain Boys. These two events were the start of the tensions between Great Britain and the Colonies. Later this tension became physical and appearing on the battle field. The Colonies decided they needed to talk about it, so the Second Continental Congress took place, it was here that it was decided that the Colonies would try and separate from their Mother Country, so the Continental Army was formed the Congress came to a conclusion “All voted in favor and Washington became the new Commander-in-Chief” (Yost, 2011, p. 2). The Continental Army’s first mission was to fortify Breed’s Hill and defend it from the British coming from Boston, which Breed’s Hill and Bunker Hill overlooked. The British wanted these positions in order to completely fortify Boston and drive all the Patriots out of the area.
The three day battle was action packed from start to finish. It all started at about 5:30 am, with a single shot fired over Marsh Creek. After a single shot, all hell broke loose. The Union suffered important losses, most notably the loss of General Reynolds. General Lee arrived on the battlefield near noon, after receiving word of the battle. A single Confederate division drove back two Union brigades, who retreated to Cemetery Hill. General Lee decided to attack the Union soldiers at Cemetery Hill to prohibit reinforcements. General Ewell declined the option to attack, and the first day of battle came to an end. Meanwhile, the Union gathered reinforcements as General Lee feared.
The American Civil War has become a point of controversy and argument when discussing key events in shaping America. The arguments that arise when discussing the war tend to focus on whether the Confederate was constitutionally justified in seceding, or whether the North had the right to prevent the secession. However, when discussing the America Civil War and the idea of separation, it is important to be mindful that separation did not simply end at the state level. Letters written by Jesse Rolston, Jr. and Jedediah Hotchkiss portray two significantly different attitudes toward the war, despite the fact that the writers both fought for the Confederate States and give accounts of the same battle, one of which ended in the Confederate’s favor. When examining the documents, both writers express different viewpoints on life on and off the battlefield. This significant difference represents a division amongst the Confederate army.
Taking place in 1775, at the start of the Revolutionary War, the Battle of Bunker Hill was a needed victory early in the war to get the soldiers to believe in themselves. Many soldiers in the beginning of the war did not believe that the lowly colonists could defeat and declare independence from a superpower; Britain. Although outnumbered and with little confidence, the continental army stood their ground at the Battle of Bunker Hill and proved that they could win the war.
This paper will examine the British and American Southern Loyalist defeat in the Battle of Kings Mountain and discuss the assumptions the British made including loyalist support, logistic support, and terrain advantage.
The British were over confident and made poor decisions, whereas George Washington carefully thought out his tactics. The colonists used Guerilla Warfare, and militia were quick and often popped out from behind trees to attack. Using this type of warfare was very beneficial to the Colonists, as it did not give the British enough time to shoot the colonists before they were killed. Guerrilla Warfare was known to “weaken the enemy” (McDougal,210). By focusing on winning small battles, in their own land, the colonists were able to keep enough supplies, food and men to eventually win the war. In the battle of Yorktown, “British general Cornwallis set up his base, located on a peninsula” (McDougal, 209), which was a bad move on their part. Washington saw the opportunity and made the smart decision to block the one land entrance, so that the British could no longer get any supplies that they needed. Washington’s plans along with the Colonists motivation were the were the reason they won the
In June,thousands of colonists besieged the British Army in Boston.(James Kirby 2)British forces marched up Breed’s Hill on the Charlestown peninsula near Boston.(Brown 1)The night of June 16,one of the American army called Peter Brown was serving as a clerk or orderly sergeant.(Brown 2)The colonists had secretly built defenses in Charlestown.(McGill 1)
The American Revolution, when 13 American colonies waged war against the most powerful country in the world, Great Britain, for their independence. Soldiers who fought in the war and risked their lives to gain the freedom we have today, is just one of the many prime examples of prevailing hardships in battle. George Washington proved to be exemplary just like many others heroic patriots, like Henry Knox and Nathaniel Greene, when triumphing over the British soldiers with what little strength they had and defeating them. Their victory was more than enough proof on why they deserved independence. David McCullough’s 1776, describes and educates us about events which happened before the war and foreshadows up to the revolution. We learn about the hardships thrown at George Washington and the Continental army whose intentions switched from equal rights to complete emancipation. Battles throughout the Revolutionary War, like the Battle of Bunker Hill, are well known, but McCullough shows the reader how the Continental army continues to strive on even when victory is not in their favor.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was one of the greatest military battles ever fought. This battle contributed to Canada’s coming of age as a nation. The taking of Vimy Ridge claimed more than 200,000 lives during the first World War and will forever remain in the history as one of the worlds great military triumphs. The Canadian Military used extensive planning, new innovative weaponry and relied on the tremendous courage and sacrifice of its soldiers in order to claim victory.
The first major event that impacted Canada’s legacy, as a whole, was the sacrificial battle of Vimy Ridge. Vimy Ridge was proven to be essential to the foundation of Canada as it signified the birth of a new nation and it was considered to be the greatest battle fought, in World War One. Firstly, the Battle of Vimy Ridge established Canada’s emergence as a newly born nation from under the shadow of Britain and gave a verification of Canada’s prominence on the international level. For instance, after successfully regaining the ridge, it displayed to the British superpower, that Canada are worthy of independence, that must be granted upon as a reward for a significant victory (Fonseca). As a result, the Battle of Vimy Ridge, marked the end of British soldiers commanding Canadian troops, as Canada showed tremendous resilience internationally, and also proved that we are independently, capable of leading a well-organized attack against other countries (Fonseca). This milestone was a huge accomplishment for Canadians, as eventually this was the catalyst for total autonomy of Britain (“History Now”). Secondly, the Battle of Vimy Ridge gave Canada justified independence on the international stage. As a result of winning the complicated battle, Canada was deservedly permitted to their own independent seat and signature at the peace talks after the war. This then allowed Canada, to participate in voicing their thoughts, and plans as a newly independent country. This was seen to be,
COL Prescott’s tactical mind shows that the British would overwhelm the colonists through sheer force alone. The novel Patriot Battles: How the War of Independence was Fought (Stephenson, page 211) describes the end state that COL Prescott works to achieve was to hold off the British forces through a stealthy defense fortification of Breed’s Hill, rather than Bunker Hill. The decision for going against higher orders reflects on COL Prescott’s tactical ingenuity as Breed’s Hill was closer to the waters and the colonists could mount a more effective defense and to keep the pressure on the
The Battle of Gettysburg was one of the most famous battles of the Civil War. The battle was fought from July 1 to July 3 near Gettysburg. The famous battle was between Robert Lee and his Northern Virginia Army and George Meade and the North's Army of the Potomac, The Union. The original leader of the Army of the Potomac was General Joseph Hooker, but President Lincoln relieved Hooker of his duties and named Meade the new General of the Army. Many soldiers died from both sides during this battle and that is the reason it is known as one of the bloodiest battles. The Battle of Gettysburg was General Robert Lee's second attempt at invading the North and there was a definite aftermath to this battle.
Even though they went through a lot of trouble in the valley, such as not having enough food or supplies, they still kept their heads up high and never looked down. These soldiers faced incredibly tremendous amounts of trouble that brought them to the face of death. The Patriots since coming to Valley Forge, have gotten another reason to fight for. Independence. According to Washington at Valley Forge, owned by the Independence Hall Association in Philadelphia, “ The army that remained was stronger. They were fewer, but more disciplined. They were weary, but firmly resolved.” Thus meaning, without the suffering and experiences of Valley Forge these soldiers would have not gotten stronger and opened
Many countries have tried but failed to capture this area. Both French and British armies tired but failed the Germans were too strong. This area was known as Vimy Ridge, which has many high hills and was located in France. The Germans had captured this area since September 1914, the Germans started to build artillery proof bunkers and trenches. Germanys had the advantage in every battle; Germanys had their bases on top of the long hills. Which lead them to look down on their enemies, which was easier for Germanys to kill their target. After countries failing to capture Vimy Ridge, Canada decided they were going to attempt to fight for Vimy Ridge. For the first time Britain asked for generals to lead Canada to victory for the battle of Vimy Ridge. Sir Julian Byng and Major Arthur Currie were asked to lead the Canadian Military to win the battle of Vimy Ridge. After months of practicing a strategy Canada was ready. April 1917, Canada went to battle with Germany for Vimy Ridge. This became one of the most devastating battles ¬in Canadian history. Canadians should remember that Vimy Ridge was not their triumph alone. British artillery and the elite 51st Highland Division helped make victory possible (Desmond Morton, Significance of Vimy Ridge). Vimy Ridge is considered a defining moment in Canadian history because, it was Canada’s first time using a general to plan tactics and strategy’s, Canada was the only country that succeeded on capturing Vimy Ridge, lastly all Canadian
This paper will examine how a unwavering adversary and difficult terrain combined to negate the effects of American technology. The Battle of Hamburger Hill was a battle of the Vietnam War which was fought by the United States and South Vietnam against North Vietnamese Forces from May 10–20, 1969. The battle took place on Ap Bia Mountain in the rugged, jungle-shrouded mountains along the Laotian border of South Vietnam. Ap Bia Mountain anchors the northwest corner of South Viet Nam's A Shau Valley. The valley has been a major infiltration route for Communist Forces from the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos to the coastal cities of Northern I Corps since1966. Ap Bia Mountain dominates the northern valley, towering some 937 meters. Official