Military Wiki
in: Pages containing cite templates with deprecated parameters, American Revolutionary War orders of battle, Articles with no corresponding article in Wikipedia

Order of Battle for the Battle of Bunker Hill

Sign in to edit

This is the full order of battle of forces engaged during the Battle of Bunker Hill fought on 17 June 1775 in Charlestown, Province of Massachusetts.[1]

Background[]

On June 13, 1775, the leaders of the colonial forces besieging Boston learned that the British were planning to send troops out from the city to fortify the unoccupied hills surrounding the city, which would give them control of Boston Harbor. In response, 1,200 colonial troops under the command of William Prescott stealthily occupied Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill. They constructed a strong redoubt on Breed's Hill overnight, as well as smaller fortified lines across the Charlestown Peninsula.[2]

By daybreak of June 17, the British became aware of the presence of colonial forces on the Peninsula and mounted an attack against them. Two assaults on the colonial positions were repulsed with significant British casualties but the redoubt was captured on their third assault, after the defenders ran out of ammunition. The colonists retreated over Bunker Hill, leaving the British[3] in control of the Peninsula.[4]

Colonial Forces[]

The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill

The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill

The Colonial Forces engaged at the battle were a combined group of militia from the colonies of Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. They also included three hastily formed artillery companies. Commanded in tandem by William Prescot and Major-General Israel Putnam, this force was later absorbed into the new Continental Army later that year. Colonial forces totalled around 2,400 soldiers, with 450 losses or 5.3% losses.[5][6]

British Forces[]

Bunker Hill by Pyle

The Battle of Bunker Hill, by Howard Pyle, 1897

British Forces during the battle included both land and naval forces, divided into the British Army in Boston commanded by Major-General Sir William Howe, and the naval forces of North American Squadron commanded by Vice-Admiral Samuel Graves. The land forces also included two battalions of marines from the North American Squadron, commanded by Major John Pitcairn. British forces total around 3,000 soldiers, with losses estimated at around 1,054 or 35% of the force.[5][6]

British Army in Boston[]

North American Squadron[]

AttackBunkerHill

View of the Attack on Bunker's Hill with the Burning of Charlestown, by John Lodge

The naval forces involved in the battle included ships of the North American Squadron, the fighting arm of the North American Station. The following ships were in the area.[7][8]

Notes[]

  1. ↑ "Battle of Bunker Hill". https://www.britishbattles.com/war-of-the-revolution-1775-to-1783/battle-of-bunker-hill/. 
  2. ↑ Hubbard, Robert Ernest. Major General Israel Putnam: Hero of the American Revolution, pp. 85–87, McFarland & Company, Inc., Jefferson, NC, 2017. ISBN 978-1-4766-6453-8.
  3. ↑ Withington, Robert (June 1949). "A French Comment on the Battle of Bunker Hill". pp. 235–240. Digital object identifier:10.2307/362033. ISSN 0028-4866. JSTOR 362033. 
  4. ↑ Hubbard, Robert Ernest. Major General Israel Putnam: Hero of the American Revolution, pp. 87–95, McFarland & Company, Inc., Jefferson, NC, 2017. ISBN 978-1-4766-6453-8.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Bunker Hill" (in en-US). https://www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/bunker-hill. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Nafziger, George Frederick. "Battle of Bunker Hill, 17 June 1775". https://usacac.army.mil/sites/default/files/documents/carl/nafziger/775FAF.pdf. 
  7. ↑ "Graves, Samuel (1713–1787), naval officer" (in en). https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-11318. 
  8. ↑ Miller, p. 48

References[]

Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.