[arderkrag]

Lest we forget.

[bunkerhill7]

My gggg grand-uncle was wounded in the battle, then bayoneted while down by a British soldier who was prompltly shot dead by myggggg uncle`s son, The son carried him off the battlefield but he died from the bayonet thrust to his lungs 3 months later. 6 other uncles were there;
Prescott was married to my ggggg Aunt who said he ran into the house, grabbed his musket, kissed her goodbye and ran like hell.

[LS]

A higher percentage of British officers were killed in this battle than any other Revolutionary War battle.

[mountainlion]

I had a first cousin 8 times removed that fought and died in the Battle for Long Island August 1776. I will not forget. I think that I have had family fight all battles on this soil since the Pilgrims

[blueunicorn6]

My family has a long and proud history of running away from Brtish bayonets. Our family crest is a chicken running from a redcoat. Great Uncle Zeke is the man credited with coming up with the phrase, “Don’t run until you see the whites of their eyes, or they get off the boat, whichever comes first.”

[Vigilanteman]

The Battle of Bunker Hill was a game changer for British and Americans alike. General Howe finally realized that the American Colonials were not a small band of radicals opposed to oppression, but had widespread support. Among the dead at the battle were the bodies of citizens from all walks of life, including slaves and freed men.

When the cannon captured at Ft. Ticonderoga were put in place on the hills north of Boston, Howe finally decided it would be prudent to abandon the city. His Phyrric victory at Breed's Hill was short-lived.

[NonValueAdded]

ping

[NonValueAdded]

Several distant relatives fought in this battle, some with distinction.

The loss of Dr. Joseph Warren was a huge blow but also a rallying point for the patriots.

[Berlin_Freeper]

I was at Bunker Hill, 215 years after the battle.

[Sherman Logan]

The most interesting part is that this British pyrrhic victory and enormous boost for Patriot morale was self-inflicted by the British, quite intentionally.

The site is on a peninsula with a narrow neck. The Brits obviously had total command of the water. The logical military thing to do was to land a force supported by naval artillery on the neck and cut off reinforcements and retreat. They could even have starved them out. Don’t know what the fresh water situation on the peninsula was.

But the British officers decided they needed a show of force and contempt for the rabble. They would land at the foot of the hill and march straight up the hill, carrying their roughly 65 pounds of impedimenta, and overrun the rebels.

This would show them the British regulars would defeat them despite the rebels having all the advantages of position and consequently crush their morale. The rebellion would fall apart.

Didn’t work out that way for the Brits.

Moral: Underestimating the enemy is the fastest way to suffer a military defeat.