The Battle of Bunker Hill: The Fight for the American Independence

The Battle of Bunker Hill, also known as Breeds Hill, or the Battle of Charlestown took place in Massachusetts June 17th, 1775, where the British were trying to keep control of the city and it’s valuable sea port. This was a battle of bloodshed, a fight to the death, it was to settle their differences instead of talking it through. Never the less it was a great battle between the rebels of America and Great Britain, forcing the British to commit war causing their relationships never to be the same again.

Hostilities started on April 19th, 1775. The British, knowingly, had a lack of ammunition and very few bayonets that they had on them, were headed to Cambridge to establish a post on breeds hill about a half a mile to a mile from the north part of town. Two months later, on the evening of June 16th, a detachment of around 1200 men commanded by William Prescott, knew that they were coming. His idea was to have every man to grab their shovel and help out but the confusion to some was that it would be impossible to build a fort in mid day because it would surrender the colonists position thus realizing they’d need to do it in the middle of the night and in one night. So they all made a plan of action to move later that night and to sneak up to bunker hill around ten o’clock to start building a fort on bunker hill for the attack on the British. Geologically bunker hill rose to a height of about 110 feet but several hundred yards closer to boston being to a height of 75 feet was breeds hill. Their orders were to fortify bunker hill, but when they got there, there was an argument between general Putnam and col. Prescott and they felt that bunker hill was too far away from boston and that they should fortify on top of breeds hill, and that would put their artilary closer to the British held city, closer to general gage.

In 1775 the patriots are one year away from independence. Fighting and sacrificing themselves for their families, for their country, but most importantly, no taxation without representation. They were fighting for their rights as Englishmen and as citizens of the united states. the British had not known they were there until daybreak the next day when the rebels were still setting up their fort of defense. The patriots were taken by surprise with shots by cannon fire from ground and from and from the war ships of the British.