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This battle was one of the
earliest in the American Revolution. The battle's name is a
mistake because the major part of the battle was actually
fought on Breed's Hill which was near Bunker Hill.
Here is what happened at Bunker Hill. On the night of June 16, 1775 more than 1,000 patriots under the command of General
Prescott, marched to Breed's Hill. On the morning of June
17, the soldiers made the hill strong by making trenches and
filling them with bales of cotton and hay.
Meanwhile in the town of Boston, the British Commander,
General Gage just happened to see the Americans on the two
hills. He ordered the British ships to start shooting cannons
at the Americans positions until the British troops could
arrive.
The British went up the hill again but with the main group attacking
forward and the secondary going east. This attempt
also failed. The British were mad and took off their heavy
bags before attacking the third time. The Americans were
running low on ammunition and gunpowder, so they had to
retreat.
The losses were very bad for the British with more than 1,000
men lost. The Americans only lost about
400 men. By the military tradition of the time, the
British won because at the end of the battle they had
possession of the field. The casualties, however, tell a
different story. This attack is well-known to this day
for two reasons. It was the first serious
defeat for the British and from it came a famous quote. To save gunpowder,
an American commander ordered the following, "Don't fire
until you see the whites of their eyes!"
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