Battle of Bunker Hill

Battle of Bunker Hill
Charlestown, Mass.

Today is the 224th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, the first major battle of the American Revolution. Although
the British won the battle, it was a very costly victory that gave hope to the American cause, as it showed Colonial troops could stand against Britain's best soldiers. The battle is also significant, I believe, for what might have happened to the new Rebellion if events had turned out just a little bit differently.

The initial plan was for the Colonial militia to fortify Bunker Hill, which is a higher promontory and is closer to the mainland than Breeds Hill on the Charlestown peninsula. For reasons unknown today it was decided to build a redoubt on Breeds Hill and this is where most of the actual fighting on that day took place. This placed the militia in a (potentially) very precarious position. It would have quite easy for the British Army, under the cover of the British Navy, to have made its amphibious landings behind the redoubt and attacked the fortification from the rear. This plan was advanced by General Clinton, but he was overruled.

The actual landings on the peninsula were made in front of the redoubt. The British troops were sent in a broad frontal attack, carrying full backpacks, that failed miserably. An attempt was made to turn the flank of the militia, but due to the timely arrival of Col. Stark and his men from New Hampshire, this also failed. It wasn't until a final third assault was made that the British finally succeeded in sending the militia fleeing to the rear. British forces had removed the threat to their position in Boston, but at a great cost.

What was a Pyrrhic victory for the British could easily have been a major disaster for the Colonial militia. If the assault had been made in a more timely matter and if a landing closer to the land bridge to the peninsula had been made, then the American forces would have found themselves trapped. They would have been forced to surrender in total or have been killed. A defeat of this size and nature, at this early date, may have been fatal to the American colonies fight for independence.

British Soldiers Graves Found in Charlestown?

Bunker Hill Monument
43 Monument Sq.
Charlestown, Mass.

A recent article in the Boston Globe relates the story of the work being done by two men in surveying the layout of present day Charlestown and its relationship to the same landscape during the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775. Local Charlestown historian Chris Anderson and Erik Goldstein, a curator at Colonial Williamsburg, have located what they believe to be the gravesites of British soldiers killed during the fighting in the backyards of several Charlestown residents. The British soldiers were buried in the aftermath of the battle in a massgrave in some of the trenches constructed by the Colonial militia. J.L. Bell does his usual excellent work discussing this story in his blog Boston 1775.

The King's Own, British 4th Regiment

British 4th Regiment
"The King's Own"

Starting with the first organization of the Army in the mid-17th century and continuing to this day, the British Army is built upon its regimental system. The British soldier takes great pride in the traditions and the history of his regiment. Being one of the senior regiments makes the King's Own regimental history read like the history of Great Britain itself.

After threats were made against its possession of Tangier's it was decided in England more troops were needed to protect the port. Companies were raised in London and Plymouth, England and what was to become known as the Fourth Regiment or the King's Own was born on the 13 of July 1680. Once training was complete the companies were merged and sent to North Africa. This was just the first of what was to be many deployments overseas for the King's Own.

With the decline of the Spanish Empire and Britain's eclipse of the Dutch trading empire, England found itself in a world wide contest with France. A New France was created in Canada and British colonies were established in North America. Trading partnerships and posts were started in India. Colonization of the spice and sugar islands of the Caribbean was begun.

Beginning in the 18th and continuing into the early 19th century, several major wars were fought with France. This was also the time period when the first British Empire reached its height. The job of policing and maintaining that empire fell to Britain's Navy and its comparatively small, but professional Army. Serving under many Kings and Queens and many more leaders of Parliament, the King's Own carried its banner and the Kings colors all over the globe. A partial list of the battles fought by the 4th Regiment and the battle honors won, include: Gibraltar, Culloden, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Havana, Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, Brooklyn, Brandywine, St. Lucia, Corunna, Badajoz, Salamanca, San Sebastian, Washington, New Orleans and Waterloo.

The King's Own continued its illustrious history with fighting in South Africa against both the Zulus and the Boers. During the two World Wars the King's Own was much expanded and its battalions were involved in every theatre of battle.

During the 1950s the British Army went through yet another of its many reorganizations. A decision was reached to shrink the number of existing Regiments. In 1959 the King's Own lost its own identity and was merged with another regiment to become the King's Own Royal Border Regiment.

The King's Own was in existence for some 279 years and had in fact outlasted the Empire for which it fought so hard to create. There is an old song, dating back to the First World War, that is titled, "There will always be an England". Although not the oldest or the most well known of British Regiments, for as long as England maintains its own identity, the sacrifices made and the honors won by the King's Own will be a part of that heritage.

On this day in History...

Battle of Bunker Hill
June 17, 1775
Charlestown, Mass.

On the evening of June 16, 1775 colonial militia under Col. William Prescott left their camps surrounding Boston and marched out onto the peninsula of Charlestown. Boston was under siege and each side was looking for an advantage. The American plan was to take the high ground by fortifying Bunker Hill. As it turned out, a redoubt was built on Breeds Hill and that was where the majority of the fighting would take place.

In the early morning of the 17th sharp eyes on board the HMS Lively spotted the new earthworks overlooking Boston harbor. The British command staff had been making their own plans to occupy Charlestown and knew the precarious situation they were in if the fortified position was allowed to remain. Major General Howe began to plan his attack and the necessary forces, to include Marines and artillery, were ordered to begin their preparations.

Calling out, organizing and then ferrying them across the harbor all took time. Unfortunately for the British soldiers who had this bit of work ahead of them, the elapsed time had given the colonial forces more time to prepare. New Hampshire militia, under the command of John Stark, along with other reinforcements, had taken up fixed positions and had extended the lines of defense. It would no longer be easy to bypass or flank the American forces.

In fact it would turn out to be a very bloody business for everyone concerned. The small town of Charlestown was burned to the ground. British infantry were mowed down in rows as the advanced up the sloping hill. First one and then another assault were repulsed with heavy casualties. With the arrival of fresh soldiers under the command of General Clinton a third and final attack was launched. By this time the militia was running out of powder and ball and their redoubt was overrun. It was while covering the the retreat that Dr. Joseph Warren, President of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, was killed. The death of Dr. Warren was a great loss to Massachusetts and to the rebellion.

General Howe had accomplished what he had set out to do, but only at great cost. British casualties approached 50% with over 1100 men killed or wounded. The officer corp was especially hard hit. American casualties were in the range of 450, to include those who were captured. Although the British won the battle of Bunker Hill, it was an especially costly victory.