The Battle Of Bunker Hill Wasnt The First Battle In The American Revo

The Battle of Bunker Hill wasn't the first battle in the American Revolutionary War. However it was the first large scale battle of the American Revolutionary War. It was a battle where about 1500 men lost their lives. The Battle of Bunker Hill took place in Charleston, Massachusetts on June 17, 1775. The battle really took place on Breed's Hill. This happened because of some miss understanding on the part of Colonel William Prescott. Colonel William Prescott took over Breed's Hill and fortified on the night of the 16th of June. This was done to try to force the British to leave Boston harbor. The next morning the commander in chief Thomas Gage started to prepare to attack the colonists. He called in the Navy to help with the battle. They came in close enough so that they could fire upon the colonists with their cannons. He also brought 2500 troops under the command of General William Howe. The colonists also gained about 300 more volunteers, including General Joseph Warren. The British troops were ready to attack. They had the Navy behind them with their magnificent cannons and their 2500 men ready and armed. The British advanced but the colonists didn't fire. They were told by Colonel Prescott ?Don't one of you fire until you see the whites of their eyes.? The British advanced almost to the base of the ?earthworks? before the colonists started to fire. Suffering severe damage to their troops the British retreated back. They regrouped and charged another time. Again the colonists fought them back and they retreated. Finally during the third attempt by the British to charge the colonist strong hold, the colonists ran out of ammunition. So they had to give up their position. After that the British took both hills and set Charleston on fire and burnt it to the ground by their shells. The colonists casualties totaled up to be about 440 killed, wounded, or taken captive. The British losses totaled up to about 1000 men killed or wounded; most of them were officers. Even though General Howe succeeded in capturing the two hills and keeping the British hold on Boston, the colonial's defensive action demonstrated that the quickly organized minutemen could, if better organized, beat the British. This raised the spirit of all the rebelling colonies.