What Happened At The Battle of Bunker Hill?

So, what did happen at the battle of Bunker Hill?

The Battles of Lexington and Concord kicked off the Revolutionary War of America’s independence.

The battle of Bunker Hill was a major armed confrontation between Americans and English Red Coats, which happened after around two months of this incident.

The date was 17th June, the year 1775.

Even though the clash is famous as Bunker Hill’s battle, most of the conflicts took place at Breeds hill, located nearby.

So, the question is, what were the most important things that happened at the battle?

We found the three most significant points here.

Here they are below:

1. Patriots Made Significant Casualties In The British Army

In the battle of Bunker Hill, the Patriots’ side was relatively weaker and inexperienced compared to the well-equipped and experienced British Army.

According to various sources of US history, less than 2400 American militias participated in this event against more than 3000 British Red Coats.

Secondly, patriots were not well experienced and trained as the British military was. On the other hand, they had a limited supply of armament.

That is why they needed to do all the things very carefully. Even American commander William Prescott ordered his militias not to attack the British until they saw the white of their eyes.

But the remarkable fact is, even after all these drawbacks, militias succeeded in making a massive casualty in the British army.

Mostly they succeeded in doing this via swoop warfare techniques.

Using these tactics, the militias succeeded in making two times more casualties to the English troops.

In total, they were able to make 1054 casualties on the British side, where 226 army men got killed, and 828 got badly injured.

But on the other side, only 145 patriots lost lives, and 305 got injured.

Though the Americans had to face defeat at the end of this battle; but this incident boosted up their morale so much for the upcoming major confrontations.

2. British Learned That They Would Have To Fight A Long, Bloody, And Costly War Against American Militias

Somehow, the British troops managed to achieve victory in the important positions at the end of the conflicts.

But from the casualties at Breeds Hill and Bunker Hill, they understood very well that the fighting with the American militias would run long, be challenging, and costly.

The English troops’ had to do so much hardship to get victory in that battle, which made them recognized with the strength and morale of the patriots.

[Did You Know? English General Nathanael Greene Was So Upset With The Lost of His Soldiers That He Even Said “I wish we could sell them another hill at the same price.”]

3. Reinforcement From The American Side

Till the end of the battle, though, British troops succeeded in taking control over important positions of the Bunker Hill, Breeds’ Hill, and Charlestown Peninsula; but it didn’t last too long.

Because after three weeks, George Washington arrived there, and he immediately started reinforcement of Continental militias.

The movement raised British Red Coats’ fear, which finally led them to abandon the area soon.

They feared that George Washington and the continental army would attack their military base soon.

Hence, English General William Howe ordered his troops to leave the sensitive Boston.

The Meaning of “Don’t Fire Until You See The Whites of Their Eyes”

“Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes” is a famous phrase used during the Battle of Bunker Hill.

It is still in controversy about who first used this phrase.

Some claim that American commander William Prescott first used it.

Using this phrase, he tried to mean his militias that don’t shoot on the English soldiers until they are close enough that the shot never misses the target.

He had to say it because during the battle of Bunker Hill American side had limited resources for fighting against English soldiers, including gunpowder, bullets, guns, and men.

So, it became crucial for them to use all the resources properly.