The Battle That Started On The Wrong Hill

The Battle of Bunker Hill was a mess before the first musket was fired.

In June 1775, colonial leaders ordered their men to fortify Bunker Hill, the taller, more defensible high ground overlooking Boston.

 

During the night of June 16, the soldiers marched out with shovels, picks, and not nearly enough time. Instead of digging in on Bunker Hill, they built their main redoubt on Breed’s Hill, which sat closer to the British lines and lower in elevation. It was easier to fortify. It was also easier for the British to attack.

 

By sunrise, British officers in Boston could hardly believe their eyes when they saw the fresh American fortification. General Thomas Gage ordered an immediate assault. The British marched uphill in tight formation, bright red coats blazing in the June heat.

 

The colonists had another problem. Powder was scarce. Ammunition scarcer. The famous order — “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes” — wasn’t about drama. It was about rationing bullets.

 

Twice the British charged up Breed’s Hill. Twice they were thrown back in bloody confusion. The third time, the Americans ran out of ammunition. With no powder left, they were forced to retreat.

 

The British won the field at a cost of over 1,000 killed and wounded.

 

The Americans lost the hill, but gained something more dangerous: confidence. Raw, undertrained colonial militia had stood toe-to-toe with professional British soldiers and nearly held them off. The wrong hill, the wrong supplies, and barely a plan — and still the British paid dearly.

 

It was a victory that felt suspiciously like a win.