Mobilizing for a Revolutionary War

In his journal, Jehiel Stewart noted on June 16, “this night our men went to in trenchen on Doggester [Dorchester] point,” across the Charles River from Boston. It remains unknown why the militia fortified Breed’s instead of Bunker Hill on the Charlestown Peninsula. Intent to remain on the defensive, Massachusetts provincial leaders only sought to contain the British, not provoke a fight. When the British awoke to find American fortifications within cannon range, they immediately mobilized for battle. 

The British took swift action to dislodge Americans from their fortified entrenchment on June 17. British naval vessels launched an immediate artillery barrage, and British regulars attacked that afternoon. American rebel Peter Brown recounted his experience of the “desperate battle” in his 1832 pension application testimony. He recalled that “we drove back the enemy twice but we were obliged to retreat” after running low on ammunition. British regulars secured Breed’s Hill only after two failed assaults under heavy American musket fire.

The British ultimately took Breed’s Hill, but it came at a steep price. British regulars suffered twice as many casualties—1,054 to the American militia’s approximately 450. This list of British casualties shows that officer losses were especially high. Although the Redcoats prevailed in the two-hour battle, the high casualty count forced many in their ranks to reconsider provincial military capabilities. It also convinced many British officials of the need to launch a full-scale invasion to crush colonial resistance.   

While American militia lost the Battle of Bunker Hill, colonists gained confidence in their ability to withstand the might of the British military. They also didn’t give up after the British gained control of Bunker Hill. Colonial forces continued to keep the British army contained in Boston. When George Washington arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to take command two weeks after the battle, the New England militiamen who remained outside of Boston became the core of the new Continental Army.

American artist John Trumbull observed the Battle of Bunker Hill from a militia encampment at Roxbury, Massachusetts. He used his artistic talents in service of the American cause and produced this sketch map of British and American lines in the Boston area. Location No. 1 shows the British occupation of Bunker Hill after the battle. Trumbull went on to paint some of the most iconic scenes from the American Revolution, including The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, June 17, 1775.

After Congress resolved to establish a Continental Army, it unanimously appointed 43-year-old Virginia delegate George Washington as commander-in-chief on June 15, 1775. In his acceptance speech, Washington thanked Congress and confessed, “I do not think my self equal to the Command.” A veteran of the French and Indian War, General Washington brought more than his military experience to the cause. By placing a Virginian at the head of an army that mostly hailed from New England, Congress ensured its new army was truly “continental.”