I will be very interested in reading this Big Snow Bird.  I have become aware that I have neglected battles and strategy.  My focus has been on why and how the wars started and the aftermath.

#2 change that to "how i can distort reality to my political dogmas and feed it to disadvantaged children because I cannot answer criticism"

Sharon: Living in NJ I find it hard not being interested in the Revolution/Civil War. NJ is called the crossroads of the American Revolution with so many battles important and minor being fought here. The movement of armies retreating and advancing the stories personal and military are incredible.

If you live in the north east visiting lake Champlain. Fort Ticonderoga, Bennington, the Hubardtown Battlefield you will get a view into the geography and background leading up to the Battle of Saratoga. Sailing on Lake Champlain up into Canada will only ignite your curiosity about Valcour Island and our invasion of Canada and retreat to fort Ti. It is a beautiful area for a vacation with Vermont on the east coast of the lake except for their politics is a joy.

It sounds very exciting, Snow.  I  would love to visit all those places.  So you are going to be publishing this?

Excellent post, Snowbird.  Thank you.

Snow, & remember that N.Y.  State was the "key to the empire."

 

T-Dog

copy & paste hopefully some discussion will develop.

The American Revolution Month-by-Month June 1775

The Battle of Bunker Hill - June 17, 1775

By Compatriot Andrew "Andy" Stough

Editor's Note: This article was reprinted by Permission of the Gold Country Chapter No. 7 of the CSSAR and was slightly edited by the Sons of Liberty Chapter of the CSSAR

The battle on April 19th and the subsequent siege of Boston was a catalyst to bring the colonies together to pool their resources in what had now become a common cause. In addition, it had shown them that the British Lion was not always invincible. But the lack of activity afterwards began to erode the original euphoria gained by the retreat from Concord which was relieved by the capture of Fort Ticonderoga on May 10th.

Ticonderoga was seen as the Gateway to the North; with it secured it would take a strong force to attack the colonies from Canada. While it was a lift to the colonists' morale; it also turned the tenor of the uprising from objection to revolution. The result was a strengthening of resolve on both sides. Particularly on the American side. Sometime prior to Bunker Hill the Massachusetts Provincial Congress had asked the Continental Congress in Philadelphia to adopt the New England army in the interest of uniting the 13 United Colonies in the cause then being prosecuted in the area of Boston by the New England army. On the 14th of June 1775 Congress voted to accept the New England army; establishing June 14, 1775 as the birth of the U.S. Army as we know it today. On June 15th, 1775 Congress chose George Washington as Commander-in-Chief to lead the Continental Army created by Congress the next day June 16th, 1775. On June 23rd he left Philadelphia for New York. Enroute, arriving at Cambridge on July 2nd, he immediately took command of the army.(Ward)

In the meantime British General Sir Thomas Gage had been forced to bring in provisions for the town by sea. Britain ruled the sea, but it was faced with the problems previously encountered by the Spanish Armada. British ships of war were unable to cope with the hit and run tactics of the smaller and faster Yankee vessels who harassed and in some cases captured British supply vessels. This so angered the Britons that they launched retaliatory sea attacks on New England coastal towns setting them afire with red hot shot. Such retribution only stiffened the resolve of the New Englanders and offended the other colonies. The result was a drawing together of all the colonies for the common defense where ever it might occur.

Reinforcements to the Boston garrison led the colonists to tighten their hold on the city. Moving forward they fortified two hills, Breed's the smaller and Bunker the larger and tallest. Considered, but not implemented was the Dorchester Heights which were even closer to the town of Boston.

Construction of the new forts and fortifying of the hills irritated the British who decided to give the defenders a taste of cold British steel. Why, other than vanity, did the British not use their naval superiority to land troops behind the rebel lines, reverse the siege and advance on the hills from the unfortified side? It can only be conjectured that Gage intended to humiliate the "rude farmers" by subjecting them to the sight of seasoned lines of Redcoats advancing inexorably forward with fixed bayonets to oppose the defenders' muskets and fowling pieces. Perhaps Gage thought the sight of colonial troops abandoning their positions and fleeing for their lives would so impress the colonies that they would abandon any thought of resistance, anywhere. If that was his thought then as we now know it backfired to his own dismay.

The attack came on June 17th, 1775 on what appeared to be the more vulnerable Breed's Hill. It was a hot and humid day, the attackers were forced first to slog through the low marshlands, then uphill through knee high grass and brush. Advance of the scarlet coated Royal Welch Fusiliers was impressive. Halting several times to allow the land batteries and ships cannons to deliver a devastating fire on the hill above they came on until they were close enough for the colonists to fire which tore great holes in their ranks. Recoiling, they closed ranks and advanced again until another deadly fusillade tore the line to shreds. The Royal Welch Fusiliers was no more.

A second line, The King's own, advanced in the same ordered fashion and were as summarily dispatched. Two crack regiments had been destroyed and Gage's plan had failed. Not to be denied victory, Gage formed a new plan and within fifteen minutes a regrouped and reinforced British force moved forward. Advancing with the same precision as before they stopped only to fire then advanced with fixed bayonets to meet with the same fate as the previous assaults.

Against the advice of his staff but still not to be denied his victory regardless of cost, Gage gathered new troops for a another assault. The defenders had scarcely been hurt, nor had a Redcoat breached their lines. They were strong of heart and ready to engage the enemy but there was little hope of holding the ground against another such determined attack for they were now woefully short of powder and ball and muskets could not stand against bayonets. Still, with such odds against them, they stood fast.

The final assault was repulsed several times leaving great piles of the King's men dead and wounded. British regulars regrouped and were able to forge up the hill due to the reduced fire as colonists exhausted their powder and ball. When there was no more powder and ball Britons entered the entrenchments with fixed bayonets. There were no bayonets to meet British bayonets, Still the defenders held their ground using anything available to club the enemy. With support of cannon and musket fire from Bunker Hill they held off the advancing troops until all hope failed. Then the defenders fell back in fairly good order leaving a rear guard to cover their retreat by fighting from stone wall to stone wall until the last man was safe from British fire.

More men were killed and wounded in the retreat to hills on the road to Cambridge than were casualties in the battle. Even the British generals acknowledged that it had not been a flight but a well ordered retreat done with military skill.

Heroes of the battle can not be enumerated nor are all of them known but the names of General Israel Putnam, Gen. Seth Pomeroy, Col. William Prescott, Joseph Warren (killed in the retreat) should always be remembered. The men who fought there gave them credit as the officers who gave them direction and the moral support that led farmers to stand fast when in other wars the sight of such determination by the British Army had led seasoned soldiers to flee pell-mell from the field.

The aftermath of the action was that Europeans no longer saw the colonists as simple farmers but patriots capable of great military exploits and fired with a revolutionary zeal to continue their fight for justice and perhaps now, even freedom from Britain.

To the Colonial leaders it confirmed that a Revolution had occurred and that this was "The War of that Revolution" and that not only New England but each and every colony was now involved. It gave the Continental Congress authority as a central ruling body, also encouragement and acknowledgement that there must now be a more coordinated and devoted prosecution of what had become not a local rebellion but a full fledged war to the death.

References: Christopher Ward's “The War of the Revolution�?/EM>; National Park Service "The Battle Road"; The Encyclopedia Britannica "The Revolutionary Years"; and above all, the respect for our ancestors gained in Mrs. Collins', Sherborn, Massachusetts 6th grade class.

Wasn't that the Battle that Benedict Arnold turned Traitor?

Arnold was a heroe of Saratoga and was seriously wonded.

I think he became disalushioned when he submitted his expenses to the congress and they turned a cold shoulder on him.  He had spent his family fortune on the war ad now he was beieng stiffed.  The congress had also overlooked him for promotiion that he no doubt deserved by reason of qualification.

Impossible. If she was female.

 

Mark GB

Bow:  She was the daughter of a well respected PA judge.  The judge and his family remained neutral during the revolution but some thought they were loyalists.

 

She was supposedly a very beautiful and inteligent women by one account.  Another account says she was running on a 40 watt bulb.  I don't know if she intentionally gave that appearance to disarm others.  

Margaret Peggy Shippen was also discribed as being snooty and it is said she planted the idea of helping the British in his head. At this pont Arnold is still recovering from the wounds he suffered at Saratoga.  He had been taking heat from Joe Reed a local radical for cavorting with the Shippen family he thought to be loyalists.

She is reported to have questioned Arnold as to why he continued his association with the rebels because "they hate you," she said.  Arnold was supposedly shocked and forbade her to speak of it again. 

I don't think it's possible to tell a women to butt out so I think she probably used her womenly charms to get him to think about the British bribe.  They were broke he unable to collect from congress.  His first wife had past away his business ruined, Gen. Gates had lied to Congress about him.  I guess he was worn down and found it easy to justify doing business with theBrits.