On June 17, 1775, the second major battle of the American Revolutionary War began with the British advance on Breeds Hill outside of Boston, Massachusetts. After 2 failed assaults the British Regulars captured positions from the Colonial Forces defending the hill. American Militia then retreated to Bunker Hill where the Colonials were ultimately defeated by a well disciplined and motivated British Force.
The resulting victory for the British Army was truly a credit upon the dedication and honor of the British Army advancing up those two hills. The British tactically met their objective but suffered their greatest losses of the entire war. Colonial Forces stood and fought against the greatest military power on earth and wreaked a 42 percent causality rate upon the enemy. British General Clinton stated, “It was a dear bought victory, another such would have ruined us.” Nathanial Greene who was a Rhode Island Colonial General put the encounter in perspective when he said, “I wish we could sell them another hill at the same price.” The Lost Battle of Bunker Hill soon became a rallying cry for American Patriots across the 13 Colonies and served as a betterment to the cause of liberty. (The photo at the top of the post is of the Monument at Bunker Hill. The photo below was taken from the top of the monument and shows the Boston Sky Line.)
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I really like history...gimme more Please?
ReplyDeleteIf I am not wrong, the british went on from defeat to defeat after that...the battle of frontenac in Quebec...I may be totally wrong but I'm trying to place the history on this one
ReplyDeleteCheesie- I am glad that you like history as much as I. During my long rides I always try to find something with historical value.
ReplyDeleteBaron- Were talking about a lot of history to cover. The American Revolution began with the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 18, 1775. The last major battle of the war for American Independence was at Yorktown in October 19, 1781 with the surrender of British Major General Cornwallis. Officially the War did not end until The Treaty of Paris which was signed in 1783.
What I really wanted to achieve with the post was to pay tribute to the brave British Soldiers who died attacking those hills as well as honor the American Patriots who defended them. What I thought most interesting is the fact that even in defeat the Battle of Bunker Hill was used as a rallying cry for American Patriots to promote the Revolution.
Riding motorcycles and history are two of my favorite things. Who would have thought they would have come together in a blog. I love the conversation Baron and thanks for sharing your comments.
Rob I share the sentiment and that's what I'm trying to do with my blog...most people look at bikers as lowly, drug taking, pot smoling thugs and forget that the cliche is so dated...Bikers today come from all venues of life , with diversified backgrounds... dentists, lawyers, clerks, blue collar workers, engineers,housewives, etc... anyway...that's digressing from the conversation..
ReplyDeleteI hated history in High School, as probably most kids did too., just studied enough to make the grade ...I took a serious interest in it years after having graduated from College and still read history and war books...for instance...General Mac Arthur is, by far, my favorite war hero...too bad he was misunderstood and died poor man.
I'm with you on that point, yes it is a lot of history to cover...but lest we forget...The tribute to both sides is well deserved if one analyzes the circumstances rationally...otherwise, it is debatable.
I believe our history is entertwined and we have a lot in comon...General Cornwallis instigated uprising with the Iriqois in Quebec...quite coy in his tactics...but ultimately the British were defeated in the Battle of Frontenac in Quebec City...which is driving distance from where you live.
Wow exciting to find someone with same interests...