Tag «Battle of Bunker Hill»

Philip Abbot: African American Slave Fought and Died for America’s Liberty at Bunker Hill

Philip Abbot (also spelt Phillip Abbot or Phillip Abbott) fought and died at the Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775, Charlestown, a hefty stone throw over the Charles River to Boston, Massachusetts.  Philip was a slave, owned by Nathan Abbott who survived the carnage. We don’t know much about Philip. Except he was there; …

Minuteman and Militia: Lousy Shots Who Indeed Could Not Hit the Side of a Barn

Militia and Continental firing

“Contrary to general opinion, only thirteen percent of colonial Americans owned a gun at the start of the American Revolution and of those, clearly half did not work.” Michael Bellesiles, noted author and researcher The Myth of Minutemen looms large in legends surrounding the American Revolution. Statues with robust colonials grasping their musket line New …

General Artemas Ward – America’s First Commander-in-Chief in the War for Independence

“Who?”… is the most common response when mentioning Artemas Ward. With the popularity of sixties iconic TV shows, another’s reply might be, “Don’t you mean Artemas Gordon?”…referencing Ross Martin’s sidekick role on the Wild Wild West TV series that ran four seasons starting in 1965. Of course there might be the more smug response, “Oh, …

Don’t Fire Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes: Fact or Fiction

Generations of Americans have recalled with pride these words that were supposedly spoken during the American Revolution. They conger stouthearted citizen soldiers standing firm before the power of oppression. Farmers and merchants answering the call to arms and grabbing their family muskets to defy what they believed to be an authoritarian government in a David …

American Legend General Israel Putnam & His Disappearing Act at the Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775

Two hundred years ago, in 1818, a shocking claim by a distinguished veteran of the Battle of Bunker Hill rocked America. A popular patriot hero and legendary symbol of the battle was questioned – one whose characterization had defined America’s struggle for independence. The evidence was overwhelming; General Israel Putnam did not stand proud before …

Redoubts – America’s Forts During the Revolutionary War

For centuries, the redoubt was a well-established type of military fortification, however throughout 18th century America, it often became the stand-alone fortress. In North America, where military fortifications were frequently constructed in relatively remote and inaccessible locations, works built from readily available materials (typically stone, lumber and earth) tended to be more common than the …

British Army Command & Structure in the American Revolution – Grenadier & Light Infantry Battalions by Harry Schenawolf

Intro The French and Indian War in the North American Colonies (Seven Years War in Europe) posed unique circumstances that required the British officers who fought in America to consider changes in their tactics and army’s structure.  Gone were the windswept fields where large bodies of troops faced each other over open ground.  Skirmishes and …