Graphic:Bunker Hill by Pyle
As we explore the many consequential 250th anniversaries in our American War for Independence, go back with me today if you will to a hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts on this day – June 17 – in 1775. It was here that courage clashed with tyranny, and the Battle of Bunker Hill made its mark in our history books. This was no ordinary fight! Though the continental patriots ultimately retreated, this battle between red coats and patriots served as a spark that lit the fire of the American Revolution, a moment when ordinary men stood tall against an empire.
The colonies were restless, tensions boiling for months as the British had tightened their grip. In Boston, upon hearing that the red coats planned to seize control nearby hills, the patriots decided to take action first. They fortified Breed’s Hill, near Bunker Hill, under the cover of night. Farmers, blacksmiths, and shopkeepers—men with muskets and grit—dug in, knowing the British would come.
At dawn, the stunned British awoke and mounted an attack. Their ships bombarded the hill; their soldiers assaulted in the blazing sun. The Boston patriots, vastly outnumbered and low on ammunition waited. “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!” roared our officers according to legend. And the colonists held. Wave after wave, the British charged, and the patriots fought back with ferocity. Twice they were pushed back, the weight of heavy losses and smoke choked the air. The hill became a furnace of defiance. Finally, on the third assault, the patriots ran out of gunpowder and fought hand-to-hand before retreating. The British won the hill but lost over a thousand men—nearly half their force. The cost was staggering. For the Americans, the loss was heavy, but their spirit soared. They had challenged the empire and proven their willingness to fight to the death for freedom.
Bunker Hill woke the colonies and changed the course of our cause for liberty! Let’s celebrate that today 250 years later and thank the Almighty for his providential hand over our nation’s victories.
This post originally appeared at https://phyllisschlafly.com/national-sovereignty/bunker-hill-and-the-american-spirit/
Phyllis Schlafly