Talk:Battle of Bunker Hill
From Academic Kids
An event mentioned in this article is a June 17 selected anniversary
Text comparisions between the June 30, 2003 version and prior ones will be difficult, because I've basically replaced the article. I thought of placing the prior text here, but the article history does a good job. Just refer to a version dated before this one. That said, some comments are required about one or two specific changes.
- The article would be longer still except that some background material went into the Siege of Boston article and individual people articles. Some additional rearrangement of material may make sense, but it can't all go here.
- The previuous version noted that up to a third of the American forces may have been African-American. This comment came from a Library of Congres Web page, and may be politically correct, but its not factual. My best estimate is that 1 to 2 percent (20-40 men) of the defenders were black.
- Fact - Salmon Poor was killed during the withdrawal from the redoubt. Hyperbole: He killed the British commander. The reasons I conclude this is unlikely include:
- General Pigot commanded the last phase of taking the redoubt, and survived.
- Major Pitcairn (Royal Marines) who led the flank battalion was killed on the flats north of the town, about 400 yards from the redoubt. While its possible that Poor fired that shot, given the timing, weapons, and distances, its much more probable that he fell to one of the snipers in Charlestown, only about 150 yards away and armed with long rifles not muskets.
Thanks for your attention. Lou I 04:48 30 Jun 2003 (UTC)
British results quotation
I am curious about the source of the quote attributed to General Gage at the beginning of the article. I have previously heard this quote attributed to General Henry Clinton with the wording being "Another such victory and we are utterly undone." While either would be somewhat of an invocation of the original words by Pyrrhus, I wonder if it is perhaps misattributed.
-matt 06 June 2004
- The Gage quote comes from a book by Robert Leckie (author). I can’t attribute it further. The Clinton quote that matt asked about can be attributed. Clinton himself says it’s in his diary, and its repeated in a reprint book:
- Clinton, Henry (William Wilcox, editor); "The American Rebellion: Sir Henry Clinton's Narrative of His Campaigns, 1775-1782, With An Appendix of Original Documents"; 1954, New Haven, Yale University Press. Originally published in London in 1783 by Henry Clinton as an explanation of his conduct during the revolutionary war.
- To maybe justify Leckie, Clinton does say that he was discussing the battle’s outcome with General Gage, and I haven’t seen the diary itself (or its microfilm). But the Clinton quote is just as fitting, and has an attribution (above), so I’m going to change the article. Lou I 21:01, 5 Dec 2004 (UTC)
