Battle of Bunker Hill

:A number of places and things are named for this battle, see: Bunker Hill (disambiguation).

Aftermath

The British had taken the ground, but at a stiff cost; 1,054 were shot (226 dead and 828 wounded), and a disproportionate number of these were officers.

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The American losses were only about 450, of whom 140 were killed (including Joseph Warren), and 30 captured. Most American losses came during the withdrawal.

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British dead and wounded included almost most of there their officers. Of General Howe's entire field staff, he was the only one not shot.

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Major Pitcairn was dead, and Colonel James Abercrombie fatally wounded.

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The American withdrawal and British advance swept right through to include the entire peninsula, Bunker Hill as well as Breed's Hill.

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But the number of Americans to be faced in new positions hastily created by Putnam on the mainland, the end of the day, and the exhaustion of his troops removed any chance Howe had of advancing on Cambridge and breaking the siege.

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The attitude of the British was significantly changed, both individually and as a government.

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Thomas Gage was soon recalled, and would be replaced by General Howe.

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Howe himself lost the daring he had shown at Louisbourg, and was cautious through the rest of his service.

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Gage's report to the cabinet repeated his earlier warnings that "a large army must at length be employed to reduce these people" and would require "the hiring of foreign troops."

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A famous saying came from this battle: "Don't fire till you see the whites of their eyes". However, it is uncertain as to who said it, since various writers attribute it to Putnam, Stark, Prescott and Gridley.

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Another reporting uncertainty concerns the role of African-Americans.

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There were certainly a few involved in the battle, but their exact numbers are unknown.

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One of these was Salem Poor, who was cited for bravery and whose actions at the redoubt saved Prescott's life, but accounts crediting him with Pitcairn's death are highly doubtful.

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See also: Royal Welch Fusiliers

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