Was Peter Sunderland's comrade on Bunker Hill a hero or a coward?
British General Thomas Gage, "the death of Joseph Warren was worth the death of 500 men.
Joseph Warren The Proof1741 1775
Warren and his youngest brother, John, were likely members of the Spunkers, a group of Harvard medical students who raided graveyards, jails and poorhouses in search of bodies they could use for training purposes.
Reflecting his stature as a revolutionary leader and his reputation as a powerful orator, Warren was asked in 1775 to deliver for the second time the annual oration commemorating the Boston Massacre. An immense crowd that spilled into the aisles gathered inside Old South Meeting House on March 6, 1775. The doctor, who performed Cato in his Harvard dormitory room, showed his theatrical flair by arriving dressed in a flowing white Roman toga, a symbol of democracy. Dozens, if not hundreds, of British soldiers and officers watched menacingly, and one even held up bullets in his palm as a warning to Warren. The doctor, however, was not intimidated and delivered a rousing address.
Warren served as grand master of the St. Andrew’s Lodge of Freemasons and presided over meetings at its headquarters inside the Green Dragon Tavern. The lodge included numerous Sons of Liberty such as Revere. Daniel Webster would call the Green Dragon Tavern “the headquarters of the Revolution."
Warren dispatched Paul Revere on his famous midnight ride. On April 18, 1775, Warren learned through Boston’s revolutionary underground that British troops were preparing to cross the Charles River and march to Lexington, presumably to arrest John Hancock and Samuel Adams, and to Concord to seize munitions. To maximize the chances of a warning reaching the countryside, Warren decided to send one messenger by land and one by sea. Around 9 p.m. the doctor dispatched William Dawes on the riskier mission to ride through the checkpoint guarded by British sentries and take the longer land route. An hour later, he sent Revere on his way across the Charles River and into the surrounding countryside.
A charismatic leader who served in the military, Warren was poised to play a prominent role on the battlefields of the American Revolution and in the political life of the new United States. Loyalist Peter Oliver surmised in 1782 that if Warren had lived, George Washington would have been “an obscurity
Carnage Hill
About one o'clock the British made an assault on the redoubt and were repulsed with the loss of a great number of men.
Some 2,200 British forces under the command of Major General William Howe (1729-1814) and Brigadier General Robert Pigot (1720-96) landed on the Charlestown Peninsula then marched to Breeds Hill.
Maj. Gen. William Howe
46 years old
Brig. Gen. Robert Pigot
55 years old
The Assault
The British soldiers not only had to march up the hill in a fixed column and stay in position, they had to do it for the length of 5 football fields up a hill that rose to the height of a 6 story building all the while taking a blistering fire from the Americans on the hill top. It was literally like shooting fish in a barrel.
As the British advanced in columns against the Americans, Prescott, in an effort to conserve the Americans’ limited supply of ammunition, reportedly told his men, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!”
When the Redcoats were within several dozen yards, the Americans let loose with a lethal barrage of musket fire, throwing the British into retreat.
After re-forming their lines, the British attacked again, with much the same result. Prescott’s men were now low on ammunition, though, and when the Redcoats went up the hill for a third time, the Americans, now out of ammunition, clubbed their guns and hurled stones at the assailants.
After firing the last charge, Sunderland picked up three guns in succession to find that each had been discharged. Upon picking up a fourth gun he was attacked by a British soldier who struck at him with a saber. A quick turn of the gun caused the edge of the instrument to strike directly in his mouth, cutting through each cheek. Again the British soldier struck, and again the blow was partially parried, causing the weapon to cut through the wall of the abdomen. At the state in the encounter, Sunderland succeeded in discharging his gun into the face of his assailant and thrust his bayonet through his body. He then withdrew in haste from the entrenchment believing that he was the last man in the retreat. He succeeded in reaching a swamp where he found a man accompanied by his wife and an infant. Here Sunderland dressed his wounds as best he could, binding a large handkerchief about his abdomen. He then crossed the swamp; the water in a number of places being so deep that they were compelled to swim. At such places the infant was tossed from one to the other. On reaching the opposite margin of the swamp, Mr. Sunderland concealed himself in a thicket for three days breaking twigs trying to get attention of passer byes with whom he felt safe.. On the third day he found a relief party and conveyed to a place of safety.
Casualties
Closest account shows the British began their fight with 2,200 men. Their casualty rate was 226 killed 828 wounded. The patriots began the battle with 1,200 men (700 on the hill and 500 in reserve). Their casualty rate was 115 killed and 305 wounded for a total for the day (both sides) 341 killed and 1133 wounded. Even though the patriots on Bunker (Breeds) Hill were outnumbered 2 to 1, they had the advantage of being on the high ground, plus the British came over in waves from Boston and not from a single full on frontal assault. The patriots used up all their ammunition and all they could do was swing their rifles like clubs and throw rocks as the British over ran their position. One Royal Marine wrote:
"Nothing could be more than so shocking than the carnage that followed the storming of this work. We tumbled over the dead to get at the living, with soldiers stabbing some and dashing out the brains of others. "The significance of the battle showed the world that a group of rag tag militia men could give the professionally trained soldiers of the British army a pretty darn good fight. When they ran out of ammunition, they didn't run, they turned their rifles into clubs and fought till the end. We may have lost the battle, but in the end we gained far more than we lost, the resolve to fight.
British comments about Warren's death.
Some of the comments below were made by British officials writing about Warren's death. Saying he was "hated" is probably and understatement.
Gen. Thomas Gage
1719 -1837 British General Thomas Gage wrote: "the death of Joseph Warren was worth the death of 500 men."
Gage was heard to say that one of his regrets regarding the battle was that the servant carrying his bottle of favorite whiskey was killed and the whiskey was lost. So much for sensitivity.
Captain Walter Laurie wrote that he "stuffed the scoundrel with another rebel into one hole, and there he and his seditious principles may remain."
Wow, why was Laurie so angry?
Two months earlier, he (Laurie) had commanded a group of British troops at Lexington and Concord. After the skirmish at the Old North bridge, he and the rest of the British stared back to Boston 15 miles away. Patriots hiding in the tree along the way fired on the retreating army all the way back to Boston. It was like shooting fish in a barrel. By the time they reached Monotomy (Arlington, Ma.), the British were physically tired and having left so many dead along the way, in their rage they began killing everything in site. They rushed into a local tavern and brutally murdered 2 civilians, literally bashing their brains out with their rifle butts. My ancestor, Thomas Dodge, was one of several militiamen trapped in the Jacob Russel house and was wounded as British entered the building.
The "Shooting Galley" road from Concord to Boston
Sign reads: "Site of the bloodiest fighting between the Minutemen and the Redcoats on the first day of the American Revolution April 19, 1775."
We know Dr. Warren was in Monotomy for a meeting that that day so its possible Captain Laurie either saw him or heard he was in town and perhaps even assumed that Warren took part in the ambushing of his (Laurie’s) soldiers. So when Laurie saw the body on the battlefield, "stuffing the scoundrel with another rebel into one hole" was his way of getting even.
Benjamin Hichborn
1738-1817
Benjamin Hichborn wrote: "One Drew now a Lieutenant of the Scorpion or Viper, I am uncertain which, and Bruce a private belonging to the Preston, landed on Bunkers Hill, soon after the battle of the 17th of June. Drew, after walking for some time over the bodies of the dead, with great fortitude, went up to one of our wounded Men, and very deliberately shot him through the Head. Bruce advanced further over the Hill, and meeting with a forlorn wretch, begging "Mercy for Gods Sake!" he advanced and with a “damn ye, you Bugger you! are you not dead yet?” instantly demolished him. . In a day or two after, Drew went upon the Hill again opened the dirt that was thrown over Doctr: Warren, spit in his Face jump’d on his Stomach and at last cut off his Head and committed every act of violence upon his Body.
I had this Story from two Gentlemen belonging to the Preston Regiment who were eye witnesses of the facts. In justice to the officers in general I must add, that they despised Drew for his Conduct, the other was below their notice.
The phrase "demolished him" speaks volumes of the brutality.
Was Dr. Warren retreating or standing his ground ?
After the Battle of Bunker Hill, the British buried Warren in a shallow grave along with a farmer also felled in the firefight. Nearly 10 months later, after the British evacuated Boston, the patriots exhumed Warren’s body from the battlefield. Revere, who dabbled in dentistry, was able to identify Warren because he recognized a false tooth that he had crafted for the doctor. The Sons of Liberty leader was then reburied at the Granary Burying Ground with full Masonic honors, but his body remained on the move in the nineteenth century. Warren’s family moved him to a vault in a Boston cathedral in 1824 before transporting him to his current resting ground inside Forest Hills Cemetery in 1855.
200 Year Old Mystery Solved
Warren was a well known figure around Boston so no doubt many of the British officers had seen him around town at one time or another and the fact he (Warren) was wearing a white smock on the day of the battle made him an easy target.
Eye witness accounts claim that when the British overran the embankment, the slave of one of the officers pulled out a small caliber pistol and shot Warren point blank in the face. The witness say that one of the Americans immediately killed the slave. In addition to carrying a small sidearm for an officer, slaves often carried a canister of alcohol. Of the incident its said that Gage was most upset because the slave that killed Warren was carrying a bottle of his fine whiskey and it was lost. So is it true Warren stood his ground? For the answer watch this 5 min. video by clicking on the link.
Click on the link below to watch a 5 min. video that answers the questions; Was Warren running away or standing his ground? It even tells us who they believe killed him.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdggCICMnkU
By the end of the battle, there were estimated to be 1,154 British casualties and 441 American casualties. As a result, the Battle of Bunker Hill is often reported as an American victory, when, in fact, it was a defeat. The battle was hard fought on both sides, and heavy casualties resulted, including nearly 400 total deaths from both sides, 828 wounded British soldiers and 305 wounded American militiamen.
My reason for including all the graphic details about the battle was to help readers develop a better understanding, a greater appreciation and to help them create for themselves a visual perception of what Peter Sunderland, Joseph Warren and the other minutemen faced on Bunker Hill that day. It wasn’t like a Disney movie or a Hollywood production, it was a scene of brutal, ghastly and horrible fighting where men, young and old forgot for the moment about patriotism and honor, and struggled, sometimes hand to hand, just to stay alive. To sugar coat the details or write about it as "just another battle" does a great dis-service to the men on both sides who fought and died there that day.
Warren's comrade in arms, Peter Sunderland was in many ways lucky. Despite his horrible wounds, he was able to escape into a nearby swamp. Had he tried to surrender, more than likely he, like many others would have been murdered on the spot. For that reason alone, his descendants can be thankful to their ancestor, because had he stayed on the hill they wouldn't be around today to read this blog. How's that for irony?
When the Redcoats were within several dozen yards, the Americans let loose with a lethal barrage of musket fire, throwing the British into retreat.
After re-forming their lines, the British attacked again, with much the same result. Prescott’s men were now low on ammunition, though, and when the Redcoats went up the hill for a third time, the Americans, now out of ammunition, clubbed their guns and hurled stones at the assailants.
After firing the last charge, Sunderland picked up three guns in succession to find that each had been discharged. Upon picking up a fourth gun he was attacked by a British soldier who struck at him with a saber. A quick turn of the gun caused the edge of the instrument to strike directly in his mouth, cutting through each cheek. Again the British soldier struck, and again the blow was partially parried, causing the weapon to cut through the wall of the abdomen. At the state in the encounter, Sunderland succeeded in discharging his gun into the face of his assailant and thrust his bayonet through his body. He then withdrew in haste from the entrenchment believing that he was the last man in the retreat. He succeeded in reaching a swamp where he found a man accompanied by his wife and an infant. Here Sunderland dressed his wounds as best he could, binding a large handkerchief about his abdomen. He then crossed the swamp; the water in a number of places being so deep that they were compelled to swim. At such places the infant was tossed from one to the other. On reaching the opposite margin of the swamp, Mr. Sunderland concealed himself in a thicket for three days breaking twigs trying to get attention of passer byes with whom he felt safe.. On the third day he found a relief party and conveyed to a place of safety.
Casualties
Closest account shows the British began their fight with 2,200 men. Their casualty rate was 226 killed 828 wounded. The patriots began the battle with 1,200 men (700 on the hill and 500 in reserve). Their casualty rate was 115 killed and 305 wounded for a total for the day (both sides) 341 killed and 1133 wounded. Even though the patriots on Bunker (Breeds) Hill were outnumbered 2 to 1, they had the advantage of being on the high ground, plus the British came over in waves from Boston and not from a single full on frontal assault. The patriots used up all their ammunition and all they could do was swing their rifles like clubs and throw rocks as the British over ran their position. One Royal Marine wrote:
"Nothing could be more than so shocking than the carnage that followed the storming of this work. We tumbled over the dead to get at the living, with soldiers stabbing some and dashing out the brains of others. "The significance of the battle showed the world that a group of rag tag militia men could give the professionally trained soldiers of the British army a pretty darn good fight. When they ran out of ammunition, they didn't run, they turned their rifles into clubs and fought till the end. We may have lost the battle, but in the end we gained far more than we lost, the resolve to fight.
British comments about Warren's death.
Some of the comments below were made by British officials writing about Warren's death. Saying he was "hated" is probably and understatement.
Gen. Thomas Gage
1719 -1837 British General Thomas Gage wrote: "the death of Joseph Warren was worth the death of 500 men."
Gage was heard to say that one of his regrets regarding the battle was that the servant carrying his bottle of favorite whiskey was killed and the whiskey was lost. So much for sensitivity.
Captain Walter Laurie wrote that he "stuffed the scoundrel with another rebel into one hole, and there he and his seditious principles may remain."
Wow, why was Laurie so angry?
Two months earlier, he (Laurie) had commanded a group of British troops at Lexington and Concord. After the skirmish at the Old North bridge, he and the rest of the British stared back to Boston 15 miles away. Patriots hiding in the tree along the way fired on the retreating army all the way back to Boston. It was like shooting fish in a barrel. By the time they reached Monotomy (Arlington, Ma.), the British were physically tired and having left so many dead along the way, in their rage they began killing everything in site. They rushed into a local tavern and brutally murdered 2 civilians, literally bashing their brains out with their rifle butts. My ancestor, Thomas Dodge, was one of several militiamen trapped in the Jacob Russel house and was wounded as British entered the building.
The "Shooting Galley" road from Concord to Boston
Sign reads: "Site of the bloodiest fighting between the Minutemen and the Redcoats on the first day of the American Revolution April 19, 1775."
We know Dr. Warren was in Monotomy for a meeting that that day so its possible Captain Laurie either saw him or heard he was in town and perhaps even assumed that Warren took part in the ambushing of his (Laurie’s) soldiers. So when Laurie saw the body on the battlefield, "stuffing the scoundrel with another rebel into one hole" was his way of getting even.
Benjamin Hichborn
1738-1817
Benjamin Hichborn wrote: "One Drew now a Lieutenant of the Scorpion or Viper, I am uncertain which, and Bruce a private belonging to the Preston, landed on Bunkers Hill, soon after the battle of the 17th of June. Drew, after walking for some time over the bodies of the dead, with great fortitude, went up to one of our wounded Men, and very deliberately shot him through the Head. Bruce advanced further over the Hill, and meeting with a forlorn wretch, begging "Mercy for Gods Sake!" he advanced and with a “damn ye, you Bugger you! are you not dead yet?” instantly demolished him. . In a day or two after, Drew went upon the Hill again opened the dirt that was thrown over Doctr: Warren, spit in his Face jump’d on his Stomach and at last cut off his Head and committed every act of violence upon his Body.
I had this Story from two Gentlemen belonging to the Preston Regiment who were eye witnesses of the facts. In justice to the officers in general I must add, that they despised Drew for his Conduct, the other was below their notice.
The phrase "demolished him" speaks volumes of the brutality.
Was Dr. Warren retreating or standing his ground ?
After the Battle of Bunker Hill, the British buried Warren in a shallow grave along with a farmer also felled in the firefight. Nearly 10 months later, after the British evacuated Boston, the patriots exhumed Warren’s body from the battlefield. Revere, who dabbled in dentistry, was able to identify Warren because he recognized a false tooth that he had crafted for the doctor. The Sons of Liberty leader was then reburied at the Granary Burying Ground with full Masonic honors, but his body remained on the move in the nineteenth century. Warren’s family moved him to a vault in a Boston cathedral in 1824 before transporting him to his current resting ground inside Forest Hills Cemetery in 1855.
200 Year Old Mystery Solved
Warren was a well known figure around Boston so no doubt many of the British officers had seen him around town at one time or another and the fact he (Warren) was wearing a white smock on the day of the battle made him an easy target.
Eye witness accounts claim that when the British overran the embankment, the slave of one of the officers pulled out a small caliber pistol and shot Warren point blank in the face. The witness say that one of the Americans immediately killed the slave. In addition to carrying a small sidearm for an officer, slaves often carried a canister of alcohol. Of the incident its said that Gage was most upset because the slave that killed Warren was carrying a bottle of his fine whiskey and it was lost. So is it true Warren stood his ground? For the answer watch this 5 min. video by clicking on the link.
Click on the link below to watch a 5 min. video that answers the questions; Was Warren running away or standing his ground? It even tells us who they believe killed him.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdggCICMnkU
CONCLUSION
By the end of the battle, there were estimated to be 1,154 British casualties and 441 American casualties. As a result, the Battle of Bunker Hill is often reported as an American victory, when, in fact, it was a defeat. The battle was hard fought on both sides, and heavy casualties resulted, including nearly 400 total deaths from both sides, 828 wounded British soldiers and 305 wounded American militiamen.
My reason for including all the graphic details about the battle was to help readers develop a better understanding, a greater appreciation and to help them create for themselves a visual perception of what Peter Sunderland, Joseph Warren and the other minutemen faced on Bunker Hill that day. It wasn’t like a Disney movie or a Hollywood production, it was a scene of brutal, ghastly and horrible fighting where men, young and old forgot for the moment about patriotism and honor, and struggled, sometimes hand to hand, just to stay alive. To sugar coat the details or write about it as "just another battle" does a great dis-service to the men on both sides who fought and died there that day.
Warren's comrade in arms, Peter Sunderland was in many ways lucky. Despite his horrible wounds, he was able to escape into a nearby swamp. Had he tried to surrender, more than likely he, like many others would have been murdered on the spot. For that reason alone, his descendants can be thankful to their ancestor, because had he stayed on the hill they wouldn't be around today to read this blog. How's that for irony?
