FAMILY LINE AND HISTORY
HENRY CHAMBERLAIN/CHAMBERLIN(5)
1st child of Henry Chamberlain(4) & Lydia Vinton
Born: abt 1718, near Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Died: Dec 7, 1787(?) (abt age 69), prob Leicester, Addison County, Vermont
Buried: Edson Cemetery on Hurricane Road in Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Occupation: Cordwainer (maker of shoes)
Married: Dec 7, 1740, Susanna(h) Hinds, Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts
SUSANNA(H) HINDS
Daughter of John Hinds & Hannah Shaw
Born: Mar 16, 1721/1722, Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Died: Feb 11, 1811 (age 89), Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Buried: Edson Cemetery on Hurricane Road in Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Married: Dec 7, 1740, Henry Chamberlain(5), Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Twelve children: John Chamberlain, Hannah Chamberlain, HENRY CHAMBERLAIN(6), Lydia Chamberlain, Lucinda “Lucy” Chamberlain, Elizabeth “Betsy” Chamberlain, Ebenezer Chamberlain, Abigail Chamberlain, Calvin Chamberlain, Giles Chamberlain(?), Giles Chamberlain, Hinds Chamberlain
1. John Chamberlain
Born: May 11, 1742, Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Died: Jun 12, 1822 (age 80), Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Buried: North Cemetery in Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Military: Revolutionary War, 2nd Lieutenant; served in First Company of Colonel Ashley’s regiment, New Hampshire troops
Married: Sep 17, 1767, Eunice Edson, Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts
(Eunice Edson: daughter of Samuel S. Edson & Martha Perkins, sister of Jonah Edson (husband of Betsey Chamberlain)
Born: Dec 10, 1744, Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Died: Apr 3, 1814 (age 69), Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Buried: North Cemetery in Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire)
Ten children: Hannah Chamberlin, Eunice Chamberlin, Rowena Chamberlin, John Chamberlin, Jr., Saloma Chamberlin, Sullivan Chamberlin, Keziah Chamberlin, Stillman Chamberlin, Spencer Chamberlin, Reuben Chamberlin
2. Hannah Chamberlain
Born: 1746, Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Died: Apr 13, 1805 (age 59), Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Buried: North Cemetery in Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Married: abt 1764, Maj. Isaac Butterfield, Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
(Isaac Butterfield: son of Benjamin Butterfield & Kezia Patterson
Born: May 7, 1742, Westford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Died: Jun 5, 1801 (age 59), Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Buried: North Cemetery in Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Military: Major in the Revolutionary War
Occupation: Hotelkeeper in Westmoreland Cheshire County, New Hampshire)
Nine children: Isaac Butterfield, Jr., Martin Butterfield, Erasmus Butterfield, Willard Butterfield, Ralph Butterfield, daughter Butterfield, Orpha Butterfield, Warren Butterfield, Nancy Butterfield
3. HENRY CHAMBERLAIN(6)
Born: abt 1747, prob Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Died: May 14, 1828 (age 81), Shoreham, Addison County, Vermont
Buried: Lakeview Cemetery in Shoreham, Addison County, Vermont
Military: Private in the Revolutionary War, fought in Battle of Bunker Hill
Occupation: Baptist Minister in numerous towns in Vermont
Married (1): Feb 26, 1767, Abigail Chamberlain, Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
(Abigail Chamberlain: daughter of Thomas Chamberlain & Abigail Pierce [Abigail is a different ancestral line]
Born: Jul 31, 1748, Harvard, Worchester County, Massachusetts
Died: Aug 1819 (age 70), prob Panton, Addison County, Vermont
Buried: poss Lakeview Cemetery in Shoreham, Addison County, Vermont)
Eight known of 14 children: REUBEN CHAMBERLIN, Melinda/Mahala Chamberlin, Sabra Chamberlin, infant Chamberlin, John Chamberlin, Orpha Chamberlin, Electa Chamberlin, Abigail Chamberlin, Lyman Chamberlin
Married (2): abt 1820, Jemima (Denton) Smith, Shoreham, Addison County, Vermont
(Jemima Denton: widow of Deacon Eli Smith
Born: Jan 17, 1756, Bedford, Westchester, New York
Died: Nov 8, 1845 (age 90), Shoreham, Addison County, Vermont
Buried: Lakeview Cemetery in Shoreham, Addison County, Vermont
Married (1): abt 1778, Deacon Eli Smith, Spencertown, Columbia, New York
Five children: Paulina Smith, Joseph Smith, Matilda Smith, Mahala Smith, Pamela Smith
Married (2): abt 1820, Henry Chamberlain(6), Shoreham, Addison County, Vermont
4. Lydia Chamberlain
Born: 1750, prob Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Died: Aug 27, 1832 (age 82), Scottsville, Monroe County, New York
Buried: Oatka Cemetery in Scottsville, Monroe County, New York
Married: Jan 7, 1768, Isaac Scott, Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
(Isaac Scott: son of Samuel Scott & Sarah Chamberlin
Born Nov 11, 1744, Dudley, Worcester County, Mass
Died: Jun 2, 1818 (age 73), Scottsville, Monroe County, New York
Buried: Oatka Cemetery in Scottsville, Monroe County, New York
Occupation: Store and tavern owner; resided in Scottsville, the village named in his honor)
Eleven children: Lovina Scott, Salmon Scott, Lydia Scott, Abigail Scott, Chloe Scott, Luceba Scott, Lucinda Scott, Isaac Hinds Scott, Silence Scott, Susannah Scott, Jacob Scott
5. Lucinda “Lucy” Chamberlain
Born: Mar 20, 1751, prob Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Died: Apr 1, 1821 (age 70), Brome County, Quebec, Canada
Buried: Stone Church Cemetery in Brome, Brome County, Quebec, Canada
Married: Aug 12, 1768, Ephraim Stone, Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
(Ephraim Stone: son of Isaac Stone & Keziah Pierce
Born: Jan 22, 1744, Harvard, Worcester, Massachusetts
Died: Jun 15, 1820 (age 75), Brome, Brome County, Quebec, Canada
Buried: Stone Church Cemetery in Brome, Brome County, Quebec, Canada
Note: First settler in Brome Corners, given a land grant
Military: French & Indian War, 1760; Revolutionary War: Captain, fought in the Battle of Bunker Hillw/brother-in-law Job Britton)
Eleven children: Jacob Stone, female Stone, Ephraim Stone, Jr., Elizabeth Stone, Sylvanus Stone, Isaac Stone, Hannah Stone, Philena Stone, Lydia Stone, Susan Stone, Edward Stone
6. Elizabeth “Betsy” Chamberlain
Born: Feb 25, 1752, prob Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Died: Aug 21, 1850 (age 98), Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Buried: Edson Cemetery on Hurricane Road in Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Married: Jun 4, 1772, Jonah Edson, Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
(Jonah Edson: son of Samuel Edson & Martha Perkins
Born: Jul 10, 1751, Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Died: Jul 21, 1831 (age 80), Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Buried: Edson Cemetery on Hurricane Road in Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Military: Revolutionary War, 1777, in Captain Cole’s company)
Fourteen children: Jonah Edson, Elizabeth Edson, Cynthia Edson, Dean Edson, Maria Edson, Abiram Edson, Naomi Edson, Leonard Edson, Lois Edson, Eunice Edson(1), Loren Edson, Freeman Edson, Shepherd Edson, Eunice Edson(2)
7. Ebenezer Chamberlain
Born: Sep 10, 1754, prob Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Died: Jan 5, 1843 (age 88), North Sheldon, Franklin County, Vermont
Buried: North Sheldon-Fish Cemetery in Sheldon, Franklin County, Vermont
Military: Revolutionary War, Lieutenant, fought in Battle of Bunker Hill
Married: 1776, Martha “Patty” Howe, Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
(Martha “Patty” Howe: Born: Feb 15, 1757, Rutland, Worcester County, Massachusetts
Died: 1804 (abt age 47), Vermont
Buried: unkn)
Fourteen children (11 known): John Chamberlain, Maynard Chamberlain, Ebenezer Chamberlain, Lois Chamberlain(1), Martha P. Chamberlain, Azubah Chamberlain, Willard Harlan Chamberlain, Henry Chamberlain, Lydia Chamberlain, Abigail Chamberlain, Lois Chamberlain(2)
8. Abigail Chamberlain
Born: Jan 1756, prob Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Died: aft Apr 23, 1846 (age 90), living in Chili (near Scottsville), Monroe County, New York
Buried: North Cemetery in Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Married: Feb 3, 1774, Job Britton, Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
(Job Britton: son of Ebenezer Britton & Sarah H. Bullock
Military: Revolutionary War, Private in Col. James Reed’s regiment; wounded at Bunker Hill
Born: Feb 20, 1755, Raynham, Bristol County, Massachusetts
Died: Dec 15, 1804 (age 48), Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Buried: North Cemetery in Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire)
Eight sons: Otis Britton, Ebenezer Britton, Stillman Britton, Jonah Britton, Joshua Britton, Alanson Britton, William Britton, Jacob/Job “Joab” Britton, Jr.
9. Elias Chamberlain (unconfirmed son)
Born: abt 1758, Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Died: 1804 (abt age 46), Leeds, Ontario, Canada
Buried: unkn
Married: Jan 1, 1781, Lydia Rodgers/Rogers, Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Three children: Elijah Chamberlain, Elias Chamberlain, Jr., Lydia Chamberlain
10. Calvin Chamberlain (mentioned as a son in Dixon Family History)
Born: 1760, Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Died: Nov 9, 1824 (age 64), Manchester, Bennington County, Vermont
Buried: Factory Point Cemetery in Manchester Center, Bennington County, Vermont
Married: Oct 11, 1781, Mary “Molly” Bailey, Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
(Mary “Molly” Bailey: daughter of Rev. Ebenezer Bailey & Elizabeth Trull
Born: Aug 22, 1762, Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts
Died: Jul 20, 1824 (age 62), Manchester, Bennington County, Vermont
Buried: Factory Point Cemetery in Manchester Center, Bennington County, Vermont)
Three children: Desire Chamberlin, Oramell Chamberlin, Ebenezer Chamberlin
11. Giles Chamberlain
Born: 1763, Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Died: 1833 (age 70), LeRoy, Genesee County, New York
Buried: unkn
Note: Lived in Scottsville, Monroe County, New York, later removed to LeRoy, Genesee County, New York
12. Hinds Chamberlain
Born: Sep 1765, Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Died: Nov 21, 1848 (age 83), LeRoy, Genesee County, New York
Buried: Machpelah Cemetery in LeRoy, Genesee County, New York
Occupation: Deacon, tavern/inn owner in LeRoy, Genesee County, New York, Highway Commissioner (laid out road from Scottsville to Wheatland Centre)
Military: Revolutionary War
Married: Dec 23, 1798, Elizabeth “Betsy/Betsey” (Stewart) McLaren, Caledonia, Livingston County, New York
(Elizabeth “Betsy/Betsey” (Stewart) McLaren: Born: Jul 1771, prob Scotland
Died: Apr 1853 (age 81), LeRoy, Genesee County, New York
Buried: Machpelah Cemetery in LeRoy, Genesee County, New York
Married (1): Malcolm McLaren, prob Scotland
Malcolm McLaren: abt 1765 – abt 1798
Two children: Finley McLaren, Helen Mary McLaren
Married (2): Dec 23, 1798, Hinds Chamberlain, Caledonia, Livingston County, New York)
Six children: James Chamberlain, Stewart Chamberlain, Sophia Chamberlain, Nancy Chamberlain, John Chamberlain, Orren/Orrin Chamberlain
Note: Nearly every son and son-in-law of this wing served in the Revolutionary War.
Note: All of the above cemetery and headstones pictures are from Find A Grave and are the property of those who photographed them.
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History and Records
Henry Chamberlain(5)
(5) Henry Chamberlain, born about 1716 near Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts, died after 1787 probably in Leicester, Vermont; married 7 December 1740 in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, Susanna Hinds, born about 1722, died 11 February 1811 in Westmorland, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire.
Henry removed from Bridgewater to Westmoreland, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire, about 1750. He probably returned to Bridgewater during the Indian troubles in Westmoreland, as some of their children were born there. It is tradition that their daughter Elizabeth, born 25 February 1752, was the first white child born in Westmoreland after the New Hampshire charter was granted. Previous to that time, Westmoreland had been known as “No 2, and Great Meadows.” Called “Henry Sr.” in Westmoreland, he engaged in many land transactions after 1760. His old home still stands between Westmoreland and Keene on “Hurricane Road,” a prominent place and “landmark.” Family burial plots lie near the house. Jonah Edson purchased the farm, and it was sold in 1943 to Richard White.
Henry was in Leicester, Vermont, in 1787, when he sold land to his son Calvin, witnessed by son-in-law Job Britton and son Henry Chamberlin, Jr. It is thought that Henry and Susanna followed their sons to Leicester about 1786. After Henry’s death, Susanna returned to Westmoreland, where she probably lived with her daughter Elizabeth. She died at age 89.
CHAMBERLAIN, HENRY, cordwainer, m Bridgwater Dec 7, 1740 Susanna b c1723 d Feb 11, 1811 Wd dau of William and Abigail Hinds. He was a very early settler of Westmoreland
Children:
i. John;
ii. Lydia m Jan 7, 1768 Isaac Scott, liv in Scottville, NY, a town named after him;
iii. Hannah b 1746 m Isaac Butterfield qv;
iv. Henry;
v. Betsey b Feb 25, 1752 m June 4, 1772 Jonah Edson qv, she was said to have been first white child b in Wd after the NH Grant in 1752;
vi. Ebenezer (Rev sol) b Ms 1754 m Patty Howe;
vii. Abigail b 1756 m Feb 3, 1774 Job Britton (Rev sol);
viii. Lucy m Aug 12, 1768 Ephraim Stone (Rev sol);
ix. Giles, sometime of Scottville NY, later of Leroy, Genesee Co NY;
x. Hinds, 1763 went to Scottville. m wid of Malcom McLaren.
Source: History of Westmoreland, New Hampshire 1741 – 1907 and Genealogical Data, Westmoreland History Committee, Westmoreland, New Hampshire, c.1976
June 3, 1838: Hinds Chamberlain of LeRoy, New York, aged 73 or 74 years, testified to acquaintance with Job Britton from childhood, that when he was about ten years old his sister, Abigail Chamberlain, was married to Job Britton, both of whom lived in Westmoreland, New Hampshire, at the time; that the next year Britton enlisted, went to Cambridge under Captain Jacob Hinds, and came home wounded; and he and others said the wound was received at the Battle of Bunker Hill; that Britton was out in the service a number of times after that; and in March 1783, when deponent was serving as a substitute for a man who was on furlough, he saw Britton at Washington’s winter quarters near Newburgh, New York, and they were discharged at the same time, after peace was declared, and came home together.
Source: History of Westmoreland, New Hampshire 1741 – 1907 and Genealogical Data, Westmoreland History Committee, Westmoreland, New Hampshire, c.1976
Dixon Family History, by Mary Grant Bell (pgs 309, 310):
Source: Dixon Family Hisotry, by Mary Grant Bell, c. 2007
BRIEF HISTORY OF CHESHIRE CO., NEW HAMPSHIRE
The province of New Hampshire was divided into five counties in 1771. One of these was named Cheshire, deriving its name from a county in the west of England, celebrated for its manufacture of cheese; hence, the name originally. Keene and Charlestown were made the shire-towns. July 5, 1827, the county was divided, the northern portion taking the name of Sullivan County. This division left Cheshire County with its present limits. It is situated in the southwestern part of the State, bounded on the north by Sullivan County, east by Hillsborough County, south by the State of Massachusetts, and west by the west bank of the Connecticut River. It contains twenty-three towns, eight of which were incorporated in the reign of George II.–namely Chesterfield, Hinsdale, Keene, Richmond, Swanzey, Walpole, Westmoreland and Winchester, — ten in the reign of George III–namely Alstead, Dublin, Fitzwilliam, Gilsum, Jaffrey, Marlow, Nelson, Rindge, Surry, Stoddard, — and five under the government of New Hampshire–namely, Harrisville, Marlborough, Roxbury, Sullivan and Troy. In the census of 1880 there were 2836 farms. In 1827 Keene became the shire-town (county seat) of Cheshire County. The Inferior Court met here first in October 1771 and the Superior Court in 1772. The early settlers of Cheshire County came from the south along the Connecticut River. This area was originally the home of the “Squakheag” tribe of Native Americans, who remained here until about 1720.
Source: Cheshire County, New Hampshire Genealogy & History, http://www.nh.searchroots.com/cheshire.html
1760s: Life in the Colonies
At the time of 1760’s there are 13 colonies based on the Eastern seaboard. Each colony considered itself independent of the other colonies, and preferred a loose tie to Britain, who they regarded as their mother country. The 13 colonies were inhabited by 250,000 people who considered themselves free men entitled to the same rights as Englishmen. Women had very few rights, and slaves none at all.
At this time the colonies had learnt to take profit from their surroundings. They realised that there were loads of raw materials that could be sold back to Britain such as timber, tobacco and animal furs. This also allowed merchants to sell goods to Britain and sell British goods to the colonies. Many industries began to grow in the colonies to meet demand as more people became wealthier.
From the British point of view, the colonies were a source of cheap raw materials and a private market to sell their goods. All goods had to travel in British ships and severe restrictions in regard to other countries trading there. The British Government was also worried that many American industries would compete against British industries.
Values of liberty and self-reliance were rooted in the colonies almost from the beginning. The colonies were lightly populated compared to Europe and were made up mostly of small farmers and merchants based in many of the small local towns, although larger towns like Boston and New York had emerged. Philadelphia was the second largest city in the British Empire, London as capital was bigger. There was peace between the American Colonies and the mother country as long as Great Britain did not interfere.
Source: www.teachnet.ie/jheffernan/2005/coloniallife.html
Readworks.org
1775 – 1783: The American Revolution
The Revolution was the process whereby colonists in North America broke free from the British Empire to found the United States. Despite the political upheavals of the previous century, Britain itself in the middle of the eighteenth century remained a rigidly hierarchical society, still rooted in its feudal past. By contrast, on the other side of the Atlantic, Puritanism and the experience of frontier life had generated anti-authority, individualistic attitudes, while the absence of an aristocracy and the ease with which land could be acquired made possible a degree of social mobility unheard of in Europe. The original charters establishing the colonies had provided for self-government, and, subsequently, successive British administrations allowed the colonists great freedom to conduct their own affairs. By the mid-eighteenth century a large proportion of adult white males in the colonies possessed the suffrage while also enjoying the privileges of a free press and some freedom of religious worship. The colonies, in other words, had grown apart from the mother country, their inhabitants had begun to think of themselves as Americans, and, not surprisingly, they proved unreceptive to attempts to bring them to heel.
British politicians, for their part, with the ending of the Seven Years War (1756-63) turned their attention to the problems of administering an empire. In order to meet the large debt incurred by war with France and the continuing costs of protecting the western frontier and defending the colonists from the Indians the British government sought new sources of revenue. Believing, not unreasonably, that those same colonists should contribute to the funds necessary for their defence, Parliament passed the Revenue Act, otherwise known as the ‘Sugar Act’, in 1764, and the Stamp Act in 1765. The latter required the affixing of a stamp, which had to be purchased, to a wide range of legal documents, newspapers, pamphlets, playing cards, and other items.
It was the fact that this and other legislation was introduced solely for the purpose of raising revenue that made it so offensive to Americans. As they saw it, this was to infringe one of the most hallowed principles of good government, the right of free people not to be taxed without their consent. Accordingly, the representatives of nine colonies at the Stamp Act Congress of 1765 agreed a number of resolutions, including one asserting, ‘That it is inseparably essential to the freedom of a people, and the undoubted rights of Englishmen, that no taxes should be imposed on them, but with their own consent, given personally, or by their representatives’. On the same occasion the Congress rejected categorically the claim of the British government that no basic rights had been violated because colonists enjoyed ‘virtual representation’ in the House of Commons.
The Stamp Act proved unenforceable and, a year after its passage, was repealed, but Parliament remained unwilling to forgo its claim to paramountcy and continued to pass legislation based on that assumption. The Quebec Act 1774 was the most threatening, empowering as it did the French Canadians and any Indian allies to settle in the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, thus potentially cutting off the expansion of the colonies to the west. Growing resentment in the colonies led to the convening of the First Continental Congress in 1774. This gathering claimed for the people of the colonies the right to enjoy without infringement ‘life, liberty and property’; rejected again the relevance of virtual representation in their case; and repeatedly asserted their entitlement to all the rights and immunities of freeborn Englishmen. The first shots in the Revolutionary War were fired at Lexington in April 1775 and the Declaration of Independence formally breaking the link between the colonies and Britain was signed on 4 July 1776.
The American Revolution was essentially a political revolution. Even though the revolutionaries in this case were motivated in part by a concern for property rights this was not a conflict primarily about economics, but about the values of democratic government. This was also, in several senses, a conservative revolution. Many of those prominent in the movement towards independence were most reluctant to break the link with Britain and only accepted the need to do so as a last resort.
Source: www.answers.com/topic/American-revolution, by David Mervin
Jun 7, 1775: The Battle of Bunker Hill
This battle was one of the earliest in the American Revolution. The battle’s name is a misnomer because the major part of the engagement was actually fought on Breed’s Hill nearby. The place for this battle was in Charlestown, Massachusetts across the Charles River from Boston.
The British commanders for this engagement were General Thomas Gage and General Sir William Howe. These two generals were highly skilled in leading legions of British troops in battle. The Americans commanders were Colonel William Prescott, General Israel Putnam and Joseph Warren. These generals were fairly skilled in combat.
Here is the account of Bunker Hill. On June 16, 1775 (at night) more than 1,000 patriots (rebel fighters), under the command of General Prescott, marched to Breed’s Hill over the Charlestown neck and fortified it with trenches, bales of cotton and hay by the morning of June 17. After they were done with this, General Israel Putnam took some men and began to fortify Bunker Hill.
Meanwhile in the town of Boston, the British Commander, General Gage just happened to see the Americans occupying the two hills…he ordered the British ships to start bombarding the Americans positions until the British troops could arrive. Soon after the order the British started moving troops to the east of Breed’s Hill from Boston.
Col. Prescott’s men would be the first attacked. This was the first charge with British army on the east side of the hill with the secondary doing a straight attack. General Howe’s men lead the attack with 5,000 troops up the hill. But they were not alone, they were covered by cannon from British ships in the river. While this was going on, some of the British ships loaded their cannons with incendiary shells and annihilated Charlestown, where a fraction of American troops were sniping at British soldiers on the battlefield. The first attack failed. The British retreated.
They went up the hill again but with the main group attacking forward and the secondary going east…of course this attempt also failed. The British were thoroughly enraged and took off their heavy packs before charging the third time. The Americans were running low on ammunition and gunpowder, so they had to retreat…through Charlestown neck. And the British got the hills.
The losses were astounding for the British with more than 1,000 men lost, wounded or prisoners. The Americans only lost about 400 or less. By the military tradition of the time, the British won because at the end of the battle they had possession of the field. The casualties however, tell a different story. This attack was immortalized forever in American history. First, because it was the first serious defeat for the British and secondly due to a famous quote attributed to one of the American commanders. To preserve the American’s gunpowder, he ordered the patriots, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!”
Source: The Blue Darter’s Guide to the American Revolution, by Aaron D. and Justin S.
Source: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-true-story-of-the-battle-of-bunker-hill-36721984/
2020. Catherine (Clemens) Sevenau and Gordon Clemens.
Note: The cemetery headstone photos from Find A Grave contained herein are the property of those who photographed them.