General William Howe’s favorite strategy was the flanking maneuver as he demonstrated time and again in this war. Howe had planned to use a breach on the Mystic River beach to flank the Yankee stronghold but now had to change plans because Colonel John Stark had brought his New Hampshire Regiment to the beach and built one of those ubiquitous New England rock walls. His first order of business was to soften up the rebel fence line with an artillery assault. In this he was thwarted for two reasons.
- He was supplied with the wrong cannon ball size for the big guns
- The swampy and fence lined field bogged down the cannon so they became stuck.
First Assault
In this situation he formed his light infantry in four man columns on the beach to take Starks men behind the rock wall and then come in on the American left flank. This was the main thrust. He sent the Grenadiers in two lines toward the breastwork and the fence line. He then had Brigadier General Robert Pigot’s Division of troops in lines to engage the redoubt and keep it from enfilading the troops marching toward the fence. All the while British ships were firing red hot cannon balls and carcasses into the actual town of Charlestown to discourage sniper fire from within the buildings.
As the British troops, laden down with over 100 lbs. of supplies each, slowly advanced in line, Rebel Colonel William Prescott exhorted his troops not to shoot until they could see the whites of their eyes. Colonel John Stark also exhibited a herculean amount of “fire control” over his men and they waited until the light infantry were 150 feet away and Historian Christopher Ward said that “it was like pushing a candle against a hot plate. Men fell all over the beach and the first assault fell back to regroup.
Second Assault
At this point the American Rebels thought they had won the battle. Colonel Prescott knew better and prepared them for a second charge. This time Howe changed tactics. Within 15 minutes he reformed and what was left of the light infantry lined up to march against the fence line, not challenging Starks rock wall on the beach. However the main thrust pitted all of the rest of the available troops in line against the breastwork and redoubt. The rebels waited this time until the British Army was 100 feet away and then opened with a rolling fire, which according to one British soldier “seemed a continued sheet of fire for nearly 30 minutes.” Pigot and his men on the left retreated. Finally Howe’s division pulled back as well. The British seemed to be taking so long to come again that many of the rebels began to believe they had won. This was not the case.
Final Assault
With no more help to be expected from the Cambridge headquarters or from the troops behind them on Bunker Hill the Americans knew with little powder or shot left that another advance would not be withstood but they waited anyway. Many picked up nails and pieces of rock to use for ammunition for the final assault. The British had 400 fresh men from Boston as well as a fresh general in Henry Clinton. He also had the troops shed any excess baggage not needed for the attack. Howe was finally able to unclog his artillery and fired them with deadly accuracy on the breastwork. Those defenders were pushed out of the picture or into the redoubt. Now Howe concentrated all of his efforts on the redoubt alone. He also charged the hill in files rather than lines to cut down the effectiveness of the rebel firepower. The tactic worked. Between the lack of powder and the renewed vigor of fresh troops the redoubt was overrun and the Americans forced to retreat.
Casualties
On the rebel side there were about 270 casualties with about 140 killed. Most of these were during the retreat which general Burgoyne described as “covered with bravery and military skill”. On the British side the losses were staggering. Out of 2400 total men who fought, there were 1054 casualties. Ninety-two officers were hit. In all 226 of the British soldiers were dead. Every one of General Howe’s 12 staff officers was killed and his sentiments were that, “The success is too dearly bought.”
Sources
Patriot Battles, How the War of Independence was Fought by Michael Stephenson, 2007, Harper Collins
The War for American Independence by Samuel B. Griffiths II, 1976, University of Illinois
The Spirit of Seventy-Six by Henry Commager and Richard Morris, 2002, Castle Books
The War of the Revolution by Christopher Ward, 1952, MacMillan Company
Roger Saunders - Roger Saunders is a 9th generation American. On his father’s side, his 6th Great Grandfather came to Fairfax Co. VA in the Early ...
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