Thoughts on writing about the Battle of Bunker Hill: Tales from the First Fleet II.

As some of you know I'm researching and writing a book on the First/second Fleeters who fought in the War for American Independence. So, I thought I'd add to that plethora of stuff that emanates from teh Internet every July 4.

At the moment I'm researching the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775. Two marines, David Collins and Robert Ross were in the Marines, who were sent in as reinforcements out of nearby Boston about two hours before the fighting finished.

So far as I can work out at this date,Collins ended up in both the First and Second Battalions, but was mostly a second lieutenant in the Third Company, First Battalion. He was an adjutant in the Second Battalion in Halifax, a job his influential marine father got him to keep him out of harm's way during the war. He ended up back in England in 1777.

Robert Ross was a captain in the Fifth Company, First Battalion. Ross was a recruiting agent in Ireland in 1778 and 1779. He was captured on board the Ardent out of Plymouth (U.K.) in 1780. Her crew were inexperienced and mistook the French fleet for an English one. Ross, though never formally charged, was believed to be responsible for ordering the Ardent's flag struck. He was briefly a prisoner of war, then was relegated to service on guardships at Plymouth for the rest of the war.

Francis Grose who was in the 52nd Foot was involved in the battle from the beginning. He later fought at Fort Montgomery, during the Saratoga campaign in 1777. He was sent home in 1778 after being severely wounded in the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse.

All these men eventually ended up in New South Wales, Collins as Judge Advocate, Ross and Grose as lieutenants-governor.

At the moment I'm in the first stage of doing a battle analysis of Bunker Hill. It goes something like this - I've yet to fill in the detail. -
Midnight 17th June 1775. The American rebels build a redoubt of Breeds Hill opposite Boston Town, from where they can lob cannon balls into the town and onto Royal Navy ships. They meant to build it on Bunker Hill, but it appears they got lost in the dark and built it on the hill closest to Boston which was a pretty stupid thing to do, really, as it guaranteed the Brits were going to come powering out of Boston and knock them off the hill, because of the danger to the British garrison.
4 in the morning, when the sun comes up, the Royal Navy in Boston Harbour wakes up to the fact the Americans are up on Breed's Hill. After a bit of dithering around, they shell the American redoubt more or less ceaselessly, killing only one rebel, but scaring the hell out of the other 2000 odd.
2 in the afternoon - more American reinforcements arrive. They build some high rail fences to make life very hard in the expected attack from the British.
The British land on Moulton Point and slowly advance on Breed's Hill. Its taken them so long because they've had the wind and tide against them getting their boats on the Charles Town peninsula to effect a flanking movement. Grose is in this first wave of troops.
3.30 pm. The Americans repulse the first British attack at the rail fences. The battle toll for the Brits in particular is ghastly. Grose survives, but the father of the marine John Shea, who will arrive in Boston in July, is killed in the First Brigade Marines.
4.00 pm. A second British assault is repulsed at fleches and the redoubt. David Collins and Robert Ross, in the Second Battalion Marines take part in this equally bloody battle.
4.30 pm. A third, successful assault is made on the redoubt. The American retreat.
By 5.30 mopping up operations by the British are over.

Of course, there's a lot more to it than that, but that's the bones of it. I have to sort through the fog of war one is confronted with in the primary sources, and, much to my horror, there's two primary and two more secondary sources I have to buy yet. But, since one of the primary sources is dated 1775, and I haven't checked to see if there's a modern reprint, that one might be hard to get.

Basically though, I'll be able to follow the first stage of the battle through Grose in the 52nd Foot, and the rest of it through him, and through Collins and Ross in the Marines. Trouble is, Collins seems to be the only one whose accounts survive. So it'll take a bit of delicate footwork to tease out the full story.

Notes: For David Collins see - John Currey, David Collins. A Colonial Life, South Carlton, 2000, Chapter 2.
For Robert Ross, see biographical entry, Australian Dictionary of Biography On-Line and Mollie Gillen, The Founders of Australia, A Biographical Dictionary of the First Fleet, pp. 314-315.
For Francis Grose see see biographical entry, Australian Dictionary of Biography On-Line and Historical Records of New South Wales, Vol. 1, Pt.2 and Vol.2.
The literature on the Battle of Bunker Hill is voluminous. I have consulted a variety of texts to create the very brief analysis provided above.