Breed's Hill is a glacial drumlin located in the Charlestown section of Boston, Massachusetts. It is best known as the location where in 1775, early in the American Revolutionary War, most of the fighting in the [Battle of Bunker Hill] took place. Much of the hill is presently occupied by residential construction, but the summit area is the location of the Bunker Hill Monument and other memorials commemorating the battle.
Geography
Breed's Hill is a glacial drumlin in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is located in the southern portion of the Charlestown Peninsula, an historically oval, but now more roughly triangular, peninsula that was originally connected to Cambridge in colonial times by an artificial causeway. In the 18th and 19th centuries the peninsula's shape and connections to other landforms were significantly altered, with the waters of the Charles River between Cambridge and Charlestown heavily filled in.
The hill itself is about Vorlage:Convert high, and is presently topped by Monument Square, site of the Bunker Hill Monument. The hill slopes fairly steeply to the east and west. In addition to its historic sites and tourist-oriented facilities, the hill is the site of a great deal of residential property, as well as supporting municipal and retail infrastructure.
History
The Americans, having caught word of a British plan to fortify the Charlestown peninsula, decided to get to the peninsula first, fortify it, and present sufficient threat to cause the British to leave Boston. On June 16, 1775, under the leadership of General Putnam and Colonel Prescott, the Americans stole out onto the Charlestown Peninsula with instructions to establish defensive positions on Bunker Hill.
A redoubt, a small and usually temporary defensive fortification, was constructed on nearby Breed's Hill, probably due to its closer proximity to Boston compared to Bunker Hill. The next morning, June 17, the British were astonished to see the rebel fortifications upon the hill and set out to reclaim the peninsula. The resulting conflict was called the Battle of Bunker Hill because that is where Prescott originally intended—and was ordered—to build the fortifications. Also, some people considered Breed's Hill a part of Bunker Hill, while others called it Charlestown Hill.[1]
In 1825 the Bunker Hill Monument Association began construction of the Bunker Hill Monument, acquiring Vorlage:Convert of land for the purpose.
References
- Vorlage:Wikisource1911Enc Citation
- Richard Ketchum: Decisive Day: The Battle of Bunker Hill. Owl Books, New York 1999, ISBN 0-385-41897-3. (Paperback: ISBN 0-8050-6099-5)
Notes