President’s Message
Bunker Hill Society
March 2025
President’s Message
Dear Fellow Descendants,
Well, it is finally here. The 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill. The 250th anniversary of, well, our Country. For if not for this battle, the Colonials may have always had doubts about standing up for themselves against anyone. The enlightenment, if you will, from this battle against the world’s strongest fighting force, was something which would carry with it the legacy of sacrifice and service to these new United States. It would provide evidence that we all must protect our country against threats.
The following is taken from a timely article in New England.com:
Every American battle is connected to the battle fought here, and that every American who’s served their country is connected to the men who fought here. Tell your children to only ask one thing from the country, and that is to serve and nothing else. It is our responsibility to protect the country and everything that it represents, defend the Constitution, defend the liberty of this nation. Today, one must battle historical illiteracy, the greatest evil to our freedom.
The Battle of Bunker Hill was fierce; the losses were among the worst of any battle in the Revolution. The colonists’ defiance surprised King George III and impressed Europe. The king would send more men, tens of thousands of troops. It can be argued that the American Revolution, the fight that lasted from 1775 to 1783, started on this hill. It was “perhaps the decisive Day … on which the fate of America depends,” Abigail Adams wrote to her husband, John Adams, the day after the battle. In Charlestown, hundreds and hundreds of lives were erased in a matter of minutes. This shock is evident in statements by both British and American leadership. In two hours of combat, the British suffered a nearly 50 percent casualty rate, with 1,054 soldiers killed or wounded. The New England militia lost an estimated 441 soldiers—dead, wounded, or captured.
Just up that hill, 30 men were bayoneted to death. General Joseph Warren, Boston’s favorite doctor, took a musket ball in the face; he was memorialized as one of the Revolution’s first martyrs. As the redcoats charged uphill on their third and final assault, the militia, out of ammunition, threw rocks and swung their muskets like clubs before they retreated. The British navy shelled Charlestown, setting it ablaze.
Men died here. Let us not forget their sacrifice 250 years ago, one from which sprung this nation. The architect, Horatio Greenough, chose an obelisk, an Egyptian form considered the proper way to proclaim the eternal memory of the dead. His design, as built, is spare—there are no names, no laurels in stone, no urns, no statues or busts. Plain stone was thought to be a better collective tribute.
We hope to see you all in Boston June 17th! The Bunker Hill Monument Association will be represented also, as well as the AHAC (Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company).
Revolutionarily Yours, Dr. Peter L. Sheerin
President, The Bunker Hill Society
