Tag «Bunker Hill»

23rd Regiment of Foot Royal Welch Fusiliers: Eight Bloody Years in America

“For damned fighting and drinking, I’ll match you against the world!” Lt. Col. William Meadows cries out leading the 23rd at the Battle of Brandywine Creek, Sept. 11, 1777. The British 23rd Regiment of Foot (Royal Welch Fusiliers) played a crucial role in nearly every major battle during the American Revolution; from the very beginning …

Seth Pomeroy: Forgotten Founder and the First Brigadier General of the Continental Army

Blacksmith, politician, and soldier, Seth Pomeroy never lived long enough to see the country he helped forge. But perhaps more lasting than what he did, is what he gave us. He yet stands alongside a rail fence on an immortal hill amidst hell’s fury. Before a wall of British steel, he turns his face from …

American Legend General Israel Putnam: Coward or Hero and His Disappearing Act at the Battle of Bunker Hill

Two hundred years ago, in 1818, a shocking claim by a distinguished veteran of the Battle of Bunker Hill rocked America. A popular patriot hero and legendary symbol of the battle was questioned – one whose characterization had defined America’s struggle for independence. The evidence was overwhelming; General Israel Putnam did not stand proud before …

British Army Command & Structure in the American Revolution – Grenadier & Light Infantry Battalions

The French and Indian War in the North American Colonies (Seven Years War in Europe) posed unique circumstances that required the British officers who fought in America to consider changes in their tactics and army’s structure.  Gone were the windswept fields where large bodies of troops faced each other over open ground.  Skirmishes and battles …