I’ve recently been cataloging loss petitions for the Battle of Bunker (or Breed’s) Hill I’ve been compiling for some time. They are scattered through the volumes of documents at the Massachusetts State Archives, and it’s taken a long time to track them all down and add in related documents from other archives as well as the newspapers of the period. Now that I have them all cataloged, it’s really interesting to go through and read, albeit a bit tough. Some are for losses of arms, equipment, and clothing, and some are for the losses of men killed, as well as some for men who had been grievously wounded during the battle.
Obviously in this article I can only discuss a few, but I think with the 249th anniversary coming up on June 17, I feel it’s a good time to remember these men and their service. I’ll start with the not so humble petition of Chester Parker:
“The Humble petition of Chester Parker of Dracutt in the County of Middsex.—Humbly Shews That your Petitioner on ye 17th of June Last Was a Soldier in the Army In Capt. Oliver Parkers Company In Colo. Prescotts Rigement in the Battle Called the Bunker Hill Fight That your Petitioner was stationed in that parte of the Battle Called the Brest Work That he had a very good Firelock That he had an oppertunity of Fireing the same Seventeen Times at our unnatural Enimys Which he Carefully Improved to great advantage (being a Marksman) – But was there Wounded by a Ball from the Enimy In his Knee by which means he fell and Dropt his gun and was helped off the ground with the greatest Daring and Dificulty only Escaped With his Life and Lost his gun and Knapsack there for Which he hath not Received any Recom pence.”
While being shot in the knee with a nominal .69-inch ball must have been horrible, Eleazer French of Dunstable lost a little more. He was a member of Capt. Samuel Gilbert’s company, Col. William Prescott’s regiment:
“This may Certif that Eleazer French Did in the Bunker’s Hill Fight Loose his Right Arm and with it his gun Price Eight Dollars and Catrage Box-Powder Horn-Bayonet, ¾ lb Powder 1 ½ il Balls and 1 Blanket all his own property.”
Another man badly wounded was Samuel Bradish of Winchendon. He wrote he: “was in the Battle on Bunker Hill, and received a Musket Ball through my head. Which it was almost a Miricule that it did not put an End to my Life, but thanks to god I am yet alive under miserable circumstances not being able for the most part to perform Business a Family to Maintain.”
There are so many more that as mentioned can’t be written about here; however, I may do a few articles here and there with more information on the men who fought, and some who didn’t make it home afterwards on June 17, 1775.
