Existing comment:
You are now my enemy and I am yours...
Benjamin Franklin
The British Army was one of the most powerful military forces of the day. Their leaders were career officers. The troops were regularly trained and well equipped. Yet, the enlisted ranks were often filled with soldiers recruited against their will -- poor and unemployed men, sometimes taken right from jail.
Most colonists who fought in this battle were not trained soldiers. They freely fought in militia units from their hometowns. The British commanders did not expect such an improvised army to perform as well as it did. Though the Americans lost this hill, they grew more unified and determined to fight for their freedom.
Nothing could be more shocking than the carnage that followed the storming of this work. We tumbled over the dead to get at the living... Nathanael Greene, Brigadier General, Rhode Island Militia I wish we could sell them another hill at the same price.
-- John Waller, First Lieutenant, British Army
I wish we could sell them another hill at the same price.
-- Nathanael Greene, Brigadier General, Rhode Island Militia |