The Bunker Hill Monument is a monument erected at the site of the Battle of Bunker Hill in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

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, which was among the first major battles between the United Colonies and the

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in the

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. The 221-foot (67 m) granite

obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...

was erected between 1825 and 1843 in Charlestown, Massachusetts, with granite from nearby Quincy conveyed to the site via the purpose-built Granite Railway, followed by a trip by barge. There are 294 steps to the top. An exhibit lodge built near the base of the monument in the late 19th century houses a

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. Bunker Hill is one of the sites along the Freedom Trail and is part of Boston National Historical Park. The monument underwent a $3.7 million renovation, completed in 2007, that included repairs, handicap accessibility improvements, and new lighting. The Bunker Hill Museum across the street was dedicated in June of that year and includes many exhibits about the battle.

Background

The monument was one of the first in the United States. It is not on Bunker Hill, but instead on Breed's Hill, where most of the fighting in the misnamed Battle of Bunker Hill actually took place. An earlier memorial at the site, an wooden column topped with a gilt urn, had been erected in memory of Joseph Warren, a Mason, in 1794 by King Solomon's Lodge of Masons. The Monument Association, which had purchased the entire battlefield site by 1825, was forced to sell off all but the summit of the hill in 1838 to cover the cost of completing the monument. In front of the current obelisk is a statue of Col. William Prescott, a native of Groton, Massachusetts. Some popular stories claim he coined the famous phrase "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes" during this battle; others have instead attributed it to Israel Putnam, John Stark, or Richard Gridley, rather than Prescott, but the main consensus is that none of them said it. In any case, no one at Bunker Hill could have coined the phrase; the idea behind it was already more than a hundred years old when this battle took place, and the modern phrasing of it had been used by British commanders Sir Andrew Agnew in the 1740s and James Wolfe in the 1750s, as well as by Prince Charles of Prussia in 1745, famously repeated in 1755 by Frederick the Great.

Breed's Hill

Breed's Hill is a glacial drumlin located in the Charlestown section of

. It is located in the southern portion of the Charlestown Peninsula, a historically oval, but now more roughly triangular, peninsula that was originally connected to the mainland portion of Charlestown (now the separate city of Somerville) in colonial times by a short, narrow isthmus known as the Charlestown Neck. It is best known as the location where in 1775, early in the

, most of the fighting in the Battle of Bunker Hill took place. In the 19th and early 20th centuries the peninsula's shape and connections to other landforms were significantly altered, with the waters of the

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between

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and Charlestown heavily filled in. Much of the hill is now occupied by residential construction, but the summit area is the location of the Bunker Hill Monument and other memorials commemorating the battle. The hill is about high, and is 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. It is about from Bunker Hill.

History

The

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, having caught word of a

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plan to fortify the Charlestown

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, 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 the hills overlooking Boston. A

redoubt A redoubt (historically redout) is a Fortification, fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on Earthworks (engineering), earthworks, although some are constructed of ston ...

, 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. Ketchum, pp. 82-83 British soldiers under Howe sent 2,400 men to attack Breed's Hill. A force of 1,500 colonists held off two British Army attacks, but the third attack, by British Royal Marines, forced the rebels to retreat. 450 colonists were killed or wounded, compared to 1,150 British casualties. In 1825, the Bunker Hill Monument Association began construction of the Bunker Hill Monument, acquiring of land for the purpose.

Construction

William Ticknor, a well-known Boston lawyer and antiquarian, first suggested that a memorial be built. An interested group of men met for breakfast at the home of Colonel Thomas Handasyd Perkins, including William Tudor, Daniel Webster, Professor George Ticknor, Doctor John C. Warren, William Sullivan, and George Blake. On May 10, 1823, the first public meeting was called. Each member subscribed five dollars, and on June 7, 1823, the Bunker Hill Monument Association was established and the work of raising money was begun. Famed nineteenth-century philanthropist Amos Lawrence contributed $10,000 to the monument's erection. In the spring of 1825 the directors had purchased about on the slope of Breed's Hill, but had not yet chosen a design. The first design committee consisted of Webster, noted engineer Loammi Baldwin Jr., George Ticknor,

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, and Washington Allston. One hundred dollars was offered for the best design; about 50 plans were presented in response. Choice was soon narrowed to a column and an obelisk and a new committee was appointed to procure designs and estimate expenses for each. At the next meeting the majority voted that the obelisk designed by Solomon Willard be used. The directors laid the cornerstone on June 17, 1825. The Marquis de Lafayette ( who was on a 14-month tour of the United States on the 50th anniversary of the War) performed the ceremony, Webster delivered the oration, and the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, conducted the services. Rev. Joseph Thaxter, who was wounded in the battle, officiated as chaplain at the ceremony, offering a prayer in thanks for the colonists' victory. More than 100,000 attended the event, including 190 veterans who had participated in the battle. Blocks of granite for the monument averaged each and were quarried by wedging. They were delivered to the site at an actual cost of $5.40 per cubic yard from a quarry opened for the purpose, far below the average contract offer of $24.30 for the same. Moving the blocks proceeded somewhat slowly at first, but the Granite Railway was completed in short order and became operational on October 7, 1826, the first commercial railroad in the United States functioning as a common carrier. Construction of the monument was frequently halted as available funds were depleted. To bring the project to completion the Monument Association in 1838 began to sell off sections of the battlefield as house lots; they were successful in raising the money, while giving up about two thirds of the area (sale of ), preserving only the summit of Breed's Hill as the monument grounds. Neighbors disgruntled with the construction eyesore were rumored to have plans to raise money to tear down the partially completed monument. Sarah Josepha Hale and the readers of her magazine supplied funds essential to the monument's successful completion. The capstone was laid on July 23, 1842, and the monument was dedicated on June 17 of the following year, again with a Daniel Webster oration. According to the

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Association's "Points of Pride Quiz" for December 2007, BLS boys helped erect the Boston landmark. The Bunker Hill Monument Association maintained the monument and grounds until 1919, when it was turned over to the Commonwealth of

. In 1976 the monument was transferred to the

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and became a unit of Boston National Historical Park. The monument was designated a

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in 1961, in part for its architectural significance as a major early war memorial, and the nation's largest-scale memorial prior to the construction of the

Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father of the United States, victorious commander-in-chief of the Continen ...

. It was listed on the

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in 1966, and was included in the Monument Square Historic District in 1987.

In popular culture

Lydia Sigourney's poem Bunker-Hill Monument was published in her Scenes in my Native Land (1845) together with a description of both the monument and the battle. The monument appears in '' Fallout 4'' as a settlement and quest hub. The monument also appears in the "Battle For Bunker Hill" quest when the player sides with a faction.

Image gallery

File:1840 Bunker Hill Monument Boston detail from Freemens Quick Step.png, Construction progress as of 1840 (courtesy Cornell University) File:Bunker hill monument.jpg, Bunker Hill Day celebration, between 1890 and 1901 File:Bunker Hill 2007.jpg, Monument and statue of Col. William Prescott File:Bunker Hill.jpg, Monument and statue of Col. William Prescott File:USA-Bunker Hill Monument Park0.jpg, Bunker Hill Monument Park File:Bunker Hill Monument Sign.JPG, Boston National Historical Park sign File:Bunker Hill Monument, Charlestown, by Bates, Joseph L., 1806 or 7-1886.jpg, Stereoscopic image of the monument by Joseph L. Bates

References

Sources

* * (Paperback: ) * Nelson, James L. (2011). With Fire And Sword: The Battle of Bunker Hill and the Beginning of the American Revolution. New York: St Martins Press. Book Club Edition

External links

Information about the Monument, including hours it is open

* ttps://www.nps.gov/bost/learn/historyculture/bhm.htm More information from the US National Park Service
"The Public Memorial in the United States"
cultural context
Bunker Hill Monument

King Solomon's Lodge, that built the first Bunker Hill Monument
{{Authority control 1843 sculptures American Revolutionary War monuments and memorials American Revolutionary War museums in Massachusetts American Revolutionary War sites in Massachusetts Boston National Historical Park Buildings and structures completed in 1843 Buildings and structures in Boston Charlestown, Boston Granite sculptures in Massachusetts Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts Landmarks in Charlestown, Boston Military and war museums in Massachusetts Monuments and memorials in Boston Museums in Boston National Historic Landmarks in Boston Obelisks in the United States 1843 establishments in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Boston 1775 in the Thirteen Colonies History of Boston Massachusetts in the American Revolution