June 1775

 

Not only was George Washington the Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in June 1775, he WAS the Continental Army.  There was not yet an army to command,  

June 17 1775 Was the Battle of Bunker Hill.  (Actually fought on Breed's Hill a short distance from Bunker Hill.

Though technically a British victory, the battle is remembered for the heavy casualties inflicted on the British forces and the colonists' display of courage and determination. 

Legend has it that as they advance, American officer William Prescott cautions his men not to waste their powder, exclaiming “don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.” When British troops near the redoubt, the patriots unleash a withering volley, creating an absolute slaughter. One patriot remarks afterward, “They advanced toward us in order to swallow us up, but they found a choaky[sic] mouthful of us.” It is a veritable bloodbath as the British retreat back to their lines.

On the third advance the patriots ran out of ammunition and a hand to hand battle took place.  At some point in the struggle, a “black soldier named Salem” is credited with killing British Maj. John Pitcairn, the officer despised for allegedly ordering his men to fire on patriots during the battle of Lexington and Concord weeks earlier.