Revolutionary War Colonial Militia Officer. He was the commander at the Battle of Bunker Hill. He was a veteran officer of the French and Indian War, respected so much by the British that he was offered a commission by them, but declined. On June 16, 1775, he was ordered by Gen. Israel Putnam to lead a number of militia companies encamped at Cambridge and occupy the heights of Charlestown overlooking Boston Harbor. Initially directed to occupy Bunker Hill, he perceived nearby Breed's Hill, while lower in elevation, was closer to the harbor. He set his men to building an earth fort atop the hill through the night. They were not discovered until morning when the fort was nearly complete. In the battle that followed on the afternoon of June 17, 1775, the American militia repulsed two charges by elite British troops under General Sir William Howe, and gave way only after their ammunition and supplies were expended. Prescott is remembered for calmly strolling the earthworks under fire to inspire his men, and for his precise order to conserve ammunition and make every shot count: "Aim low, boys. Fire at their waistbands, and wait 'till you see the whites of their eyes."
Revolutionary War Colonial Militia Officer. He was the commander at the Battle of Bunker Hill. He was a veteran officer of the French and Indian War, respected so much by the British that he was offered a commission by them, but declined. On June 16, 1775, he was ordered by Gen. Israel Putnam to lead a number of militia companies encamped at Cambridge and occupy the heights of Charlestown overlooking Boston Harbor. Initially directed to occupy Bunker Hill, he perceived nearby Breed's Hill, while lower in elevation, was closer to the harbor. He set his men to building an earth fort atop the hill through the night. They were not discovered until morning when the fort was nearly complete. In the battle that followed on the afternoon of June 17, 1775, the American militia repulsed two charges by elite British troops under General Sir William Howe, and gave way only after their ammunition and supplies were expended. Prescott is remembered for calmly strolling the earthworks under fire to inspire his men, and for his precise order to conserve ammunition and make every shot count: "Aim low, boys. Fire at their waistbands, and wait 'till you see the whites of their eyes."
Bio by: Bob on Gallows Hill
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