More ammo for Bunker Hill

Hyperion

Banned
During the Battle of Bunker Hill in June of 1775, the Colonists held off two British attacks, but had to retreat on the third attack due to lack of ammunition. How possible would it be to give the Colonists enough ammo to hold off one more assault? How would this affect the outcome of the battle, and the ARW in general?
 
Hmmm, maybe if Henry Knox had been able to liberate more ball and powder from fort Ticonderoga and transport it down to the Patriot army near Boston ? IMHO since the redcoats were already exhausted during this 3rd and final (and OTL successful) charge up the hill, they couldn't have carried on much more, and would've been compelled to retire. If the Continentals and militia had managed to hold Bunker Hill indefinitely, then maybe the British would've been forced to retire from Boston earlier than OTL ? Would Gage have been replaced as British commander by somebody perceived as more competent ? The American cause would undoubtedly be given a boost- could larger nos. of previously neutral colonists in other parts have been sufficiently encouraged by such a massive Patriot triumph at Bunker Hill that they throw in their lot with Congress and Washington ?
 
one little known problem after Bunker Hill in OTL was that, even though, the rebels lost, they inflicted huge losses on the Brits... and then the rebels tried to do it over and over again. Naturally, the Brits were not inclined to repeat the experience, and maneuvered around the rebels over and over again. It took Washington some time before he managed to convince everyone that the way to win the war was to keep an army in being, risking open battle rarely, and constantly stay just out of reach of the huge British forces... the other rebels always wanted to trench up and fight it out. If the rebels actually won at Bunker Hill, this mindset would have been very entrenched and difficult to get over.....
 

Hyperion

Banned
Thande said:
So an American victory at Bunker Hill might actually lose them the ARW? :eek:

Anything is possible. Even hear of Hannibal. He invaded Rome way back when. He won plenty of battles, but he lost the war. One victory can never guarantee a win in the long run.

Washington rarely had enough troops to go up against the British main army on a constant basis. The only time prior to Yorktown that I can remember hearing about a major battle with Washington in charge was Monmoth.

For the Colonists to hold off Clinton and Pigot, the generals who were directly involved with the attack, the Colonists wouldn't necessarily need thousands of rounds. 500 to a maximum of 1,000 rounds total would have been way more than enough, if you factor in that some shots will miss and others will end up hitting the same soldier every once in a while, either by good aim, or sheer dumb luck.

Technically the OTL battle could be considered more of a draw than a clear victory for either side. The British originally set out to drive the Colonists from their positions, which they did. While the Colonists had to retreat, they did manage, however, to kill over 200 British troops, and injure over 800 more, so in a way, both sides could claim victory.

If the Colonists have enough ammo to force the Brits back one more time, even if the Brits are successful, using the first two attempts as an example, they will probably take another 400-500 casualties, including another 100 or so dead. Now this will have some interesting consequences. In OTL, the British suffered 40% casualties. In this TL, they suffer around 60%. I'm not sure, but was one of the two British generals that Gage sent to fight injured. Pigot I believe? This leaves Gage with around 1,000 men that are still fit to fight that haven't been killed or injured, and another 1,500 to 2,000 in Boston that were not sent into the battle. There are also a few ships in the harbor at Boston. If Gage has a weeker force, and maybe even one of his generals dead or injured, Could the colonists decide to actually launch an offensive against Boston?
 
British Government

The Americans did not officially declare their independence for another year. What are the chances that a greater American colonial success in 1775 would convince the British government to compromise? I'm not sure exactly what Britain could offer that the colonists would except. Commonwealth status 150 years early?
 
Hmmmm well had the Americans remained in possession of the Charlestown peninsula that might not have been enough to drive the British from Boston. Because the rebels still have no heavy cannon, Henry Knox didn't retrieve the cannon from Ticonderoga until January 1776, or thereabouts.
 
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