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Boston, 26th of June, 1775: This Town was alarmed on the 17th Instant ...
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- Main description
[ This description is from the project: Coming of the American Revolution ]
This broadside, printed on 26 June 1775, conveys a British account of the Battle of Bunker Hill.
"The Bravery of the King's Troops"
One week after the Battle of Bunker Hill, this document is printed and circulated by John Howe, the same loyalist Boston printer who published General Gage's account of the events of 19 April 1775. Broadsides -- single sheets printed on one side -- serve as public announcements or advertisements. Generally posted or read aloud, they are the popular "broadcasts" of the day, bringing news of current events to the public quickly. In this case, efforts are made to demonstrate "The Bravery of the King's Troops" and produce a version of events that counteracts that being spread by the patriot press and Committees of Correspondence.
Questions to Consider
1. What specific evidence in this broadside tells you that this is an interpretation unfavorable to the American cause?
2. Why are the implications of calling the Americans "rebels"?
3. Why do choices of words matter in documents like these?
4. According to this broadside, why were King's Troops fighting at Bunker Hill?