"Breed's Hill Question." Topic

Just how steep in, wargaming terms, is Breed's hill? Would it be classed as bad going and enough to disorder troops marching up it ? Thanks in advance.

Depends on your rule set- depending on if your set uses disruption or movement loss going up it.

Breed's Hill is a glacial drumlin in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is located in the southern portion of the Charlestown Peninsula, an historically oval, but now more roughly triangular, peninsula that was originally connected to Cambridge in colonial times by an artificial causeway. In the 19th and early 20th centuries the peninsula's shape and connections to other landforms were significantly altered, with the waters of the Charles River between Cambridge and Charlestown heavily filled in.[1]
The hill itself is about 65 feet (20 m) 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 700 yards (640 m) from Bunker Hill.[2]

Thanks for the info Grossman. The rules I use , would result in movement loss and disorder in bad going. I know the hill has several steep sides, so the approach the British used, was the only feasible one I guess.

The hill was a climb, not doubt, but I think the fences played more of a role in disrupting the British attacks than the hill – that and them stopping to shoot back, which was the wrong thing to do. Also, the rebels were handing muskets forward, ala the stone wall tactics. The allowed them a high rate of fire – with resulting effects of out of ammo in a short while.

Remember too, the assault on the works were supposed to be a feint, that unfortunately for them, developed into the main assault when the flanking maneuver broke down. What looked like a good plan earlier in the day didn't look so good at execution time.

Not much of a climb, really. Maybe to us modern day couch potatoes.

Fences were more of an issue, like Historygamer says.

I would not class it as bad going. Perhaps, from a command and control perspective, it would have disordered the men, but I never have found it too bad.

My two shillings worth.

Eric

I recently read a book on Warren, the Patriot political leader which described the battle, reminding me of one I read years ago on the battle itself. The climb doesn't seem to have disordered the British. It was the withering fire that drove them back to regroup. The hill should probably just slow movement enough to give time for the defensive fire to take effect.

Urban's "Fusiliers" maintains that the problem was Gage's men weren't all that well drilled and they stopped to return fire – a bad idea when the enemy is behind earthworks.

They didn't come on with cold steel until the third attack when the defenders ran out of ammo.

Later, after Howe trained them up, the redcoats relied much more on the bayonet.

Now, the climb up that monument… THAT's another matter!

You'd certainly break sweat on a hot mid-June day (I know I did when I tried it as a moderately unfit 30-something back in the early 90s). There is a suggestion that the British troops took off their coats at some point and made at least one assault in their shirt sleeves.

Whilst it might not have inhibited movement uphill (remember that troops marched at a slower pace than modern soldiers), I think on any other battlefield the degree of slope would certainly have aided any counter-attack by the defenders.

This video is from the Museum but it does not even show Bunker hill. YouTube link

I'd guess since its at the museum the terrain should be accurate?