Battle of Bunker Hill Anniversary

Today marks the 250^th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill and the 200^th anniversary of the laying of the Bunker Hill Monument’s cornerstone. To commemorate this event, the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library’s Van Gorden-Williams Library & Archives is featuring a small exhibition in its reading room, with objects related to memorializing the Battle of Bunker Hill. Among those objects is this piece of sheet music, published in 1843, and related to the celebration that took place when the monument was finally completed, eighteen years after the cornerstone was laid, and sixty-eight years after the battle.

The Battle

The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775. Most of the action took place on nearby Breed’s Hill. The battle was fought to solidify which side had control over Boston Harbor. The hills in and around Boston were tactically important to both British and colonial forces. The American’s newly formed Continental Army sought to limit the supplies that the British army could bring into Boston via the harbor. The two sides clashed on June 17, each seeking to control Bunker Hill and Breed’s Hill. By the end of the day the British had won the fight, at the cost of 226 dead and 828 wounded. On the opposing side, 140 American combatants had been killed; over 300 suffered injuries.

The Monument

Although the cornerstone was laid with much ceremony on June 17, 1825, the Bunker Hill Monument Association did not complete the monument until July 1842, plagued by years of ongoing funding shortfalls. The dedication took place the following June, on the sixty-eighth anniversary of the battle. The Boston Brass Band performed this piece of music, “’76” Quick Step – a lively march – as part of the celebration. The illustration on this cover depicts the dedication, with the monument featured prominently in the center. Approximately 100,000 people attended the event, including at least thirteen veterans of the battle.

The monument is an obelisk standing 221 feet high on Breed’s Hill at the site of the Provincial forces’ earthen fort, or redoubt, which was a central part of the battle. At the time of its completion, the obelisk was the tallest structure in the United States. From the start, the monument was a meaningful memorial site visited by many. People from all over the world continue to visit it, some to enjoy the commanding view of the surrounding area; many to recall the sacrifice of the soldiers who fought the Battle of Bunker Hill. In an article on the National Park Service’s website, the writer concludes by offering the following reflection:

The Battle of Bunker Hill has inspired generations to consider what it takes to stand up for one's liberties. Abolitionists, suffragists, labor activists, and others have referred to the battle and its monument in their own fight for liberty and justice. Today, we are asked to question what the battle and its Monument means to us as we strive to actualize the country's founding ideals.

Caption:

“’76” Quick Step, 1843. Museum Purchase, 86-08.