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Today, episode 65, The Provincial's Occupy Bunker Hill.

So last week we had Congress voting to authorize a continental army and choosing George Washington to lead it.

But before word of Congress's decision reached Boston, the Provincial Army

would clash with regulars at the Battle of Bunker Hill. The Massachusetts Provincial Army had been besieging the regulars in Boston since the evening of April 19, 1775, when they chased the regulars back from Lexington and Concord.

In Boston, General Gage had assumed regulars back from Lexington and Concord.

In Boston, General Gage had assumed a defensive posture.

With the arrival of General's Howe, Bergen and Clinton

and their reinforcements, the British decided it was time to go on the offense again.

On the southern side of Boston Harbor sat Dorchester Heights.

The high ground there would give the provincial's the ability to bombard both Boston and the

fleet in the harbour. Similarly, on the northern side of the harbour, on Charlestown Peninsula, Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill provided attractive

ground from which the rebels could threaten both Boston and the fleet.

Now for months the British had kept the provincials from occupying either high ground by threatening to attack if they dared attempt any such occupation.

So far those threats had worked, but there was no guarantee that would continue.

The three new generals who had recently arrived were eager to prove that their leadership

could put the militia on the run and that Gage was simply too timid to get the job done.

In early June, General Gage held a council of war at which his officers agreed on a plan to capture both of those key locations.

Now General Howe, the senior officer below Gage, would lead the attack.

On Sunday, June 18th, British artillery on Boston Neck would open up on the

provincial's in Roxbury. General Howe would then lead an infantry attack

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