Descendants of Battle of Bunker Hill fighters tell about unsung family heroes

CHARLESTOWN, MA – One of the turning points during the Revolutionary War was the Battle of Bunker Hill 250 years ago. 

While it was a British victory, the assurance and morale of the assemblage militia were greatly boosted.

The militia were not trained soldiers, but alternatively mean men who were doctors, tradesmen, adjacent farmers. (See the video astatine the apical of this article.)  

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Timothy Riordan, Ph.D., historiographer and vice president of the Charlestown Historical Society successful Massachusetts, said the mean property of the men warring the British Army was 27 years old. 

With Riordan's research, helium founded the "Brothers of the Battle" program. 

This people shows 4 British warships landing troops and firing connected Charlestown. A British artillery connected Copp's Hill successful Boston besides fires connected Charlestown, which is successful flames; representation shows the battle connected Bunker's Hill. (Library of Congress)

It helps to find and find descendants of militiamen who fought for America's independence, helium said. 

"Bunker Hill was thought of arsenic the astir important conflict due to the fact that it’s wherever we proved we could combat the British," Riordan told Fox News.

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Dozens of descendants gathered for events astir the 250th anniversary. One of them was a New Hampshire typical of Rockingham 13 successful Derry, New Hampshire. 

State Rep. Steve Pearson (R) is simply a descendant of Lt. John Wheeler, who fought nether Doolittle's regiment astatine the Battle of Bunker Hill. 

State Rep. Steve Pearson talked astir a household subordinate who fought successful the Battle of Bunker Hill 250 years ago.  (Chelsea Torres/Fox News)

Pearson said the Battle of Bunker Hill "really acceptable the code successful the colonies, acceptable the code successful media propaganda … [It] made radical realize, 'There's nary going backmost now.'" 

Another descendant anxious to archer the communicative of a long-admired household subordinate is Matt Woodfin. 

He said he's proud to beryllium the descendant of 2 men who fought astatine the Battle of Bunker Hill. 

Just earlier the Battle of Bunker Hill, 20,000 men from the country decided this was the clip to basal up to the British. 

One is Michael Dalton, expected to person been a fife during the battle. 

"He was 1 that was blowing the flute-type whistle to benignant of nonstop troops, left, right, erstwhile to eat, erstwhile to march," Woodfin told Fox News.

Just earlier the Battle of Bunker Hill, 20,000 men from the country decided this was the clip to basal up to the British. 

One of those men was Woodfin's eighth great-uncle, Henry Dearborn. 

Henry Dearborn, shown here, was among those who stood up to the British. One of his descendants told the communicative of however the assemblage antheral went from being a doc to caput of warfare nether President Thomas Jefferson.  (Library of Congress)

"He heard astir Concord and Lexington and conscionable enactment down immoderate helium was doing and conscionable started walking south."

Dearborn was a doc who became a captain, said Woodfin. 

"Before a ceremonial army, earlier thing similar that, you fundamentally earned your fertile by the fig of folks you were capable to recruit. He came down with 40, 50, 60 men and showed up present arsenic a captain," said Woodfin.

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Dearborn aboriginal served nether President Thomas Jefferson arsenic caput of warfare successful 1801. 

Woodfin said Jefferson presented an ornate sword to Dearborn during a ceremony. It has been taken attraction of by the Woodfin household for generations. 

Matt Woodfin said his eighth large uncle was Henry Dearborn. An ornate sword presented to Dearborn by President Thomas Jefferson has been cherished by the household for generations. (Chelsea Torres/Fox News)

Many much trekked to Charlestown, Massachusetts, including Josiah Puffer. 

Sheila Puffer, a descendant of his, said "he mislaid a thumb [due to] the detonation of a weapon successful his hands and was disqualified from subject service."

She found a publication written by a household subordinate implicit 100 years ago, telling galore stories of Josiah Puffer implicit the years. He fought successful the French and Indian War, past astatine Bunker Hill. 

"When helium enlisted, it is said that helium passed the introspection by wearing gloves of which the thumb of 1 was filled with wood," she said. 

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While the British won the conflict astatine Bunker Hill — the assemblage militia got the assurance boost. 

"They lone mislaid due to the fact that they ran retired of ammunition," said Riordan. 

The British Army mislaid doubly arsenic galore casualties than the American patriots. 

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But Riordan said that proves an undisciplined and untrained militia could basal against the British. 

"It’s not that they stood determination and fought — it’s due to the fact that they stood determination and fought for what they believed in," said Riordan.