Who said whites of their eyes

It is also possible that Prescott, commander of the forces on Bunker and Breed Hills gave the order and others repeated it.

We will probably never know. After a bloody battle, the Americans ran out of ammunition and were forced to retreat from the peninsula. Although they were the victors, the British sustained many more casualties dead, injured than the Americans killed, wounded.

Shy, John. Oxford: Oxford UP, Fleming, Thomas. New York: St. That gave way to a more romantic picture, as well as one better supported by the evidence, that he insisted on fighting in the ranks.

That's a different question from whether he voiced the "Don't fire…" line, which is usually attributed to Putnam, Prescott, or no one. My more recent postings on the question, linked above, found earlier and more reliable evidence that Putnam said the famous line, and that it was already well known in a branch of the British military. Post a Comment. Boston He is particularly interested in the experiences of children in He has published scholarly papers and popular articles for both children and adults.

Subscribe thru Follow. Samuel Danforth Smuggling Hay? Articles by J. Bell Books by J. James Thacher 16 George R. John Cuming 7 Dr. Samuel Prescott 7 Dr. Samuel Curtis 6 Dr. Charles Jarvis 5 Dr. Joseph Gardner 5 Dr. Bela Lincoln 4 Dr. Cotton Tufts 4 Dr. Elisha Story 4 Dr. Joshua Frost 4 Dr.

Nathaniel Ames 4 Dr. Alexander Hamilton 3 Dr. Azor Betts 3 Dr. David Townsend 3 Dr. Ezekiel Brown 3 Dr. Isaac Rand 3 Dr. James Latham 3 Dr. Joseph Lee 3 Dr. Lemuel Hopkins 3 Dr. Richard Hope 3 Dr. Samuel Adams 3 Dr. Samuel Plumer 3 Dr. Silvester Gardiner 3 Dr. Simon Tufts 3 Dr.

Thomas Harrison McCalla 3 Dr. William Cullen 3 Dr. Abraham Haskell 2 Dr. Arnold Elzey 2 Dr. Ebenezer Dexter 2 Dr. Edward Flynt 2 Dr. Enoch Dole 2 Dr. Ezekiel Hersey 2 Dr. Isaac Foster 2 Dr. Isaac Senter 2 Dr. Isaac Winslow 2 Dr. John Homans 2 Dr. John Pope 2 Dr. John Taylor 2 Dr. Joseph Fiske 2 Dr. Fersen gave his orders in Swedish. Did the same idea occur in several cultures? The phrase was established in British military circles decades before that battle.

Putnam actually said it in June I love American history but this is the best written article I've seen in 12 years thank you. Whether the phrase was used or not, as the muskets in use at Bunker Hill Breed's Hill could not reliably hit a man beyond approx 80 yards, they had to wait till the Brits got close enough to see the whites of their eyes anyway. I tested this years ago; the range ends up being about 60 yards. But then, I wasn't crouching in the dirt behind a rampart with my face pressed against my musket, sweating under a summer sun and trembling with nervousness and fear There were a few ways that soldiers at Bunker Hill remembered their officers telling them to hold their fire until it was most effective.

The "whites of their eyes" version was repeated by several people and appeared in early sources. It's dramatic enough to be memorable. This posting is over twelve years old now, and my thoughts have changed from further research.

I'm working to pull those together for a new article. I hope you find other postings on Col. William Prescott to be interesting. Reading from "The Prescott Memorial", a book on the genealogy of the Prescott family published in Boston, , a couple stories provided by Col. Prescott's nephew, Dr. Oliver Prescott, are briefly related including one told to him and often repeated by Col. Prescott about the battle of Bunker Hill. There is no mention of Col. Prescott making the "whites of their eyes" speech and generally the family did not attribute this quote to him.

However, a brief interlude with General Putnam after the battle reveals some of the personality of Col. Putnam had left the redoubt prior to the battle, taking the entrenchment tools away with a group of men and promising to return with reinforcements and ammunition.

Neither the men nor the ammunition returned. During the battle, the first two attacks were repulsed with heavy losses on the British side. On the third attack, the troops were holding until they ran out of ammunition and resorted to hand-to-hand fighting until forced to retreat. When Col. Prescott found Gen. Putnam later, he inquired the cause of his failing to fulfill his engagement. Putnam replied, "I couldn't get the dogs to go", to which Col.

Prescott replied, "If you had said to them come, you would have found men enough". Frankly, this is a simple yet profound statement on leadership. I have no doubt that his leadership and further exhortations were well-interpreted by his troops who inflicted grievous British casualties. Since writing this post in , I've done more research about the "white of their eyes" quotation, some of it shared on this blog.

Last spring I combined those postings and other work into a comprehensive article. And my computer died, but not without first failing to back up for a week. So in the next week I really should recreate that article in time for next month's anniversary of the battle.

It should be noted that "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes" was the standing order to the Swedish Carolean soldiers of the years War. Despite being vastly outnumbered in almost every battle, they managed to defeat the Catholic league during the year-war and ensured the survival of Protestantism on the continent.

It also took a great deal of courage, as it meant marching resolutely towards the enemy, under constant fire, in order to get into range. The Years-War was fought in what is now Poland and Germany, and the tactics used by the Swedes during the Battle of Breitenfeld pretty much invented modern Warfare; any military figure, whether Prussian, British, or American, would have studied it by the 18th century.

It is likely it was a common saying amongst soldiers. The Swedish connection sounds interesting, and it would be good to see a source with those words quoted. As my article shows, in English the phrase seems to have been most closely connected to the Royal Navy rather than to land tactics. Post a Comment. Boston He is particularly interested in the experiences of children in He has published scholarly papers and popular articles for both children and adults.

Subscribe thru Follow. Samuel Danforth Smuggling Hay? Articles by J. Bell Books by J. James Thacher 16 George R. John Cuming 7 Dr. Samuel Prescott 7 Dr. Samuel Curtis 6 Dr.

Charles Jarvis 5 Dr. Joseph Gardner 5 Dr. Bela Lincoln 4 Dr. Cotton Tufts 4 Dr. Elisha Story 4 Dr. Joshua Frost 4 Dr. Nathaniel Ames 4 Dr. Alexander Hamilton 3 Dr. Azor Betts 3 Dr. David Townsend 3 Dr.