Dereliction of Duty at the Battle of Bunker Hill (Part 1 of 3)

The Hancock 3-pounder cannon on a replica carriage, at NPS's Minute Man National Park. This cannon probably did not serve at the Battle of Bunker Hill.

In the morning hours ahead of the afternoon Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, as the Americans dug in and prepared their defenses against the British, the first artillery company arrived on the field with two cannon. From my forthcoming book, 1775:

The company was commanded by Capt. Samuel Gridley, who, along with (read more)