Dearest Friend
The Day; perhaps the decisive Day is come on which the fate of America depends, my bursting Heart must find vent at my pen. I have just heard that our dear Friend Dr. Warren is no more but fell gloriously fighting for his country... Abigail Adams to John Adams, Sunday, 18 June 1775
To mark the 225th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill in 2000, the Massachusetts Historical Society presents its first "web exhibition" – personal accounts and eyewitness descriptions of the battle, along with contemporary maps, drawings, engravings, broadsides, and artifacts, either preserved by the participants or found on the battlefield.
The exhibition is divided into six sections:
Bunker Hill Essay An essay by Bernard Bailyn giving an overview account of the battle
Timeline A timeline of events and documents described in the exhibition
Ten Accounts Ten contemporary manuscript and printed accounts of the battle with transcriptions of the texts
Biographies Brief biographical sketches of the authors and recipients of documents in the exhibition
Maps & Views Contemporary maps and views of Boston in 1775 and battle plans
Bibliography A bibliography of sources on the Battle of Bunker Hill
While the exhibit includes well-known documents such as Abigail Adams's letter to her husband John, quoted above, there also are letters and journals of American and British soldiers, including ordinary soldiers in the ranks, as well as civilian observers who lived in the Boston area.
The purpose of the web exhibition is to make available documents from the Massachusetts Historical Society's collections to a wider audience. The events of June 17, 1775 are told here through the words of those who were present.
Support for this exhibition was provided by the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati.