The Battle of Bunker Hill in 54mm on 2025/08/15

 The Battle of Bunker Hill

This Friday evening, a table in the TSA room in Hoevenen was transformed into a historical battlefield from the American Revolution.

At Bunker Hill, American forces have dug in to resist a British army that wants to crush the revolution. The British fleet is anchored nearby, but its cannons don't have enough range. This gives the American freedom fighters one major advantage: they do have a few cannons.

The British have a slight majority, but they must cover a considerable distance over open terrain, which is ideal for the Americans to fire upon them. The British must hope for a quick advance and a short, hand-to-hand bayonet fight. However, much will depend on the dice, which the course of the game proved.

When the British advance came within range of the American cannons, they opened fire. The first casualties fell. The advance on the left flank (as seen from Bunker Hill) was slower than on the right. Within a few turns, the British stormed Bunker Hill there. After a few futile attempts, they forced a breakthrough. This created a difficult situation for the Americans, but fortunately, the situation remained under control, albeit with many casualties on both sides.

Meanwhile, on the left flank, the British advanced slowly but surely. This led to a gradual loss of strength as they suffered losses. When the British finally managed to climb Bunker Hill on that left flank, their ranks were so thinned out that they were an easy target for the Americans, who had barely suffered any casualties. The situation became so precarious for the British that a part of the American militia left their cover to fire on the last British battalion on the flank. The British defended themselves but lost sight of their main objective: taking Bunker Hill.

After a short improvement in the American position on the right flank, British reinforcements (a large number of Highlanders) definitively turned the tide in favor of the British. Casualties fell on both sides until only most of the Highlanders remained. They then set a course for the left flank, where the British were almost completely defeated. They retreated to the right flank to serve as a reserve. This allowed the American left flank to turn against the approaching Highlanders with two cannons and what was left of the infantry. The death toll rose enormously as both sides tried to achieve victory.

In the end, it was the Americans who achieved a Pyrrhic victory. Both sides suffered such heavy losses that it is difficult to speak of a victory.

Reported by :

Peter Umans