247th Anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill

Paul Lunt, Newbury, and the Siege of Boston: May-December 1775

Today marks the 247th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill fought on June 17, 1775, in Massachusetts between American colonists and British regulars. One of my great-grandfathers fought in the engagement, and this is his story.

Paul Lunt was born in Newbury, Massachusetts, on March 30, 1747, to Cutting Lunt and Deborah Jacques. Paul’s second great-grandfather was Henry Lunt, one of the first settlers of Newbury. I am related to Paul through my mother’s side of the family; he is my fifth great-grandfather.

Paul Lunt is of interest because he fought in the skirmishes during the Siege of Boston, which included the famous Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775 during the very early stages of the American Revolutionary War. He kept a diary of the daily events, and Paul Lunt’s Diary: May-December 1775 was published in 1872.

The preface explains that Paul was “a first lieutenant of the first company raised in Newbury during the revolutionary war, and which was commanded by his kinsman Ezra Lunt. This company actively participated in the battle of Bunker Hill. Paul afterward served as an officer in Arnold’s expedition for the siege of Quebec. He returned to his farm in Newbury after his military service, and died in 1824.”

The diary begins on Wednesday, May 10, 1775, when the company marched out from Newburyport and arrived in the Cambridge area two days later. Paul describes daily life in the camp, the weather, disease, marching drills, sermons he heard, Bible verses of note, and eating. The only food he specifically mentions in the entire diary is on June 13 when he wrote, “Mr. Martin dined with us upon baked veal and green peas.” Four days later…the Battle of Bunker Hill.

“Saturday, [June] 17th. – The Regulars landed a number of troops, and we engaged them. They drove us off the hill, and burnt Charlestown. Dr. Warren was lost in the battle: the siege lasted about three hours. They killed about 50 of our men, wounded about 80: we killed of the king’s troops 896, – 92 officers, 104 sergeants.”

After the battle, Lunt’s colonial forces entrenched on nearby Prospect Hill.

I wonder if my grandfather knew just how famous George Washington would become in American history when he first met him in July of 1775. Paul explains that “General Washington came into the camp” on July 2. The next day, General Washington formally took command of the Continental Army in front of the men gathered at Cambridge. My grandfather described the day when he wrote, “Turned out early in the morning, got in readiness to be reviewed by the general. New orders given out by General Washington.”

Paul also wrote about a little-known battle more than anything else in his diary (almost an entire page).

Monday, July 31, 1775, 1 a.m.

“Turn out! – For God’s sake, turn out!”

Located in Boston Harbor, Little Brewster Island was the site of an important lighthouse used by the British forces. Disabled by the colonists once before and subsequently repaired by the British, General Washington ordered a new attack on the lighthouse. Paul wrote, “[that] night our people set fire to the new lighthouse; about eight hundred of our people went, took and killed all upon the island, – killed fifteen, took twenty-five marines, and seven Tories.”

As the days turned colder during fall and winter, skirmishes became less frequent, and the men participated in various activities to keep themselves occupied. In late October, Paul wrote, “A wrestling-match between Winter Hill brigade and Prospect; ours carried the ring.” Additionally, as winter set in, Paul states that the number of British troop desertions increased.

On December 23, Lieutenant Paul Lunt left the Boston area and arrived home at 9 p.m. and “found Mrs. Lunt well as could be expected.”

My grandfather’s war experiences during the American Revolution may have left him with a different outlook on life and the world in general. His diary ends bitterly just before Christmas 1775. “Mrs. Lunt […] delivered of her first son at about ten o’clock in the day, called his name Joshua Coffin. He lived ten days and left this evil world.”

Paul Lunt's diary can be viewed here: https://archive.org/details/paulluntsdiaryma1872lunt/mode/2up