The Battle of Bunker Hill

The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill by John Trumbull, 1786

On this day 249 years ago, Boston patriots fought British forces at the Battle of Bunker Hill. One of the people who may have participated is our 6th great-grandfather, Benoni Cutler. He is on the Lucy May Cross branch of our tree, which traces back through Randolph, New York, to New England. 

 

Benoni Cutler certainly participated in the American Revolution, from the Siege of Boston to the Battle of Trenton (crossing the Delaware River with George Washington) and the 1777 Morristown Encampment—more on those later. But the question here is whether he was at Bunker Hill, and from what I’ve found so far, the answer is maybe. According to a report to the Adjutant and Inspector General’s Office, Montpelier, Vermont, on November 8, 1895:

It appears that Benoni Cutler served as a private 10 days in Capt. Joseph Cady’s Company from Killingly, being one of the men who marched from the Conn[ecticut]. towns for the relief of Boston in the Lexington Alarm [aka Battles of Lexington & Concord], April 1775. Also, he was commissioned as 1st Lieut. from Killingly, May 1st, 1775, in 8th company, 3rd Reg’t, Col. Israel Putnam, and was discharged Dec. 14th, 1775, reentering service in 1776. Marching by companies to the camps forming around Boston, he was stationed during the siege in Putnam’s Center Division at Cambridge until expiration of term of service, Dec. 10th, 1775. A detachment of the officers and men was engaged at Bunker Hill. . . .

T. S. Peck

Adj’t. and Insp’r. General

 

Was Cutler one of the officers detached with Putnam at Bunker Hill? We may never know, but I’m still investigating. Interestingly, the general he served under, Israel “Old Put” Putnam, one of the commanders at Bunker Hill, is related to us by marriage through the Green branch of the tree—he’s the 1st cousin 1x removed of the husband of our 1st cousin 8x removed, Anne Chase (1746–1820). Yeah, a bit of a stretch.

 

One final family connection: Bunker Hill was named for George Bunker, our 11th great-grandfather, who immigrated to Charlestown, Massachusetts, from Odell, England, in 1634. He owned 22 parcels of land on and around the hill that was eventually named for him. Of course, historians point out that most of the Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on nearby Breed’s Hill, where the Bunker Hill Monument stand today. Well I’ve got a suggestion for those know-it-alls from one of his descendants: Stifle!