Experience the American dream with today’s Patriots of the Past interview. I’m your host, John Gillespie.
It’s June 16, 1775. I’m sitting on the roof of a Boston home watching thousands of British soldiers line up on Breeds Hill. They’re preparing to charge American soldiers, most of which are area farmers.
I can clearly see the American Colonel Prescott and his troops digging a trench. Colonel Prescott is yelling at his men, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!”
The Redcoats have attacked twice and retreated twice. Here they come for a third charge. Our troops are out of powder, but are fighting wildly with rifle butts, bayonets, and fists.
The Americans lost one hundred men that day, but the British last 1,054.
Read the full text of Colonel William Prescott’s letter to John Adams where he recounts the events of the Battle of Bunker Hill.
John and Jan Gillespie are the founders of the Rawhide Boys’ Ranch; they have fostered 351 teenagers and wrote the book Our 351 Sons; they have also assisted numerous churches in developing youth programs and expanding their total church ministries. After running for U.S. Senate, John founded 1776 American Dream, which exists to demonstrate the vision of our founding fathers and help our generation of youth passionately embrace those values.
