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". . . The whites of their eyes!" The militia at Bunker Hill, 1775. The Minuteman tradition forever become a vital part of the American scene when the troops of five Militia regiments entered the Charlestown peninsula, June 16-17, 1775, to fortify Breed's Hill. On the next afternoon the British landed seven regiments and the Battle of Bunker Hill was on! Bunker Hill was to be the first test of American Militia on an open field against the best trained soldiers of Europe. Sternly held in check by their officers, the Militiamen waited as the recoated lines approached at parade march, until they could see "the whites of their eyes" - the range of which their muskets were effective. A painting in The National Guard Heritage services by Key Riley. |
