Bunker Hill
2 of the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Bunker Hill. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
an eminence 110 feet high, in the Charlestown district of Boston, Mass., connected by a ridge with another elevation, 75 feet high, named Breed's Hill. These heights are memorable as being the scene of a battle, June 17, 1775, known under the name of Bunker Hill. The city of Boston was occиpied by the British under General Gage, who had resolved to begin offensive operations against the rebels. This design becoming known in the American camp, it was determined to seize and fortify the heights of Charlestown on the night of June 16. The execution of this perilous mission was confided to Colonels Prescott and Pepperell at the head of a brigade of 1,000 men; and at dawn of day a strong redoubt was already completed on Breed's Hill. About 1,500 Americans advanced successively to the relief of Prescott. At about 2:30 o'clock, two columns of the British advanced to a simultaneous assault; they were received with a terrific fire, and twice BUNKER HILL MONUMENT repulsed in disorder. When the Americans had exhausted all their ammunition, Prescott gave the order for retreat. They received a destructive volley as they left the redoubt. The retreat was harassed by a raking fire from the British ships and batteries, but there was no pursuit beyond Charlestown Neck. The British loss was 226 officers and men killed, and 828 wounded; that of the Americans 145 killed or missing, and 304 wounded. Although a defeat, the moral result of this action was great. The Americans had seen superior numbers of the disciplined soldiers of England retreat before their fire, and given the proof that they were able to defend their liberties. On Breed's Hill stands now the Bunker Hill Monument, the cornerstone of which was laid by the Marquis de Lafayette, June 17, 1825. This monument was unveiled June 17, 1843. It consists of a plain granite shaft, 220 feet high, 31 feet square at the base, and 15 at the top. Within is a winding staircase, by which it is ascended to a chamber immediately under the apex, 11 feet in diameter, containing four windows, which afford a magnificent panoramic view of the surrounding country.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
a low hill 110 feet high in Charlestown, Massachusetts. It is memorable, in connection with Breed's Hill, as the site of the battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775. The Americans under General Prescott fortified the height in a hasty manner and were driven out by the British, but only after a gallant resistance and when their powder failed. The British lost 226 men killed and 828 wounded. The Americans, being behind breastworks except during the retreat, lost 145 killed and 304 wounded. Bunker Hill monument stands on Breed's Hill, as near as may be where Dr. Warren fell. It is a massive granite shaft 31 feet square at the base, 15 feet square at the top, and 220 feet high. Lafayette laid the corner stone, June 17, 1825. Webster delivered the dedicatory oration, June 17, 1843. The monument may be ascended by an interior stairway. The summit conmands a magnificent view of Boston and the harbor.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
The battle described here has not moved, and the casualty figures Collier's gave in 1921 — 226 British dead and 828 wounded against 145 American dead or missing and 304 wounded — are still the numbers historians quote. What has changed is the setting: the granite shaft on Breed's Hill, run by the private Bunker Hill Monument Association when Aiton's wrote in 1910, became part of Boston National Historical Park, created in 1974, and is now a stop on the Freedom Trail with a museum in the former Charlestown library across the street. The "magnificent panoramic view" is still earned the same way, by climbing 294 stone steps; there is no elevator. One small correction to Aiton's: Prescott was a colonel at Bunker Hill, not a general, and the 250th anniversary of the battle was marked in Charlestown in June 2025.
Written for this edition, 2026.