OurNorthernRoots
Colonel William Prescott
1726 - 1795 (69 years)-
Name William Prescott Title Colonel Birth 20 Feb 1726 Groton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts 
Gender Male Military Service 1775 Massachusetts American Revolution (US)
Commander at the Battle of Bunker Hill.Death 13 Oct 1795 Pepperell, Middlesex County, Massachusetts Burial Walton Cemetery, Pepperell, Middlesex County, Massachusetts Notes - Revolutionary War Colonial Militia Officer. He was the commander at the Battle of Bunker Hill. He was a veteran officer of the French and Indian War, respected so much by the British that he was offered a commission by them, but declined. On June 16, 1775, he was ordered by Gen. Israel Putnam to lead a number of militia companies encamped at Cambridge and occupy the heights of Charlestown overlooking Boston Harbor. Initially directed to occupy Bunker Hill, he perceived nearby Breed's Hill, while lower in elevation, was closer to the harbor. He set his men to building an earth fort atop the hill through the night. They were not discovered until morning when the fort was nearly complete. In the battle that followed on the afternoon of June 17, 1775, the American militia repulsed two charges by elite British troops under General Sir William Howe, and gave way only after their ammunition and supplies were expended. Prescott is remembered for calmly strolling the earthworks under fire to inspire his men, and for his precise order to conserve ammunition and make every shot count: "Aim low, boys. Fire at their waistbands, and wait 'till you see the whites of their eyes."
Bio by: Bob on Gallows Hill
Person ID I56144 OurNorthernRoots Last Modified 19 Jun 2026
Father Judge Benjamin Prescott, b. 4 Jan 1696, Groton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts d. 3 Aug 1738, Groton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts (Age 42 years) Mother Abigail Oliver, b. 25 Mar 1697, Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts d. 13 Sep 1765, Groton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts (Age 68 years) Marriage 1718 Family ID F20642 Group Sheet | Family Chart
- Revolutionary War Colonial Militia Officer. He was the commander at the Battle of Bunker Hill. He was a veteran officer of the French and Indian War, respected so much by the British that he was offered a commission by them, but declined. On June 16, 1775, he was ordered by Gen. Israel Putnam to lead a number of militia companies encamped at Cambridge and occupy the heights of Charlestown overlooking Boston Harbor. Initially directed to occupy Bunker Hill, he perceived nearby Breed's Hill, while lower in elevation, was closer to the harbor. He set his men to building an earth fort atop the hill through the night. They were not discovered until morning when the fort was nearly complete. In the battle that followed on the afternoon of June 17, 1775, the American militia repulsed two charges by elite British troops under General Sir William Howe, and gave way only after their ammunition and supplies were expended. Prescott is remembered for calmly strolling the earthworks under fire to inspire his men, and for his precise order to conserve ammunition and make every shot count: "Aim low, boys. Fire at their waistbands, and wait 'till you see the whites of their eyes."
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Event Map 
Birth - 20 Feb 1726 - Groton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts 
Military Service - American Revolution (US) Commander at the Battle of Bunker Hill. - 1775 - Massachusetts 
Death - 13 Oct 1795 - Pepperell, Middlesex County, Massachusetts = Link to Google Earth Pin Legend 
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