William Prescott

William Prescott 1726-95, American Revolutionary officer, b. Groton, Mass. He saw service in the French and Indian Wars . In the American Revolution , he fortified (1775) Breed's Hill for the colonists and was prominent in the subsequent battle that was erroneously called the battle of Bunker Hill. Later he served around New York City (1776) and in the Saratoga campaign (1777).

Prescott, William (1726–95) Revolutionary War army officer. Prescott's military career began with a commisson in King George's War (1744-48) and continued in the French and Indian War (1754–63). In 1774 he was given command of a militia in the towns of Pepperell and Groton, in his native Massachusetts, and of Hollis, New Hampshire. In 1775, at the start of the Revolution, he was placed in command of the troops gathered in Boston and ordered to fortify Bunker Hill. On his own initiative, however, he instead moved to defend Breed's Hill. The first assault on Breed's Hill by the British, led by Gen. William Howe, failed. Howe again attacked, but this second British attack also fell short. On the third try, however, a shortage of ammunition hindered Prescott's defense, and the British ran the Americans off the hill. Although the British eventually triumphed at what became known as the Battle of Bunker Hill, Prescott's successful initial defense against the best-trained troops in the world made him an early hero of the Revolution. After Bunker Hill, Prescott marched with Gen. George Washington's army to New York City; after that city fell to the British, he returned to Pepperell, his only other military engagement being the Battle of Saratoga (1777).

Prescott, William Hickling (1796–1859) US historian. An expert on the Spanish conquests in America, his vigorous prose and solid scholarship placed him among the first rank of historians. His most famous works are A History of the Conquest of Mexico (1843) and A History of the Conquest of Peru (1847).