America is celebrating its 250th anniversary as a nation, and so this month, we are looking at the hand of God in the founding of our country.  Today we look at the Battle of Bunker Hill, which was fought on June 17, 1775. This was the first naval engagement of the war, and providentially for the Americans, the British had the wrong size cannon balls on their ships. This mismatch meant the projectiles would not fit properly in the cannon barrels, which could cause misfires, jams, or ineffective shots, and therefore they were unable to effectively bombard the American position which guarded Boston Harbor. Looking through the lens of Providence, we realize this no mere accident. It was the hand of God.

Still, the Continental Army was facing a tremendous number of British troops. Three hundred miles away in Philadelphia, the Continental Congress called for a Day of Public Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer. John Adams wrote his wife, Abigail, on July 12, 1775, saying, “We have appointed a Continental fast. Millions will be upon their knees at once before their great Creator, imploring His forgiveness and blessing; His smiles on American Council and arms.”

In December of 1775, General Washington sent 25-year-old Colonel Henry Knox to bring cannons to Boston. The journey would cover 300 miles in winter conditions, crossing frozen rivers, rugged mountain passes, and swamps, with supplies and oxen often provided by towns along the way. Knox embarked on his task to move 59 cannons in three months from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston—an accomplishment historians call “one of the most stupendous feats of logistics.”

Knox put the cannons on big flat-bottomed boats and rowed them in freezing weather to the southern end of Lake George, then dragged them on sleds across snow. Knox arrived at Cambridge, Massachusetts, on March 4. Washington’s men wrapped the wagon wheels with straw to muffle the noise and quickly moved the cannons up to a strategic point overlooking Boston Harbor. The next morning, an astonished British General William Howe looked up at the Heights and remarked, “The rebels did more in one night than my whole army would have done in one month.”

On March 7, 1776, General Howe had planned to attack the Americans by landing 3,000 troops and charging up Dorchester Heights, but a violent snowstorm arose causing the sea to be so turbulent the attack had to be abandoned.  Instead, on the next day, March 8, 1776, General Howe sent word to Washington that if the British were allowed to safely leave Boston, they would not set fire to the city on their way out. The Americans agreed, and the British departed on March 17. Again, the hand of God was evident. More about the providence of God in our country’s founding in the next Messenger article.