Description
In 1774, William Prescott was appointed colonel of a regiment of minute men. After the Battle of Lexington and Concord, he led a company to pursue the retreating British troops. In 1775, Prescott was in command of patriot forces at the Battle of Bunker Hill. To conserve the limited amount of ammunition on hand, and to increase the effectiveness of the muzzle-loading muskets, he uttered the phrase, Do not fire until you see the whites of their eyes. While the British successfully captured Bunker Hill they suffered 50% casualties under General Howe and were unable to capitalize on their victory. William Prescott then received a colonel’s commission as head of the 7th Continental Regiment which saw service in the 1776 defense of New York.
The American Revolutionary War
The Revolutionary War was fought from 1775 to 1783. It began as a revolt of the colonies against what they believed was unfair taxation. While it started as a conflict between Great Britain and the thirteen American colonies, it soon became a global conflict. France actively sided with the colonies, and the French naval fleet was instrumental in defeating the British at Yorktown. Holland supplied the colonies with weapons, while Spain supplied funding and diverted British forces by fighting on a second front and winning back Spanish forts in Florida that they lost during the Seven Years’ War. No independent country sided with Great Britain, but Britain employed German mercenaries, known as Hessians.
This William Prescott history mug is part of our Revolutionary War series which includes many of the notable figures who played major roles during this conflict.
The biographical History Mugs were created to teach and inspire individuals to learn about our diverse and interesting history. The biographies were researched and written by history enthusiast, Robert Compton. He colorized most of the historic photos and images used on the mugs, which were originally black and white or sepia tone. The images and biographies are imprinted on mugs at his studio in rural Vermont.
- Mugs are food and microwave safe.
- To preserve photographic quality we recommend hand washing.
- Mugs are usually shipped within 3-5 days.
- Shipping charges are lower when buying multiple mugs.
