#OnThisDay 1775 Irishmen were among the two armies that clashed at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War. The 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot fought for the British Army and later became the Royal Irish Regiment with its depot in Clonmel, Tipperary. Some of these Irish men in the British Army deserted and joined the Americans.
The Rebels had 21 Irish officers, six of whom were definitely Irish born. They were Maj. John Goffe, Lt. Thomas McLaughlin, and Capts. Andrew Browne, David Cowden, Daniel Flood, and Hugh McClellan. The Continental Army at Bunker Hill also had 269 enlisted Irishmen plus hundreds more Irish-Americans in their ranks.
The Battle of Bunker Hill was a pyrrhic victory for Britain. Though they won the ground, it was at a very heavy cost of life. The British lost over a thousand men, more than twice that of the Americans.
The Irish at War 