The Rebellion Burns Bright

“This here is a layout of the battle, which will commence around 3 PM later today.” Lieutenant Kim showed the Colonials an accurate map of the battle through his laptop. He had managed to skim through the content of his equipment before starting the strategy meeting and found his laptop buried in his combat backpack. Despite being on for about half an hour, the laptop’s battery did not fall a single percent and had the entirety of Wikipedia and various history textbooks downloaded into it. “As you can see here, the fortifications on Breed’s Hill will provoke an aggressive response by the British and they will attempt a frontal assault to dislodge us from our positions.”

In front of the uptime officer was the two colonial officers that had interrogated him before. General Putnam wanted to reveal the lieutenant’s presence to the rest of the camp to inspire them, but Lieutenant Kim advised against such actions to limit rumors that may spill to the British. Instead, the Marine Corps officer stood in front of the colonel and major general to exploit their situation and change the battle’s outcome. The officers were in awe of the laptop in front of them, still wondering how the machine worked. Thankfully, they were equally captivated at the vast and detailed map on the glowing portion of the machine.

“However, in the world where I come from, the stand at Breed’s Hill led to a number of problems. It was harder to supply Breed’s Hill with men and supplies due to the distance. While the distance is not too significant, it did hinder reinforcements from assisting the main forces stationed at the hill. Many regiments decided not to advance in face of British bombardment and stayed put on Bunker Hill. Additionally, Breed’s Hill had more gaps on the sides that led to troops being diverted elsewhere. The battle managed to force the British to play their hand and inflicted severe casualties upon the British troops, but it also came at the cost of losing the battle and a retreat from Charlestown and surrounding areas.”

“So what changes do you advise order to win this battle?” General Putnam asked, his eyes fixated on the map.

Lieutenant Kim smiled and used Paint to draw over the map. “The best course of action is to provoke a response in order to draw out the battle and then withdraw to a more defensible position. I have researched a bit on the battle and the British officers that we will be facing. If my thinking is correct, then the British will attempt to completely envelop and destroy us if we feint a retreat after their first assault. We should finish some fortifications on Breed’s Hill, but focus more on the fortifications of Bunker Hill. A small force, consisting of some of the best disciplined and skilled regiments, will hold Breed’s Hill and the surrounding flanks to delay the British advance. The regiments will blunt the first British assault, then retreat towards Bunker Hill in order to make the British believe that we are low on ammunition or that our lines are breaking. Once the British troops take the bait and move in towards Bunker Hill, we will play to our defensive advantage and inflict massive casualties on the British troops. After several volleys of fire, the British will either attempt to reinforce their assault with additional troops or retreat hastily back to the beaches. Since we will have a steady flow of reinforcements arriving at Bunker Hill, we should be able to fend off the British even if they received additional support. Once the British start retreating, we will advance and retake Breed’s Hill and fire at them while they retreat. From there, we will be able to refortify Breed’s Hill and gain the tactical advantage once again.”

By this point, the lieutenant had altered the map to fit his battle plan and the final drawing he made was a large arrow that pressed towards Morton’s Hill. Finishing his suggested plan, Lieutenant Kim turned to Colonel Prescott and Major General Putnam for his reply.

“It’s a bold move, but considering the information we have now, it is a very sound plan. I am usually not a general that likes to consider the specifics and troop numbers, but even I think this is a fairly logical course of action.” General Putnam replied after a moment of silence.

Colonel Prescott nodded his head. “This plan might be the key to our victory, but I must ask this. If the British believe that they will lose a large number of men assaulting Bunker Hill and choose to fortify Breed’s Hill, what will we do?”

“I have already accounted that possibility into the plan, Colonel. If the British troops decide to not press forward, then we will flank them with the regiments placed in Charlestown itself as seen on the map.” The lieutenant highlighted several small boxes that occupied the edge of the town. “As in the original battle, if we have several regiments stationed within the town and have them hide from the British, we can use them to flank the British position and cut off any reinforcements from reaching Breed’s Hill. Once these regiments begin the attack, we will move forward with our main forces and retake Breed’s Hill by force if necessary. We will take more casualties, but a flanking maneuver will make the British either split to fight two sides or to retreat completely.”

With that explanation, the colonel looked more at ease. “I still have a few minor worries about this plan, but I do not object to this plan.”

Before the two Continental officers could say anything, Lieutenant Kim interjected his thoughts into the conversation. “It is a dangerous plan and requires everything to go according to plan. Because of this, I volunteer to be at Breed’s Hill with the Garand to assist the regiments there.”

“No.” General Putnam instantly replied,” I apologize if I may sound rude, but you hold valuable information that can change the course of history. We can’t risk losing you in this minor battle when instead, you can alter entire wars in the near future. I insist that you stay behind at Bunker Hill and oversee the battle from there.”

“That may be so, general. But I will not be out in the open and firing my Garand like the others. Since the Garand has a further effective range and better accuracy than all muskets and rifles, I will be in an entrenched position on the hill and fire at the British to help push back the first assault. Unlike in the original battle, there will be fewer men up on Breed’s Hill and I can’t guarantee that they will succeed in driving the British back. But if I am firing with a Garand at the hill, I can ensure that at least the first wave will be decimated.” The Marine firmly stated. “If there are any signs of dangers, I will make sure to retreat along with the others.”

General Putnam looked conflicted, but he let out a sigh and straightened his uniform. “Even though I do not want to admit it, your suggestion makes sense. Even though I can have one of my best marksmen use your weapon, you are more used to this rifle than any of my men. And you were an officer for the United States military in your time. If you insist on being at Breed’s Hill during the initial attack, then I will give you an officer’s commission to lead the regiments defending the hill.”

“Sir. Even though he may be an officer from the future and have valuable insight, I do not think it is appropriate to immediately appoint him as an officer. All the regiments that we currently have already have officers leading them. It would be unwise to have a regimental commander removed and replaced right before a crucial battle such as this one.” Colonel Prescott looked at the uptime officer apologetically. “I do not doubt your skills or abilities, Lieutenant, but these men are not professional soldiers. Many of them are led by people they are familiar with or lived nearby. Changing commanders will affect morale and spread discontent amongst the militiamen.”

The commanding colonial general drummed his fingers onto the table. “Then perhaps there is a way to avoid that problem entirely. If we are to hold Breed’s Hill for some time with a minimal amount of troops, then we should have our most disciplined and skilled marksmen to occupy the hill. Out of the 1200 militiamen we currently have, we can find 400 men suitable for the task and place them under your command. We can assure the men that this will be an important task for our defense and guarantee that we will come to their aid should they be overwhelmed. It is important to make sure that they are not to be seen as sacrifices, which they will not be. Instead, they should be seen as the very best we have to fight against the British troops.”

Lieutenant Kim nodded in agreement. “I can assure you that I will do my best to wreck confusion in the British lines so that they will have to retreat after their first charge. I will make sure to do enough damage to deter them for some time, but not enough to cripple them to the point where they retreat in a disarray. Our goal is to defeat them utterly to the point where they are unable to withdraw the men they land. Otherwise, those same soldiers will come back to haunt us elsewhere, in New York or even Quebec.”

“Quebec? Will we take Quebec?” Colonel Prescott asked with confusion over his face.

With a grimace, the Korean-American shook his head. “No, at least, not in the future I come from. We take Montreal but fail to take Quebec. That could also change, but we must focus on the battle at hand.”

“I believe it is settled then. Mr. Samuel Kim, I formerly grant you the commission of Colonel of the Connecticut Militia. You will be assigned a regiment of 400 men, a “Marine” regiment if you will. You will take up position on Breed’s Hill and defend the position until the planned retreat. You are to bring victory not only for the colonies but for our future nation of the United States of America.”

Shockingly, as General Putnam said those words, the insignia on Lieutenant Kim’s uniform began to change. The emblem changed from a single silver bar to a silver eagle with arrows clutched in its claws. Colonel Prescott noted the oddity first and the other two men in the tent watched the transformation complete.

Silence reigned in the room for several seconds before Colonel Kim cleared his throat. "In the future, we have a saying that says "God is a Yankee." Perhaps that is why I was sent here and why he is still watching over me."