The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, June 17, 1775, (painting).

The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, June 17, 1775, (painting).

Trumbull, John, 1756-1843, painter.

The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, June 17, 1775, (painting).

Digital Reference:

72 1/2 x 108 1/16 in. (184.2 x 274.5 cm).

History painting depicting the Battle of Bunker's Hill when British troops occupying Boston tried to advance toward Charlestown and Dorchester. General Warren is seen shot and killed, lying on the ground in the arms of a fellow soldier in the middle of the battlefield. Standing above them to the right is British major John Small, who prevents his grenadier from bayoneting Warren in revenge for the death of an officer who lies dead at their feet. Just behind them, British major John Pitcairn falls dying into the arms of his son. On the opposite side of the painting, to the far left, General Putnam of Connecticut, raises his sword and orders the American troops to retreat. In the center background, the commander of the British troops, Gen. William Howe stands next to the white-haired Gen. Henry Clinton. On the lower right corner, Lieutenant Thomas Grosvenor of Connecticut watches the scene unfold. An unidentified African-American stands behind him. Some have identified him as Peter Salem, a free man who as a member of the army fought at the Battle of Bunker's Hill.

History -- United States -- Revolution

Portrait male -- Warren, Joseph -- Full length

Occupation -- Military -- General

Portrait male -- Small, John -- Full length

Ethnic -- British

Ethnic -- African American

Portrait male -- Pitcairn, John -- Full length

Portrait male -- Putnam, Israel -- Full length

Portrait male -- Howe, William -- Full length

Portrait male -- Clinton, Henry -- Full length

Portrait male -- Grosvenor, Thomas -- Full length

Architecture exterior -- Military -- Battlefield

State of Being -- Death

State of Being -- Evil -- War

Wadsworth Atheneum, 600 Main Street, Hartford, Connecticut 06103 Accession Number: 1844.1

Formerly in the collection of Trumbull, John, until 1843.

Purchased from Silliman, Benjamin, 1844.

Wadsworth Atheneum, 1974.

Sizer, Theodore, "The works of Colonel John Trumbull, artist of the American Revolution," Rev. ed., New Haven: Yale University Press, 1967.

Miller, Lillian B., "The Dye Is Now Cast: The Road to American Independence, 1774-1776," Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press (National Portrait Gallery), 1975.

Kornhauser, Elizabeth Mankin, "American Paintings Before 1945 in the Wadsworth Atheneum," New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 1996, pg. 735.

Miller, Lillian B., "The Dye Is Now Cast: The Road to American Independence, 1774-1776," Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press (National Portrait Gallery), 1975, pg. 128.

Kornhauser, Elizabeth Mankin, "American Paintings Before 1945 in the Wadsworth Atheneum," New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 1996, plate 127.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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