The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill by John Trumbull

American Revolution era Boston was a place of great discord. Residents were standing on the precipice of a revolution that would symbolize freedom for centuries to come. Despite this turmoil, or perhaps due to it, a great deal of art came out of Boston around this time. From the silver pieces and political cartoons of Paul Revere to the masterpieces of portraiture by John Singleton Copley, there is no shortage of lovely works of art stemming from the American Revolution. Among these works of art are paintings, sketches and engravings of Revolutionary War occurrences, such as The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill by John Trumbull.

General Joseph Warren was once a simple doctor who cared for the people of Boston. He was a good man, but hardly the stuff of legendary paintings. Everything changed when he gave up his life as a doctor to help the militia on the night of April 18, 1775. That night, riders were sent out to warn the people of Massachusetts that the redcoats or regulars were marching out of Boston toward the outlying towns of Lexington and Concord. No one knew for sure why they were marching, but they meant to be prepared and Joseph Warren helped them prepare themselves. The following day, the regulars and the Massachusetts militia fought the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Joseph Warren served as a doctor to the wounded that day and went on to become a member of the Massachusetts militia himself. This action led to the events that take place (figuratively) in John Trumbull's painting.

John Trumbull was commissioned to do a painting of Joseph Warren by Warren's family after the American Revolution. The scene they wanted to have depicted? The death of the dear doctor and general at The Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775. You see, Joseph Warren was asked to lead at the Battle of Bunker Hill. However, he didn't just lead his men, he fought alongside them. He lived until the last leg of the battle, when he was struck in the head with a musket ball. History says that the great man died instantly, but that gory, tragic scene would not do for a romantic portrayal of a hero's death. Therefore, John Trumbull's The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill shows a very different scene.

With oil on canvas, Trumbull painted a boyish-looking Joseph Warren dying on Breed's Hill (the hill on which the battle was truly fought) surrounded by Continental soldiers in colonial dress (they were without uniform because the Continental Army was brand new) and fully uniformed "redcoats." Two of the Continental soldiers are protecting the dead or dying Warren from two redcoats who are poised to stab him. Two other redcoats are carrying off one of their own wounded. The battle rages on in the background of the painting. John Trumbull even added the British warships that could be seen off the coast of Charlestown that day.

The Death of General Warren of the Battle of Bunker Hill by John Trumbull is now one of the most recognized images of the American Revolution. Not only is the painting beautiful, it depicts the death of a man who was worthy of such recognition.