Colonel William Prescott commanded the Colonial forces (New England militia) at the Battle of Bunker Hill. He oversaw the overnight construction of the redoubt on top of Breed's Hill - where the Bunker Hill Monument now stands. He is effectively considered to have been the commander of the redoubt. When dawn broke and British cannon opened fire on his position, accounts identify Prescott walking on top of the dirt walls of the redoubt, showing the men they had nothing to fear under fire.This over life-sized bronze statue shows him with his sword—the symbol of command—in his right hand. With his left hand, he signals his troops to hold their fire, waiting for the enemy to draw nearer. Before the battle, Prescott put aside his heavy uniform coat and tricorn hat in favor of a lightweight coat and shady hat. The cast-off military attire is shown at Prescott`s feet. The statue is the work of the American sculptor William Wetmore Story, who lived in Rome. It was cast there and erected beside the Bunker Hill monument in 1881. Courtesy of Boston Art Commission.
