The Battle of Bunker Hill On the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, George E. Ellis, using original source documents and letters, creates an account of the Battle of Bunker Hill. Ellis explores the first hand accounts of both citizen and soldier. He provides us with the origins of the rebel soldier, elaborates on the attitude of the invading British army and the ensuing battle over the heights of Charlestown. Originally published in 1875. George Ellis (1814-1894) would become the President of The Massachusetts Historical Society, the oldest historical society in the United States, in 1887.