Gun That Fired 1st Shot At Battle Of Bunker Hill: Up For Auction

WALTHAM, MA — The musket that historians believe fired the first shot at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the Revolutionary War is up for auction online. Auctioneers say it may be worth between $100,000 and $300,000. With seven days left to bid, six people have placed bids on the antique weapon bringing the current bid up to $75,000.

The story goes that on June 17, 1775, as New England soldiers faced the British army for the first time, Colonel William Prescott (or another commander) gave an order that has since become famous;"Don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes!"

But a private named John Simpson was a bit enthusiastic and didn't abide by the memo.

Simpson - who eventually became the grandfather of Ulysses S. Grant and great grandfather of Meriwether Lewis - fired the first shot. He was later lightly reprimanded for this mishap and went on to serve with honor throughout the war, eventually becoming a major, according to the auction notes.

Simpson was born in 1748 and died in 1825 in Deerfield, New Hampshire.

A historical marker in New Hampshire reads:

"MAJOR JOHN SIMPSON: Born in Deerfield and buried in Old Center Cemetery on road west, he gained fame by the unauthorized first shot at Bunker Hill while serving as a private in Captain Dearborn's Company of Colonel Stark's Regiment. Although reprimanded for this disobedience, he afterward served his country with honor."

The Dutch Type musket popular at the time - complete with bayonet - has been passed down in the family from John Simpson to the current owner, a Simpson descendant.

The musket was passed down to his son, Samuel Simpson, Sr. then to his grandson, Samuel N. Simpson, Jr. The musket then went to the current owner's maternal great-grandfather Charles Lyon Simpson. It was then given to his grandmother, then his mother, and finally, to the current owner.

The Dutch Type musket was featured in an article from "The Granite State Magazine" Volume 11, in 1906, on pages 14-19, where it is photographed with the commission and captioned "The gun that fired the first shot at Bunker Hill," according to auction notes.

Read more about the musket and its auction details.