June 17, 1775, was the bloodiest day of the American Revolution. The southern slope of Breed’s Hill (mistakenly known today as Bunker Hill) was strewn with nearly 1200 wounded and dying British Red Coats. On the top of the hill, inside a hastily built earthen parapet, lay the bodies of nearly 150 American militiamen who fought, died, and failed to hold the hill against the king’s army.

Since that day, the people of Boston have gathered countless times to commemorate the Battle of Bunker Hill. Poets, writers, sculptors, and painters have produced endless images of the men who stood at that parapet. These images have been almost universally white. But thanks to George Quintal, this might change.

Using his skills as a compiler and genealogist, and with support from the National Park Service, Quintal has spent years searching archives and manuscript collections, visiting libraries and cemeteries in a determined quest to find the records of men of color who fought for independence. Thanks to him we know now that the Americans who defended Breed’s Hill were a diverse lot.

Quintal documents more than 100 black and Native American patriots present on the hill. Eleven of these men were Mohegan, Mashpee, and Pequot Indians. Twenty-nine-year-old Samuel Ashbow, a Mohegan, died in the battle. Rebecca Tanner, another Mohegan, had two sons in the battle. During the Revolution, she lost five sons in the cause of liberty. More than 40 Massachusetts towns sent men of color into battle. Andover sent five black citizens. Stoneham sent six. Framingham and Natick sent five each. Newbury and Charlestown each sent four. Amesbury, Dracut, and Medford sent three each.

Quintal’s work reminds us once again that history can be blind, narrow, and wrong. Too often what we thought was true about the past is simply a reflection of our own biases.

On Monday, June 16, the Old South Church will host a discussion titled " Patriots of Color at the Battle of Bunker Hill. " The free lecture takes place at 7 p.m.