By Mark Stevens and Peter Josephson

As presented by Peter at Canterbury’s Memorial Day Observance – May 26,
2025.

In the weeks after the battles of Lexington and Concord, George Shannon and 13 others from Canterbury joined the company of Captain Gordon Hutchins of Concord, which became part of the First Regiment of New Hampshire under the command of Colonel John Stark. Soon these 14 were joined by more Canterburians; about two dozen of us Canterbury farmers fought in Stark’s regiment at Bunker Hill.

The Battle of Bunker Hill and Breed’s Hill wasn’t so much for the hills as it was for control of Boston Harbor. During the night of June 16 – to prevent the British from taking control of the hills, the harbor and the city of Boston – 1,200 American troops occupied the hills and built fortifications. George Shannon of Canterbury was one of them.

The British woke up to the news and began their attacks almost immediately; the first volleys were launched at about 5 o’clock that morning. The New Hampshire riflemen met the British first on the beach, the front line. We held our fire, you know – until the British came within 150 feet of our barricades, and closer. When we finally let loose a volley, they were almost at point-blank range. The British General Howe’s entire staff was wiped out in that first attack.

We were outnumbered almost two to one, and outgunned by British cannon, but we sent them back down the hill twice. Their third assault was too much. The battle lasted almost three hours. When we were out of gunpowder we started throwing rocks. The British brought in their ships and artillery, and it was just too much, and the reinforcements we’d hoped for didn’t come.

More than 400 of us were dead or wounded; the number on the British side was twice that – more than a thousand.

Thirty-three of us from New Hampshire died at Bunker Hill, including John Manuel of Boscawen, James Reed of Henniker, William Mitchell of Concord, Major Andrew McClary of Epsom – and George Shannon of Canterbury.

We showed that we Americans could fight regular British army, and when people saw what New England farmers could do, they rallied ’round the cause. Two weeks later George Washington arrived in Cambridge and took command, and the Congress in Philadelphia established our Continental Army.

George Shannon was 32 years old when he fought and died at Bunker Hill. He left behind his widowed wife, Mercy, and their six-year-old son, John. They lived near the intersection of Ayers Road and Borough Road. After the battle, their Canterbury neighbors, and the Glines family especially, took care of Mercy and John.

June 2025 marks the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill. Today, Canterbury honors George Shannon and all the Canterbury citizen-soldiers who served in the war for American independence by erecting this memorial in the corner of the Center Cemetery.

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Rev. Becky Josephson’s dedication of the George Shannon monument – May 26, 2025

With deep solemnity and great hope, We dedicate this monument to the memory of a son of Canterbury, George Shannon, and to his sacrifice at the Battle of Bunker Hill, 250 years ago.

May this marker long stand to remind us of his courage and his dedication to the cause of a new, independent, nation. And may it inspire us to lives of service to the common good. And to our nation’s promise of life, liberty, and justice – for all.

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The Memorial:
Canterbury resident John Goegel, a former U.S. Army captain and chair of the town Cemetery Trustees, is the inspiration behind the George Shannon monument.

While visiting Bunker Hill, he saw a monument dedicated to New Hampshire soldiers who died there. He also learned of George Shannon, who was buried in the Salem Street Burying Ground in nearby Medford, Mass., along with his fallen New Hampshire neighbors. Their names and hometowns also are memorialized on a monument at the Bunker Hill Training Field in Boston.

John proposed that a monument be erected in Canterbury in memory of Shannon and other Revolutionary War patriots. He designed the granite slab, sought estimates and secured necessary approvals. John also began soliciting donations so the monument would not be funded by taxes. The Canterbury Cemetery Association, also known as Friends of the Cemetery, a 501-C3 non-profit organization, accepted the donations and paid the invoices.

The stone is gray granite — 42″ high, 18” wide and 4” deep, with an arched top.

With gratitude to those who contributed to and made this project possible:

• Debbie Allen
• Charlie Beede (stonemason)
• Susan and Dale (Capt, USMC) Caswell
• Michael and Jan Cote
• Richard, Susan, and Adam Decato
• Timothy Gershin and Olivia Henry
• Colin and Katrina Goegel
• John Patrick Goegel
• Moira Goegel
• Kate and John (Capt, USA) Goegel
• Nancy and Charles Hacking
• Mark and Doris Hampton
• Thomas Kelly
• Beth Koester
• Jeff Marcoux and Joanna Nugent
• Lance and Kathleen Messinger
• Diane Modugno
• Sam Papps
• Kent Ruesswick and Doneta Fisher
• Chuck and Wendy Sanborn
• Bob and Ellen Scarponi
• Mark Stevens (CMSgt., USAF)
• Mark and Brenda Travis
• Ron Turcotte and Judy Nelson
• Canterbury Cemetery Association
• Canterbury Fund
• Canterbury Historical Society

Contributions were also made as special remembrances: 

• In Honor of John Forbes, 1LT, USA (Vietnam, 1970-71)
• In Memory of Francis Egan, Capt., USAF (KIA 12/19/1972, Vietnam).

Photos:

1. The George Shannon monument.
2. Canterbury historian Mark Stevens and stonemason Charlie Beede prepare the monument site.
3. Captain Dale Caswell, USMC (Ret.) salutes the monument – May 26, 2025.
4. Salem Street Burying Ground Marker honoring NH soldiers killed at Bunker Hill.
5. Bunker Hill Training Field monument honoring NH soldiers killed at Bunker Hill.
6. John Goegel’s original monument design.
7. Canterbury’s Civil War and George Shannon monuments at the Center Cemetery.