<P> The Massachusetts Committee of Safety, seeking to repeat the sort of propaganda victory it won following the battles at Lexington and Concord, commissioned a report of the battle to send to England . Their report, however, did not reach England before Gage's official account arrived on July 20 . His report unsurprisingly caused friction and argument between the Tories and the Whigs, but the casualty counts alarmed the military establishment, and forced many to rethink their views of colonial military capability . King George's attitude toward the colonies hardened, and the news may have contributed to his rejection of the Continental Congress' Olive Branch Petition, the last substantive political attempt at reconciliation . Sir James Adolphus Oughton, part of the Tory majority, wrote to Lord Dartmouth of the colonies, "the sooner they are made to Taste Distress the sooner will (Crown control over them) be produced, and the Effusion of Blood be put a stop to ." About a month after receiving Gage's report the Proclamation of Rebellion would be issued in response; this hardening of the British position would also lead to a hardening of previously weak support for the rebellion, especially in the southern colonies, in favor of independence . </P> <P> Gage's report had a more direct effect on his own career . His dismissal from office was decided just three days after his report was received, although General Howe did not replace him until October 1775 . Gage wrote another report to the British Cabinet, in which he repeated earlier warnings that "a large army must at length be employed to reduce these people", that would require "the hiring of foreign troops". </P> <P> Much has been written in the wake of this battle over how it was conducted . Both sides made strategic and tactical missteps which could have altered the outcome of the battle . While hindsight often gives a biased view, some things seem to be apparent after the battle that might reasonably have been within the reach of the command of the day . </P> <P> Years after the battle, and after Israel Putnam was dead, General Dearborn published an account of the battle in Port Folio magazine, accusing General Putnam of inaction, cowardly leadership and failing to supply reinforcements during the battle, which subsequently sparked a long lasting and major controversy among veterans of the war, various friends, family members and historians . People were shocked by the rancor of the attack, and this prompted a forceful response from defenders of Putnam, including such notables as John and Abigail Adams . Historian Harold Murdock wrote that Dearborn's account "abounds in absurd misstatements and amazing flights of imagination ." The Dearborn attack received considerable attention because at the time he was in the middle of considerable controversy himself . He had been relieved of one of the top commands in the War of 1812 due to his mistakes . He had also been nominated to serve as Secretary of War by President Monroe, but was rejected by the United States Senate (which was the first time that the Senate had voted against confirming a presidential cabinet choice). </P>

British soldiers in the battle of bunker hill