Major John Pitcairn (28 December 1722 – 17 June 1775) was a Marine Service officer who was stationed in Boston, Massachusetts, at the start of the American War of Independence. Born in Scotland in 1722, Pitcairn joined the Naval Service at the age of 23 and was stationed in Canada during the French and Indian War serving as a captain of Marines. He arrived in Boston in 1774 and the next year was one of the leading officers of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, which marked the start of the American Revolution. Two months later in June, Pitcairn was killed in action during the Battle of Bunker Hill. Considered one of the most respected British officers by both his men and the colonists, he was buried at the Old North Church in Boston. Early life and education Pitcairn was born in 1722 in Dysart, a port town in Fife, Scotland. His parents were the Reverend David Pitcairn and Katherine (Hamilton) Pitcairn. An older brother, was William Pitcairn, who later became a botanist, doctor and president of the Royal College of Physicians. John Pitcairn entered the Marines when he was twenty-three, was commissioned as a lieutenant in 1746, served in Canada during the French and Indian War as a captain, and was promoted to major in 1771. In 1774 he arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, in command of 600 Marines assigned to support the British forces in the increasingly resistive colony. Career John Pitcairn was respected by the citizens in Boston as one of the more reasonable officers in the occupying force. He was in command of the advance party that marched on Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775, which began the American War of Independence. His horse was shot from under him, and he lost a pair of matched pistols when the column's baggage was abandoned. Patriot leader Israel Putnam would carry them through the rest of the war. Death At the Battle of Bunker Hill two months later, Major Pitcairn commanded a reserve force of about 300 Marines. They landed at the south end of the Charlestown peninsula. When the first assaults failed, Pitcairn led his men up the hill toward the American position. Although already being wounded by two gunshots, he led his men through the rebel trenches. When he entered the trenches, he was shot four times, including the final blow, which was a wound to