Prescott was then a frontier town bordering upon Hollis N.H. William Prescott owned a house in Pepperell, Massachusetts, on Prescott Street. He married Abigail Hale (1733–1821) on April 13, 1758, and they had one child, who is named William Prescott Jr. Prescott was born in Groton, Massachusetts to Benjamin Prescott (1696–1738) and Abigail Oliver Prescott (1697–1765). It is debated whether Prescott or someone earlier coined this memorable saying. Prescott is known for his order to his soldiers, 'Do not fire until you see the whites of their eyes', such that the rebel troops may shoot at the enemy at shorter ranges, and therefore more accurately and lethally, and so conserve their limited stocks of ammunition. William Prescott (Febru– October 13, 1795) was an American colonel in the Revolutionary War who commanded the patriot forces in the Battle of Bunker Hill. Prescott stands right of center wearing all brown, just behind Captain Morgan in white John Trumbull's Surrender of General Burgoyne.
Colonel William Prescott's House (looking NW) in Pepperell, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.
