Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes

¹ Cultural  

1. Don't react to a situation too early. This saying comes from an order allegedly given by American officer William Prescott at the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War.

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Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes ² Cultural  

1. A famous command attributed to William Prescott, an American officer, at the Battle of Bunker Hill in the Revolutionary War. Prescott may have said “color” rather than “whites.”

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Prescott's command has become a proverb, meaning “Don't act before you have some chance of success.”

Example Sentences

Putnam’s grandfather, Gen. Israel Putnam, perhaps best known to history for uttering the admonition “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes” to soldiers in his command during the Battle of Bunker Hill, was among Revolutionary War officers who received Northwest Territory land grants as a reward for their service.

From Washington Times

I was going to get a bag to haul them away and chop them up for our compost heap, but first I took a break and drank all the milk and then Mom caught me making a mess in the kitchen and chased me back to my room and I started reading about the Revolutionary War’s Battle of Bunker Hill and General Prescott’s order to his men: “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!”

From Literature

Stories about the episode are believed to have popularised the famous order "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes".

From The Guardian

“Do be cautious in approaching such deadly foes,” said Sahwah in a tone of mock anxiety, as Migwan came along with the sprayer, “take careful aim, and don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.”

From Project Gutenberg

Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes.

From Time Magazine Archive