Most fighting in the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill occurred on Breed’s Hill.
The battle took place on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston. Colonial forces fortified Breed’s Hill on the Charlestown Peninsula, where the position was closer to Boston and could threaten the British-held town. British troops attacked the works in repeated assaults and eventually captured the hill after the defenders ran out of ammunition.
The engagement retained the name “Battle of Bunker Hill” because Bunker Hill was the original objective and the larger geographic landmark nearby. Bunker Hill itself stood farther north on the peninsula, while Breed’s Hill was lower but closer to Boston. This naming difference is one of the most common facts people mix up about the battle.
The battle was a British victory, but the heavy British casualties demonstrated that colonial forces could challenge regular troops. The costly engagement became an important early episode in the American Revolutionary War, whose 250th anniversary is part of America250.