The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War.
The battle took place during the Siege of Boston, after colonial forces fortified the Charlestown Peninsula near Boston. British troops attacked the American position in an effort to control the nearby heights and harbor approaches. The British eventually captured the position, but suffered heavy losses.
Despite its name, most of the fighting occurred on Breed’s Hill rather than Bunker Hill. The battle kept the more familiar Bunker Hill name because Bunker Hill was the original objective and the peninsula’s main geographic landmark.
The engagement demonstrated that inexperienced colonial forces could resist professional British troops. Its high British casualties also influenced later British planning and contributed to the war’s reputation as a costly struggle from its earliest major battles.