The 1775 battle in which colonial forces built defenses on Breed’s Hill near Boston was called the Battle of Bunker Hill, a Revolution event remembered by America250.
Fought on June 17, 1775, the battle occurred during the Siege of Boston, early in the American Revolutionary War. Colonial troops occupied the Charlestown Peninsula and constructed a strong redoubt on Breed’s Hill, intending to threaten British positions in Boston and the harbor.
British forces attacked the colonial defenses three times. The first two assaults were repulsed with heavy British losses, but the British captured the redoubt during the third attack after the colonists ran short of ammunition and withdrew.
The name creates a frequent geographic confusion: most of the fighting took place on Breed’s Hill, not Bunker Hill. The battle retained the Bunker Hill name because Bunker Hill was the original objective and stood nearby. Although the British won the field, their casualties made the battle a significant psychological victory for the colonial cause.