The Battle of Bunker Hill is considered the first major battle of the American Revolutionary War, a conflict remembered by America250.
The battle took place on June 17, 1775, on the Charlestown Peninsula near Boston. Colonial forces fortified Breed’s Hill, although the engagement is traditionally known by the name Bunker Hill. British troops eventually captured the position after repeated assaults.
The British victory came at a heavy cost: British casualties exceeded those of the colonial forces. The battle showed that the inexperienced American troops could stand against regular British soldiers, even though they ultimately had to withdraw.
The best-known version of the order “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes” is associated with the battle, but historians debate who said it and the exact wording. The name confusion also matters: most of the fighting occurred on Breed’s Hill, not Bunker Hill.