Which 1775 battle is known as the first major battle of the American Revolution?

The Battle of Bunker Hill is known as the first major battle of the American Revolution.

The battle took place on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston. Colonial forces fortified Breed’s Hill on the Charlestown Peninsula, while British troops launched repeated assaults to dislodge them. The British eventually captured the position, but they suffered heavy casualties.

Although the battle is called Bunker Hill, most of the fighting occurred on nearby Breed’s Hill. The colonial defenders were famously associated with the instruction to conserve ammunition, often paraphrased as “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes,” though the exact speaker and wording remain debated.

The British victory was costly: their losses were more than twice the colonial losses. The battle demonstrated that inexperienced colonial troops could stand against regular British soldiers and helped persuade the Second Continental Congress to continue organizing an army.