The Battle of Bunker Hill
In the months after Lexington and Concord, British leaders in Boston were under pressure to quash the colonial rebellion. British reinforcements arrived by sea, which they controlled. However, local militiamen had the city of Boston surrounded. They hoped to capture hills north of the city to begin a siege.
In early June, American spies learned the British were planning on sending troops out from the city to take the hills. In response, 1,200 colonial troops occupied Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill under cover of night.
On the morning of June 17, 1775, the British saw the militiamen fortifying the hill and mounted an attack. Two assaults on the colonial positions were repelled with significant British casualties. A third and final British attack captured the hills after the colonists ran out of ammunition.
The battle is named after Bunker Hill, which the Colonial and British troops both hoped to capture. However, most of fighting actually took place on nearby Breed's Hill.
While the battle was a British victory, they suffered heavy losses. It was also significant because it showed that inexperienced American colonial troops were able to stand up to the British army in battle. Lastly, the battle impelled the British to hire more Hessian troops for the conflict.
Next: The Battle of Quebec