Battle of Bunker Hill Fought in American Revolution

Context

By the spring of 1775, New England militia companies had gathered around Boston to contain the British garrison following the clashes at Lexington and Concord. More than 15,000 provincial troops from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island had assembled under senior commander Artemas Ward, aiming to prevent further British sorties and eventually force the redcoats from the city once artillery and supplies arrived. British General Thomas Gage commanded roughly 5,000 regulars in Boston and recognized two key positions from which artillery could threaten his forces: Dorchester Heights to the south and the hills on the Charlestown Peninsula across the Charles River to the north.

What Happened

On the evening of June 16, Colonel William Prescott led about 1,000 Massachusetts and Connecticut troops onto the Charlestown Peninsula with orders to fortify Bunker Hill. By a decision never fully explained, the men instead constructed a redoubt atop the lower but more exposed Breed's Hill and extended a breastwork northward toward the Mystic River. British lookouts spotted the new works at dawn on June 17. Gage immediately ordered Major General William Howe to lead more than 2,000 troops across the river to dislodge the Americans. British warships and batteries on Copp's Hill opened a cannonade that continued through the morning while the provincials strengthened their position.

Howe divided his force into two wings. Brigadier General Robert Pigot advanced directly against the redoubt from the southeast, while Howe attempted to turn the American left flank along the Mystic River bank. The first British assaults were met with disciplined fire from behind the redoubt, breastwork, and a rail fence reinforced with hay and brush; the attackers were driven back with significant losses. On the third advance, British troops finally stormed the redoubt after the defenders' ammunition ran low. Prescott's men, many without bayonets, withdrew under pressure, covered by reinforcements under General Israel Putnam and troops at the fence line. The British secured the peninsula by late afternoon.

Aftermath

The British occupied Breed's Hill and Bunker Hill but at a cost of more than 1,000 casualties, including many officers. American losses totaled roughly 450 killed, wounded, or captured. The heavy toll shocked British commanders and prompted Gage to reassess plans for further offensive operations around Boston. News of the fight spread quickly through the colonies, arriving in Philadelphia just as the Second Continental Congress was organizing a continental army.

Legacy

Although a tactical defeat, the battle demonstrated that hastily raised colonial militia could stand their ground against professional British infantry, boosting recruitment and morale across New England. The high British casualties contributed to a more cautious strategy in the months that followed and helped persuade Congress to appoint George Washington as commander-in-chief. Historians have long noted the engagement as the first major pitched battle of the Revolution and a formative moment that underscored both the determination and the logistical limitations of the American forces.