JUNE 17

The Battle of Bunker Hill is sometimes called the Battle of Breed's Hill, because the majority of the fighting took place on Breed's Hill. Both hills are located close to one another in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston. The American Colonist troops retreated over Bunker Hill to Cambridge where they found safety.

So, why do we celebrate a battle that the American Colonists lost to the British? Well, even though the British "won" the battle, their casualties were much more significant than the colonist's casualties. 1,054 of the British 3,000 soldiers were wounded or killed. 450 of the 2,400 colonist soldiers were killed. The British won the battle, but at a great cost, this is referred to as a Pyrrhic victory. The American Colonists lost this battle, but it allowed them to win future battles - and eventually the Revolutionary War.

You can visit the Bunker Hill Monument, located on Breed's Hill in Charlestown. It is a 220 foot high obelisk that marks where most of the fighting took place. One of the most famous American Colonists killed in the battle was Dr. Joseph Warren. A portrait of him, painted by John Singleton Copley in 1765, hangs in the Museum of Fine Arts.

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