Bunker Hill Day
Americans celebrate the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17th annually. Also known as the Battle of Breed’s Hill, it took place during the Revolutionary War in 1775 during the Siege of Boston.
Bunker Hill Day is celebrated with history themed events that often take place at museums, schools, or memorial sites. Celebrations may feature ceremonies, reenactments, historical exhibits, including Native American displays, and concerts.
Suffolk County, where the battle took place, considers the day a public holiday and has the most prominent Bunker Hill Day celebrations. A parade takes place in Charlestown, Massachusetts featuring marching bands and other types of musical groups, military servicemen, athletic groups, fire-fighting units, policemen on horses or motorcycles, and floats. Many historical groups associated with the holiday also partake. Some walk the Freedom Trail, a tour that includes the Bunker Hill Monument.
About the Battle of Bunker Hill
In the early days of the Revolutionary War on June 16, 1775, British forces attacked a unit of about 1,200 American troops led by Colonel William Prescott after a ship in the British Navy saw Prescott’s unit fortifying Breed’s Hill. This hill, along with Bunker Hill, is one of two that sit on the Charlestown Peninsula, which reaches into the Boston Harbor. After running out of ammunition, Prescott’s troops retreated to Cambridge, which is past Bunker Hill, but lost the majority of their troops on Bunker Hill.
The British suffered more casualties with 226 dead to the colonist’s 115, but the objective was to capture Bunker Hill. However, the colonists, who even considered themselves inexperienced and unorganized, defended against two different assaults from the British before succumbing to the third, which was due to shortage of supplies rather than ability. This gave many colonists hope for revolution.
