The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned. In the weeks following the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord, Colonial militia and volunteers rallied around Boston to besiege Lt. Gen. Thomas Gage’s British garrison. But when reinforcements arrived from England, Gage devised a plan to regain the initiative by occupying Dorchester Heights south of town. When the Colonials heard of Gage’s plan, however, they preempted him by occupying different high ground ? the heights of Bunker Hill near Charlestown. When Gage awoke on 17 June to the sight of rebel positions on Breed’s Hill, he quickly attacked in what would be the first pitched battle of the American Revolution. The misnamed Battle of Bunker Hill would prove a costly and shocking victory for the British, while giving the Colonials faith in their militias and an important boost of confidence for the long struggle ahead.

A concise summary of the fight that sparked the American Revolution, with key facts, maps, images, historical significance, and more. Tension between Britain and her North American colonies had been building for years. After numerous protests and acts of defiance, things took a serious turn after the December 1773 Boston Tea Party, when an irate King George III and Parliament took more drastic action to teach their rebellious citizens in Massachusetts a lesson. After they shut down Boston’s port, dissolved elected government, and placed the colony under military occupation, the dry tinder of Colonial resentment was ready to ignite. The spark came on the morning of April 19, 1775, as a British force moved west to destroy military supplies secretly stored in Concord. When the column came upon a small company of militia waiting on Lexington Green, the fateful “shot heard round the world” rang out—and the American Revolution had begun. Learn about this world-changing encounter in this summary that includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned.