The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775. The American colonists were surrounding Boston which was full of British troops. Across the Charles River from Boston was the Charlestown Peninsula where the town of Charlestown and Breed’s Hill and Bunker Hill were located. The hills were of strategic importance because they overlooked the surrounding area, including Boston Harbor. The history of the Pine Tree as a symbol of New England predates the European colonial settlements. In eastern Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire and the southern corner of Maine, there lived a nomadic tribe of Native Americans known as the Penacook. “Penacook” is an Algonquin word meaning “Children of the Pine Tree.” flag-works.com