The Battle of Bunker Hill was actually fought on nearby Breed's Hill. The battle lasted just under 3 hours on June 17, 1775. The first assault by the British set Charlestown aflame. 2,000 British infantrymen approached while the Patriots held their fire by the famous command, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!” When they did fire it was almost at point-blank range, and the result was slaughter. The British front line collapsed in heaps of dead and wounded "as thick as sheep in a field." General Howe's entire staff was wiped out in the main attack.