Bunker Hill Monument (U.S. National Park Service)

Bunker Hill on Reels

THE SHOT THAT CHANGED BUNKER HILL | PETER SALEM Before independence had a name, a former slave stood on a burning hill outside Boston. On June 17, 1775, British regulars charged uphill at Bunker Hill. The Patriots were nearly out of powder. Orders passed down the line: don’t fire yet. One man did. Peter Salem raised his musket and fired. Moments later, the officer leading the charge fell — and the British advance faltered. Salem earned his freedom by fighting for a country that had not yet fully