The 200-foot granite obelisk which towers above Charlestown commemorates the day when Colonel William Prescott of the Continental army stood with his small force on nearby Breed's Hill and held off wave after wave of attack by British regulars on June 17, 1775—called the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Their ammunition running low, Colonel Prescott cried to his men, "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!"

When their ammunition was exhausted the Americans were forced to retreat, but the battle had caused grievous casualties to Boston's British garrison.

American losses were light. Most of Charlestown surrounding the hill was burnt by the British during the engagement.

Construction began on the monument in 1828, a half-century after the battle.

There's a fine view of Charlestown, the Charlestown Navy Yard and the USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides"), and the city of Boston from the top, 294 steps up (no elevator!)