heat shield. n. A barrier that prevents the heating of a space or an object by absorbing, reflecting, or dissipating external heat, especially a protective structure on a spacecraft or missile that dissipates heat on atmospheric reentry by melting and vaporizing. heat shield. n.
The Battle of Bunker Hill started when the colonists learned about the British plan to occupy Dorchester Heights. The colonists were understandably shaken by this news. They thought of this as the last straw, and they had to protect their land and freedom.
This Revolutionary War battle, which was supposed to have been fought on Bunker Hill, but which in fact took place on nearby Breeds Hill, gained the British a narrow victory. At the same time it encouraged the colonists to continue to fight.