Peter Salem, an emancipated slave, served with distinction in the Continental Army. While he participated in several key Revolutionary War battles, Salem became a legend for killing British Major John Pitcairn during the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Early Life
Peter Salem was born into slavery on October 1, 1750, in Framingham, Massachusetts. In 1775, Salem was sold to Major Lawson Buckminster, who emancipated him so he could enlist in the Massachusetts militia. Salem fought with other Black Minutemen at the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Salem was later transferred to Captain Thomas Drury’s company, which was part of Colonel John Nixon’s 5th Massachusetts Regiment.
Battle of Bunker Hill
As a member of Col. John Nixon’s regiment, Salem was sent to fortify the Patriot’s position at Breed’s Hill. According to members of the Continental Army, Salem fired the single shot that killed British Major John Pitcairn at the end of the Battle of Bunker Hill. However, members of the British Regular Army reported that four different shooters were fired at him Major Pitcairn. The Patriot version of the encounter became legend and may have been memorialized in John Trumbull’s famous painting, “The Battle of Bunker Hill.”
Salem served in Colonel John Nixon’s 6th Massachusetts Regiment from April 24, 1775 to December 31, 1779, reenlisting in the Continental Army several times.He fought at the Battles of Harlem Heights, and Trenton, and later the Battles of Saratoga, Monmouth, and Stony Point. Salem was honorably discharged in 1779 before enlisting for one more year.
Later Life
After leaving the military, Salem married Katy Benson in 1783. Records show that the marriage was dissolved, and Salem built a cabin near Leicester, Massachusetts. He worked as a cane weaver, also making baskets and repairing chairs in an attempt to support himself.
Salem died on August 16, 1816, at the age of 65. He was buried in a pauper’s grave in the Old Burying Ground in Framingham, Massachusetts. The town later erected a monument to honor his service in the Revolutionary War.
