Peter Salem
A Minuteman at Bunker Hill
On April 19, 1775, the minutemen of Framingham, Massachusetts, marched toward Concord. British soldiers were on the road from Boston. One of the Framingham men was Peter Salem. A few weeks before, he had been enslaved.
Freed to Join the Army
Salem was born into slavery around 1750 in Framingham. A person in slavery is owned by someone else and works for no pay. His first owner was Jeremiah Belknap. In early 1775 Belknap sold him to Lawson Buckminster. Buckminster led the Framingham minutemen. Minutemen were farmers who promised to be ready to fight in a minute. Buckminster set Salem free so he could join. No one knows for sure where the name Salem came from.
Bunker Hill
After Concord, the American soldiers gathered around Boston. On the night of June 16, 1775, they dug a small dirt fort on Breed's Hill. The next day the British attacked it. This fight is called the Battle of Bunker Hill. Salem fought in the fort. The Americans ran out of gunpowder. Then the British took the hill. But more than 1,000 British soldiers were killed or hurt.
A British officer named John Pitcairn was killed in the attack on the fort. In 1818 a writer said that "a black soldier named Salem" shot him. Other men said they fired the shot. No one knows for sure who did. Another Black soldier, Salem Poor, fought there too. People sometimes mix up the two men.
Five Years a Soldier
Salem joined the army again and again. In 1776 he fought at Trenton. In 1777 he was at Saratoga. In 1779 he was at Stony Point. His service ended in March 1780. He had been a soldier for almost five years.
After the War
In 1783 Salem married Katy Benson. Later he lived in Leicester, Massachusetts. He built a cabin there. He wove cane seats for chairs and made baskets. He was poor. He died in Framingham on August 16, 1816. The town paid for his grave. In 1882 the town put up a stone for him. It says "A Soldier of the Revolution."
Key facts to use in your script
For your Hook
- He was born into slavery in Framingham, Massachusetts, around 1750.
- His owner set him free so he could join the minutemen.
- He fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775.
For your Story
- A writer in 1818 said Salem shot the British officer John Pitcairn.
- No one knows for sure who fired that shot.
- Salem kept serving for almost five years.
- Another Black soldier, Salem Poor, fought at Bunker Hill too.
For your Wrap
- After the war Salem was free but poor.
- He wove cane seats for chairs in Leicester, Massachusetts.
- He died in 1816, and in 1882 his town put up a stone for him.
Source Spotlight: A Document from the Time
Nell, The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution Published 1855
William C. Nell was a Black writer who worked to end slavery. In 1855 he wrote a book about Black soldiers in the Revolution. White writers had left those soldiers out, and Nell wanted to put them back in the record. Here he quotes Samuel Swett, who wrote a history of Bunker Hill in 1818. Nell wrote 80 years after the battle. He uses the word "colored," the usual word for Black people in his time.
Simplified version, not the source. These are not the writer’s words, so do not quote them. To quote, use the original words below.
Swett wrote a book about the Battle of Bunker Hill. In it he tells of a Black man in that fight. He says: "[…] He was at Bunker Hill. A historian says that Major Pitcairn climbed up the fort wall. Pitcairn shouted, "The day is ours!" Then a Black soldier named Salem shot him, and he fell. […] The men in the army gave money to the Black soldier. They took him to Washington and said he was the one who did it."
Salem was not the only one. Many Black soldiers fought at Bunker Hill. Titus Coburn, Alexander Ames and Barzilai Lew came from Andover. Cato Howe came from Plymouth. Each of them later got a pension. A pension is money paid to an old soldier.
Nell's footnote: In some old prints of the battle, this Black soldier stands in a clear spot. But in newer copies, he is gone. Nell says this is an important thing to leave out, and a shameful one. […]
Read the original (the real words you can quote)
Swett, in his "Sketches of Bunker Hill Battle," (refers to; mentions) to the presence of a colored man in that fight. He says: — "[…] He appeared at Bunker Hill, and, says the historian, 'Among those who mounted the works was the gallant Major Pitcairn, who (triumphantly; boastfully) cried out, "The day is ours!" when a black soldier named Salem shot him through, and he fell. […]' A contribution was made in the army for the colored soldier, and he was presented to Washington as having performed this feat."
Besides Salem, there were quite a number of colored soldiers at Bunker Hill. Among them, Titus Coburn, Alexander Ames, and Barzilai Lew, all of Andover; and also Cato Howe, of Plymouth, — each of whom received a pension.
Nell's footnote: In some engravings of the battle, this colored soldier occupies a prominent position; but in more recent editions, his figure is (Latin: 'he is not found'). A significant, but inglorious omission. […]
Make it yours: Nell's footnote says Peter Salem was taken out of the picture, copy by copy. Tell what the footnote says in your own words. Then say why Nell thought it mattered.
William C. Nell, The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution (Boston, 1855), quoting Samuel Swett · See the source
On the morning of April 19, 1775, the minutemen of Framingham, Massachusetts, marched toward Concord. Word had come that British soldiers were on the road from Boston. One of the men in Captain Simon Edgell's company was Peter Salem. A few weeks earlier he had been enslaved.
Freed to Enlist
Salem was born into slavery around 1750 in Framingham. His first enslaver was Jeremiah Belknap, who sold him early in 1775 to Lawson Buckminster. Buckminster was a major who commanded Framingham's minutemen, farmers who promised to be ready to fight at a minute's notice. He freed Salem so that Salem could enlist. Some other enslavers in Massachusetts also freed men so they could serve. No one knows for sure where the name Salem came from. It was not the name of either family that had owned him.
The Fort on Breed's Hill
After Lexington and Concord, the militia gathered around Boston, and Salem joined Colonel John Nixon's regiment. On the night of June 16, 1775, the Americans dug a redoubt, a small fort made of packed earth, on Breed's Hill above Charlestown. The next day the British attacked it. The fight is known as the Battle of Bunker Hill. The Americans drove back two attacks, but each man had only about thirteen cartridges. When the gunpowder ran out, the British took the hill. More than 1,000 British soldiers were killed or wounded that day.
Major John Pitcairn of the British marines was killed in the attack on the redoubt. In 1818 Samuel Swett wrote a history of the battle that said "a black soldier named Salem shot him through, and he fell." Other men also claimed the shot, and one early account said four musket balls hit Pitcairn. Historians cannot say who fired the shot that killed him. Another Black soldier, Salem Poor, fought at Bunker Hill that day, and his officers later praised him in a letter to the Massachusetts government. The two men are sometimes confused.
Five Years a Soldier
Salem enlisted again and again. In 1776 he fought at Harlem Heights and Trenton. In 1777 he signed up for three more years and was at Saratoga. In 1779 he was at Stony Point, where American light infantry stormed a British fort on the Hudson River at night. His service ended on March 1, 1780, almost five years after he marched to Concord.
A Cabin in Leicester
In September 1783 Salem married Katy Benson. He later settled in Leicester, Massachusetts, where he built a cabin and earned a living weaving cane seats for chairs, making baskets and mending chairs. He grew old poor. He died in Framingham on August 16, 1816. The town buried him in a pauper's grave, a grave paid for by the town because he had no money. In 1882 the town put a granite monument over it. The stone reads "A Soldier of the Revolution."
Key facts to use in your script
For your Hook
- Born into slavery in Framingham, Massachusetts, around 1750.
- Freed in early 1775 by Lawson Buckminster, the commander of Framingham's minutemen, so he could enlist.
- He marched to Concord on April 19, 1775, and fought at Bunker Hill on June 17.
For your Story
- Samuel Swett's 1818 history said "a black soldier named Salem" shot Major John Pitcairn; historians cannot confirm it.
- Another Black soldier, Salem Poor, was praised by his officers for Bunker Hill and is sometimes confused with him.
- He reenlisted again and again and served at Trenton, Saratoga and Stony Point.
For your Wrap
- After the war he lived in Leicester, Massachusetts, weaving cane chair seats and making baskets.
- He died poor in Framingham on August 16, 1816, and was buried in a pauper's grave.
- In 1882 the Town of Framingham put a granite monument on his grave.
Source Spotlight: A Document from the Time
Nell, The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution Published 1855
William C. Nell was a Black historian and abolitionist, a person who worked to end slavery. In 1855 he published a book about Black soldiers in the Revolution, because white historians were leaving them out of the record. Here he quotes Samuel Swett, who wrote a history of the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1818. Nell was writing 80 years after the battle. He uses the word "colored," which was the usual word for Black people in his time.
Simplified version, not the source. These are not the writer’s words, so do not quote them. To quote, use the original words below.
Swett, in his book on the Battle of Bunker Hill, mentions that a Black man was in that fight. He says: "[…] He appeared at Bunker Hill. A historian says that Major Pitcairn climbed onto the fort walls and shouted, "The day is ours!" Then a Black soldier named Salem shot him through, and he fell. […] The men in the army collected money for the Black soldier. He was presented to Washington as the man who had done this."
Besides Salem, there were quite a few Black soldiers at Bunker Hill. Among them were Titus Coburn, Alexander Ames and Barzilai Lew, all from Andover, and Cato Howe from Plymouth. Each of them later received a pension, money paid to an old soldier.
Nell's footnote: In some printed pictures of the battle, this Black soldier stands in a clear spot. But in newer editions, his figure cannot be found. Nell calls this an important thing to leave out, and a shameful one. […]
Read the original (the real words you can quote)
Swett, in his "Sketches of Bunker Hill Battle," (refers to; mentions) to the presence of a colored man in that fight. He says: — "[…] He appeared at Bunker Hill, and, says the historian, 'Among those who mounted the works was the gallant Major Pitcairn, who (triumphantly; boastfully) cried out, "The day is ours!" when a black soldier named Salem shot him through, and he fell. […]' A contribution was made in the army for the colored soldier, and he was presented to Washington as having performed this feat."
Besides Salem, there were quite a number of colored soldiers at Bunker Hill. Among them, Titus Coburn, Alexander Ames, and Barzilai Lew, all of Andover; and also Cato Howe, of Plymouth, — each of whom received a pension.
Nell's footnote: In some engravings of the battle, this colored soldier occupies a prominent position; but in more recent editions, his figure is (Latin: 'he is not found'). A significant, but inglorious omission. […]
Make it yours: Nell's footnote catches Peter Salem being painted out of the picture, edition by edition. Retell what the footnote says in your own words, and explain why Nell thought it mattered.
William C. Nell, The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution (Boston, 1855), quoting Samuel Swett · See the source
On the morning of April 19, 1775, the minutemen of Framingham, Massachusetts, marched toward Concord. Word had come that British soldiers were on the road from Boston. One of the men in Captain Simon Edgell's company was Peter Salem. A few weeks earlier he had been enslaved.
Freed to Enlist
Salem was born into slavery around 1750 in Framingham, where his mother was also enslaved. His first enslaver was Jeremiah Belknap, who sold him early in 1775 to Lawson Buckminster. Buckminster was a major in the militia and commanded Framingham's minutemen, militia who promised to be ready to fight at a minute's notice. He freed Salem so that Salem could enlist. In Massachusetts, some enslavers freed men so they could serve in the army. No one knows for sure where the name Salem came from. It was not the name of either family that had owned him.
The Redoubt on Breed's Hill
After Lexington and Concord, the militia gathered around Boston, and Salem joined Captain Thomas Drury's company in Colonel John Nixon's regiment. On the night of June 16, 1775, American soldiers dug a redoubt, a small fort of packed earth, on Breed's Hill above Charlestown. The next day the British attacked it. The fight is known as the Battle of Bunker Hill. The Americans drove back two attacks, but each man had only about thirteen cartridges, and when the powder ran out the British took the hill on their third try. The British won the hill and lost more than 1,000 men killed or wounded.
Major John Pitcairn of the British marines was killed in the attack on the redoubt. In 1818 Samuel Swett wrote a history of the battle that said "a black soldier named Salem shot him through, and he fell." Other men claimed the shot too, and one early account said four musket balls hit Pitcairn. Historians cannot say who fired the shot that killed him. Another Black soldier, Salem Poor, fought at Bunker Hill that day, and in December 1775 a group of officers signed a petition, a written request to the government, calling him a brave and gallant soldier. The two men are sometimes confused.
Five Years a Soldier
Salem reenlisted again and again. In 1776 he served in the 4th Continental Regiment and fought at Harlem Heights and Trenton. On January 1, 1777, he signed up for three more years. He was at Saratoga in 1777 and at Stony Point in 1779, where American light infantry stormed a British fort on the Hudson River at night. His service ended on March 1, 1780, almost five years after he marched to Concord.
A Cabin in Leicester
In September 1783 Salem married Katy Benson. He later settled in Leicester, Massachusetts, where he built a cabin and earned a living weaving cane seats for chairs, making baskets and mending chairs. He grew old poor. He died in Framingham on August 16, 1816, and the town buried him in a pauper's grave, a grave paid for by the town because he had no money. In 1882 the Town of Framingham spent $150 on a granite monument for it. The stone reads "A Soldier of the Revolution."
Key facts to use in your script
For your Hook
- Born enslaved around 1750 in Framingham; owned by Jeremiah Belknap, then by Lawson Buckminster, who freed him so he could enlist.
- He marched with Captain Simon Edgell's minutemen on April 19, 1775, a few weeks after being freed.
- At Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, he fought in the redoubt on Breed's Hill with Colonel John Nixon's regiment.
For your Story
- Samuel Swett's 1818 history credited "a black soldier named Salem" with shooting Major John Pitcairn.
- Other men claimed the shot, and one early account said four musket balls hit Pitcairn, so historians cannot say who fired it.
- Salem Poor, another Black soldier at Bunker Hill, was praised by his officers in a December 1775 petition and is sometimes confused with him.
- He reenlisted repeatedly, fought at Trenton, Saratoga and Stony Point, and served until March 1, 1780.
For your Wrap
- He married Katy Benson in 1783 and later lived in a cabin in Leicester, weaving cane chair seats for a living.
- He died poor in Framingham on August 16, 1816, and the town buried him in a pauper's grave.
- In 1882 the town spent $150 on a granite monument that reads "A Soldier of the Revolution."
Source Spotlight: A Document from the Time
Nell, The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution Published 1855
William C. Nell, a Black abolitionist historian, spent years gathering the record of Black Revolutionary soldiers that white historians were leaving out. He writes in the language of his own time ("colored"). Here he quotes an earlier historian of Bunker Hill, Samuel Swett — and then, in a footnote, catches the record being erased.
Swett, in his "Sketches of Bunker Hill Battle," (refers to; mentions) to the presence of a colored man in that fight. He says: — "[…] He appeared at Bunker Hill, and, says the historian, 'Among those who mounted the works was the gallant Major Pitcairn, who (triumphantly; boastfully) cried out, "The day is ours!" when a black soldier named Salem shot him through, and he fell. […]' A contribution was made in the army for the colored soldier, and he was presented to Washington as having performed this feat."
Besides Salem, there were quite a number of colored soldiers at Bunker Hill. Among them, Titus Coburn, Alexander Ames, and Barzilai Lew, all of Andover; and also Cato Howe, of Plymouth, — each of whom received a pension.
Nell's footnote: In some engravings of the battle, this colored soldier occupies a prominent position; but in more recent editions, his figure is (Latin: 'he is not found'). A significant, but inglorious omission. […]
Make it yours: Nell’s footnote catches Peter Salem being painted OUT of the picture, edition by edition. Retell what the footnote says in your own words — and say why Nell thought it mattered.
William C. Nell, The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution (Boston, 1855), quoting Samuel Swett · See the source
On the morning of April 19, 1775, the minutemen of Framingham, Massachusetts, marched toward Concord. Word had come that British soldiers were on the road from Boston. One of the men in Captain Simon Edgell's company was Peter Salem. A few weeks earlier he had been enslaved, and the man who had freed him, Major Lawson Buckminster, commanded the Framingham minutemen.
Freed to Enlist
Salem was born into slavery around 1750 in Framingham, where his mother was also enslaved. His first enslaver was Jeremiah Belknap, who sold him early in 1775 to Buckminster. Buckminster commanded Framingham's minutemen, militia who promised to be ready to fight at a minute's notice, and he freed Salem so that Salem could enlist. A Massachusetts historian of the 1800s, Emory Washburn, wrote that letting an enslaved man enlist "worked a practical emancipation." Framingham's town historian wrote that Belknap and Buckminster later gave the town a bond promising to support Salem for the rest of his life. No one knows for sure where the name Salem came from. It was not the name of either family that had owned him.
The Redoubt on Breed's Hill
After Lexington and Concord, the militia gathered around Boston, and Salem joined Captain Thomas Drury's company in Colonel John Nixon's regiment. On the night of June 16, 1775, American soldiers dug a redoubt, a small fort of packed earth, on Breed's Hill above Charlestown. The next day about 2,200 British soldiers attacked it. The fight is known as the Battle of Bunker Hill. The Americans drove back two attacks, but each man had only about thirteen cartridges, and when the powder ran out the British took the hill on their third try. The British won the hill and lost 1,054 men killed or wounded, the heaviest British losses of any battle in the war.
Major John Pitcairn of the British marines was killed in the attack on the redoubt. In 1818 Samuel Swett wrote a history of the battle that said "a black soldier named Salem shot him through, and he fell." In a later edition Swett added a story that soldiers collected money for Salem and presented him to General Washington. Swett wrote more than forty years after the battle. Other men claimed the shot, and in 1787 Jeremy Belknap, a minister and historian, wrote that a Black man from Groton shot him. The only count of the wounds comes from an American clergyman, John Eliot, who wrote that four balls hit Pitcairn. Historians cannot say who fired the shot that killed him, and it is possible that several men did. Another Black soldier, Salem Poor, fought at Bunker Hill that day, and on December 5, 1775, a group of officers signed a petition, a written request to the government, calling him a brave and gallant soldier. The two men are sometimes confused.
Five Years a Soldier
Salem reenlisted again and again. In 1776 he served in the 4th Continental Regiment and fought at Harlem Heights and Trenton. On January 1, 1777, he signed up for three more years in the 6th Massachusetts Regiment. He was at Saratoga in 1777, at Monmouth in 1778 and at Stony Point in 1779, where a light infantry company stormed a British fort on the Hudson River at night under General Anthony Wayne. He was discharged on December 31, 1779, enlisted once more, and ended his service on March 1, 1780, almost five years after he marched to Concord.
A Cabin in Leicester
In September 1783 Salem married Katy Benson. They had no children, and by 1790 they were no longer living together. He settled in Leicester, Massachusetts, where he built a cabin and earned a living weaving cane seats for chairs, making baskets and mending chairs. He grew old poor. He died in Framingham on August 16, 1816, and the town buried him in a pauper's grave, a grave paid for by the town because he had no money. Sources differ on whether he died in the town poorhouse or at a neighbor's house.
In 1855 William C. Nell, a Black historian, printed Swett's account in The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution. In a footnote Nell added that in some early engravings of the battle a Black soldier stood in a prominent place, but that in newer editions his figure was missing. Nell called it "a significant, but inglorious omission." In 1882 the Town of Framingham spent $150 on a granite monument for Salem's grave. The stone reads "A Soldier of the Revolution" and "Erected by the Town, 1882."
Key facts to use in your script
For your Hook
- Enslaved from birth around 1750, he was freed in early 1775 by Major Lawson Buckminster, commander of the Framingham minutemen, so he could enlist.
- No one knows where the name Salem came from; it was not the name of either family that owned him.
- At Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, he stood in the redoubt with about thirteen cartridges per man against three British assaults.
For your Story
- Samuel Swett, writing in 1818, said "a black soldier named Salem shot him through, and he fell"; a 1787 account said a Black man from Groton shot him.
- The only count of Pitcairn's wounds, from the clergyman John Eliot, says four balls hit him, so several men may have fired.
- Salem Poor was commended on December 5, 1775, by a group of officers as a brave and gallant soldier; the two men's stories were later blurred together.
- He served almost five years, at Trenton, Saratoga, Monmouth and Stony Point, and was discharged on March 1, 1780.
For your Wrap
- He died poor in Framingham on August 16, 1816, and was buried in a pauper's grave; sources differ on whether he died in the poorhouse or at a neighbor's house.
- William C. Nell noted in 1855 that the Black soldier shown in early engravings of Bunker Hill was missing from later editions, "a significant, but inglorious omission."
- Belknap and Buckminster, his former enslavers, had given the town a bond promising to support him for the rest of his life.
- In 1882 the Town of Framingham spent $150 on a granite monument reading "A Soldier of the Revolution."
Source Spotlight: A Document from the Time
Nell, The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution Published 1855
William C. Nell, a Black abolitionist historian, spent years gathering the record of Black Revolutionary soldiers that white historians were leaving out. He writes in the language of his own time ("colored"). Here he quotes an earlier historian of Bunker Hill, Samuel Swett — and then, in a footnote, catches the record being erased.
Swett, in his "Sketches of Bunker Hill Battle," (refers to; mentions) to the presence of a colored man in that fight. He says: — "[…] He appeared at Bunker Hill, and, says the historian, 'Among those who mounted the works was the gallant Major Pitcairn, who (triumphantly; boastfully) cried out, "The day is ours!" when a black soldier named Salem shot him through, and he fell. […]' A contribution was made in the army for the colored soldier, and he was presented to Washington as having performed this feat."
Besides Salem, there were quite a number of colored soldiers at Bunker Hill. Among them, Titus Coburn, Alexander Ames, and Barzilai Lew, all of Andover; and also Cato Howe, of Plymouth, — each of whom received a pension.
Nell's footnote: In some engravings of the battle, this colored soldier occupies a prominent position; but in more recent editions, his figure is (Latin: 'he is not found'). A significant, but inglorious omission. […]
Make it yours: Nell’s footnote catches Peter Salem being painted OUT of the picture, edition by edition. Retell what the footnote says in your own words — and say why Nell thought it mattered.
William C. Nell, The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution (Boston, 1855), quoting Samuel Swett · See the source