08/16/2026
On this day in 1816 - Peter Salem Died
Born enslaved in Framingham, Massachusetts, Peter Salem went on to become a Revolutionary War hero. At the age of 25, Salem was sold to Lawson Buckminster, who was later appointed to Major in the Continental Army. Buckminster emancipated Salem so Salem could enlist alongside him. Peter Salem became a Black Militiamen and fought at the Battle of Lexington and Concord.
On June 17, 1775, the Battle of Bunker Hill waged, and Salem is believed to have fired the shot that killed British Major John Picairn by being the one who “stepped forward and, aiming his musket at the major’s bosom, blew him through.” Two witnesses recalled Salem firing the shot, and Picairn’s death gave the Continental Army the morale boost it needed after suffering several losses.
Salem went on to serve under Nathanael Greene, fighting in the Battles of Harlem Heights, Trenton, Saratoga, Monmouth, and Stony Point. He was honorably discharged, but reenlisted.
After the war was over, Salem moved to the city he was named for, Salem, Massachusetts, where he married Katy Benson. They built a cabin together, and Salem worked as a cane weaver. He died on August 16, 1816, in a poorhouse and was buried in a pauper’s grave.
In 1882, the townspeople of Salem’s hometown, Framingham, erected a monument to honor his contributions. If you look at John Trumbull’s famous painting of the Battle of Bunker Hill, Peter Salem can be seen in the corner of the painting, his legacy forever depicted as the hero who brought down a British Major when the Colonists needed a victory most.
