Peter Salem
Private Peter Salem (October 1, 1750 – August 16, 1816) was an American soldier who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Born into slavery in Framingham, Massachusetts, he was manumitted by one of his enslavers, Major Lawson Buckminster, to serve in the Massachusetts Militia. At the Battle of Bunker Hill, Salem was recorded as fatally wounding British Major John Pitcairn. He subsequently enlisted in the Continental Army and served for five years, seeing action at the Battles of Saratoga and Battle of Stony Point. Following the end of his military service in 1780, Salem married and worked as a cane weaver before dying in Framingham. A monument was erected to him in the late 19th century at his grave.
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