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Peter Salem

1750–1816

United States

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Biography

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.

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Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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