The Battle of Bunker Hill, a pivotal early clash in the American Revolutionary War, is shrouded in as much mystery as it is celebrated in American lore. While the courage displayed by the colonial forces is undisputed, the specifics surrounding key events, such as the death of Major John Pitcairn, remain debated to this day. Pitcairn, a British officer reviled by the patriots for his role in the events at Lexington and Concord, became a focal point of interest after the battle. The question of who delivered the fatal blow to this symbol of British authority has been a subject of intense speculation and conflicting accounts for centuries.
The earliest attempts to identify Pitcairn’s killer emerged from within the burgeoning historical societies of the young nation. In 1787, Jeremy Belknap, the founder of the Massachusetts Historical Society, suggested the deed was done by “a negro man belonging to Groton.” Decades later, in 1818, Samuel Swett, in his study of the battle, recounted a dramatic scene where Pitcairn, in a moment of apparent triumph, declared “the day is ours,” only to be immediately felled by “a black soldier named Salem, shot him through and he fell.” Swett further elaborated on this narrative, claiming that a collection was taken within the Continental Army to honor Salem, and that this heroic figure was even presented to George Washington himself as Pitcairn’s slayer.
Adding another layer to the developing legend, Emory Washburn wrote in the Worcester Magazine and Historical Journal in 1826 that a man from Worcester was responsible for shooting Major Pitcairn at Bunker Hill, identifying him as Peter Salem. The name Peter Salem reappears in William Barry’s 1847 history of Framingham, further cementing this version of events, and associating Peter Salem with a specific location. However, the historical record presents a complication: there were in fact two “Salems” present at the Battle of Bunker Hill – Peter Salem and Salem Poor. Just months after the battle, in December 1775, thirteen colonial officers, including William Prescott, who commanded at Breed’s Hill, petitioned the Massachusetts General Court to recognize “A Negro Man called Salem Poor.” Their petition lauded Salem Poor for behavior “like an Experienced officer, as Well as an Excellent Soldier” during the “late Battle of Charlestown.” Could Salem Poor, rather than Peter Salem, be the “black soldier named Salem” credited with killing Pitcairn in popular accounts? The historical record leaves room for doubt. It is plausible that the identities and actions of Peter Salem and Salem Poor, both men of color who fought valiantly at Bunker Hill, became intertwined and merged over time, creating a singular heroic figure who symbolically brought down a notorious British officer.
J.L. Bell, writing in the Journal of the American Revolution, when examining the Salem question, draws upon these very sources, but importantly, also incorporates British perspectives on the events. Lieutenant John Waller, adjutant of the first Marines battalion, writing just four days after the battle, recalled Pitcairn’s death occurring before he even reached the fortifications on Breed’s Hill. Waller noted the intense fire the British troops faced upon reaching Breed’s Hill, describing it as “very heavy and severe Fire from the Enemy” for “Ten Minutes or a near Quarter Hour.” Bell suggests that in the intense chaos of battle, Pitcairn may have been struck by multiple musket balls fired from various patriot positions. It is entirely possible that among the African American soldiers who fought with distinction alongside the Americans at Bunker Hill, one or more may have indeed fired upon Pitcairn. Conversely, it is equally possible that none of them did. The American narrative surrounding Pitcairn’s death may have, over time, become simplified and embellished. The image of a marginalized black man striking down an allegedly arrogant British officer undoubtedly served as a powerful and compelling narrative in the burgeoning American mythology of the Revolution. The true circumstances of Major John Pitcairn’s death at the Battle of Bunker Hill, fought on the Charlestown Peninsula, remain, to this day, shrouded in the fog of war and the mists of historical interpretation.
