America 250 in Color: Salem Poor (1747-1804)
By Charles Ray - February 11, 2026
Salem Poor, born into enslavement in 1747 on a farm in Andover in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, bought his freedom on July 19, 1769, for the equivalent of a year’s salary for the average worker at the time. In May 1775, he enlisted in the Massachusetts militia, serving in Colonel James Frye’s regiment.
Poor fought at Breed Hill and Bunker Hill. At the Battle of Bunker Hill, he was one of thirty-six Black men who served in the colonial militia. Some 5,000 Blacks, free and enslaved, fought on the colonial side in the American Revolution, while twenty to thirty thousand, responding to the promise of freedom, fought for Britain.
Only 28 years old at the time of his enlistment, Salem Poor had no prior military experience, yet he distinguished himself in battle. Despite recommendations from his commander and 13 other white officers to cite him for heroism and recommend an award, there is no evidence that the award was ever granted.
His first taste of battle was at Breed’s Hill on June 17, 1775, where the 850 Americans pushed a numerically superior British force back in two assaults, but had to withdraw during the third assault after running out of ammunition.
It was for his actions at the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, though, that Salem Poor is most remembered. He is credited with mortally wounding Lieutenant Colonel James Abercrombie, one of the British commanders.
George Washington, commander of the Continental Army, banned the recruitment of Black men on July 10, 1775, but allowed those who had already been recruited to remain in service. When Lord Dunmore, Governor of Virginia, offered freedom to all enslaved people who were willing to serve in the British forces, Washington reversed his position and ordered the enlistment of any Black man who wanted to fight.
Poor remained in the militia, participating in the Battle of White Plains, the Battle of Saratoga, and the Battle of Monmouth, and was at Valley Forge during Washington’s winter encampment and fought in the Battle of White Plains. At the end of his first enlistment, he reenlisted and remained in service until March 20, 1780, when he was discharged in Providence, Rhode Island.
Little was known about Poor’s life after the war until a genealogist, David Lambert, a descendant of Poor’s former enslavers, did research and published an article about him in The Boston Globe in 2007. Poor, who died in 1804, was not honored for his service until 1975, when he was included in the USPS’s ‘Contributors to the Cause’ series of stamps.
This first American hero featured in our series is a stellar example of the contributions to freedom—often denied to them—made by Black Americans from before the country was founded. It is one of countless examples that provide evidence that Black people fought and died for this nation. As such, our celebration of America 250 is also a celebration of the sacrifices and contributions our forefathers who believed in the ideals of the Declaration of Independence on which America was eventually founded.
This is story number 1 of the 25 in this series.