Salem Poor Rejoins A Desegregated Continental Army
Salem Poor was an African American soldiers in the Continental Army who distinguished himself for service in the Battle of Bunker Hill.
A Mysterious Founder
Salem Poor was a Black Patriot in the American Revolution.
Unfortunately, there is not a whole lot of documentation on his life other than certain portions of his service. In this article I have cobbled together all the information I was able to locate.
Salem Poor
Salem Poor was born a slave in Andover, Massachusetts.
Poor must have been paid for his labor, because he was able to purchase his freedom at age 22 for a princely sum. This is not necessarily out of the ordinary for Massachusetts at this time, which speaks to the difference slavery could take from colony to colony.
After his liberation, Salem married and had a son. Then the Revolution began.
Valiant Soldier
Poor left home to join his Militia during the Battle of Lexington and Concord. He then participated in the Siege of Boston.
Salem was present for the Battle of Bunker Hill where he committed several acts of bravery.
Poor’s efforts didn’t go unnoticed. Fourteen officers all signed a petition to the Massachusetts Provincial Congress commending him for his actions. He was viewed by all his fellow soldiers as a hero.
Washington’s Mistake
A month later, General George Washington showed up and took command of the newly styled Continental Army.
In an effort to appease the southerners who were coming to help, Washington removed all the Black Soldiers from the army.
Soon thereafter, the British offered freedom to any slave who would leave their master to fight against the rebels. To avoid the men he fired from joining with the British, the General reversed his decision and allowed Black Patriots to reenlist.
Though not everyone returned, Salem Poor was anxious to fight for his country and returned to the Continental Army.
Valley Forge
From here, the details of Salem Poor’s life become fuzzy.
It appears he spent time fighting with the Continentals in New York, though whether he was in the Battle of White Plains or the Battle of Saratoga (or both) is not clear.
What is certain is that Poor spent one long, cold winter camped with the Army at Valley Forge. It is also known that he stayed with the Continental Army through 1780, resigning when the main fighting moved south.
Poor Goes Broke
After his retirement as a soldier, the details of Salem’s life become even more difficult to sort out.
Poor spent a small amount of time in an almshouse, which was a place where poor people would go until they could resolve their debt.
Additionally, there are records which show that he married three more times. Though there are several claims that he was a polygamist, this is unlikely for anyone in 18th century Massachusetts, especially a black man.
Clearly life became difficult for Salem Poor after his heroics as an American Revolutionary. He returned to the almshouse at age 54 and passed away there the following year.
If you’d like to learn about other Black Patriots of the Continental Army, check out my articles on James Armistead Lafayette and Prince Whipple.
To read further about African Americans in the Revolutionary War, I suggest picking up a copy of ‘Black Patriots and Loyalists’ from the Amazon affiliate link below.
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