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Salem Poor (c. 1758-?) was a black soldier who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Born in Massachusetts, Poor married at a young age. However, in 1775 he left his wife to enlist in the state militia. Salem Poor joined the Patriot soldiers in Boston at the oubreak of revolution, to aid them in their fight against the British. Poor is best remembered today for his actions during the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775. Many regarded him as an excellent soldier; there were even those who said that he acted like an experienced officer, not the foot soldier that he was.
On July 10, 1775, George Washington decided to stop recruiting African-Americans; on November 12 of the same year, he issued orders prohibiting any and all blacks from serving in the Continental Army (despite the ban on recruitment, those who had already been serving for some time were allowed to stay until this point). Upon hearing of this, Lord Baltimore (who at the time was governor of Virginia) offered freedom to all blacks willing to fight for the British Army. Washington, sensing the disaster that would almost surely result, immediately changed his position, at once ordering all recruiters to enlist any blacks that they found who wanted to fight. Poor reenlisted, and served with the Patriots until 1776. He is known to have retreated to the winter camp at Valley Forge, and fought in the Battle of White Plains; nothing at all is known of his later life.
Poor was honored with a stamp in the "Contributors to the Cause" series commemorating the American bicentennial in 1975.
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