This is a document signed by Peter Salem. When I say signed, I mean the "X" between the words Peter and Salem, a common practice among those without formal education. He was born into slavery, and after he gained his freedom, he joined the Massachusetts Minutemen, fighting at Concord, Saratoga, and most famously at Bunker Hill.  Peter Salem went on to serve seven long years, one of the few to do so. He began as a slave, but he died a free American.