Peter Salem a free African American man, was one of thousands of Black soldiers from Massachusetts who fought in the Revolutionary War. Salem served in the Continental Army for five years and fought in several major battles. He died in Framingham in 1816.
Captain Williams in the Spanish-American War
When Massachusetts reorganized the state militia in 1878, all of the Black soldiers were transferred into Company L of the 6th Massachusetts Infantry. While African Americans remained segregated in an all-Black company, Company L was the only Black company incorporated with an all-white regiment in the entire country.
This distinction fostered a fierce pride in the soldiers of Company L. This sense of dignity was personified by Captain William J. Williams, who assumed command of the company in 1891. Born in Canada and educated at Harvard, Williams ran a successful law office in Boston’s Pemberton Square.
Under Williams’ command, Company L became famous for its marksmanship skills. The martial dedication of Captain Williams and Company L was put into practice in 1898. On January 15, the United States Navy warship U.S.S. Maine exploded in the harbor of Havana, Cuba. More than half of the crew died in the explosion, and anti-Spanish sentiment rose to a fever pitch. Within weeks, the United States declared war on Spain and assembled a massive invasion force to attack Spanish territories in the Caribbean.
Company L and the 6th Massachusetts Infantry joined the expedition in the summer of 1898. Captain Williams and his men arrived in Cuba in July, where performed guard duty in the city of Santiago. The following month, Company L joined the expedition sent to capture the island of Puerto Rico. During the hot summer months, they skirmished with Spanish forces outside the town of Guánica and served as part of the American occupation force after the fighting ended.
The Black soldiers of Company L returned to Massachusetts in October 1898, after more than four months overseas. Captain Williams returned to his home in Chelsea and, in 1900, became the first African American elected to the city’s Board of Alderman. He continued to practice law in Boston until his death in 1924.