Abraham Wood was one of the first American composers. Wood was born in Massachusetts Bay Colony and was a drummer during the American Revolutionary War. He wrote Warren to commemorate the army officer Joseph Warren (1741–1775), who died courageously at in the Battle of Bunker Hill and he wrote A Hymn on Peace to commemorate the Treaty of Paris that officially ended the Revolutionary War. This work was circulated as single pamphlet instead of part of a larger collection of sacred pieces, which was more common of the time.