Solomon (Soloman) Perkins was born in December 1839 in Stony Point, Albemarle County, Virginia. His parents were Soloman and Winnie Perkins. His owner, Martha Louisa Moon, sold Perkins to Timoleon G. Trice of Louisa County around 1845. Perkins married a woman named Susan sometime before the war, and their daughter Catharine Perkins was born on January 29, 1861. In 1862, Trice hired Perkins out to work on the Virginia Central Railroad, and while he was there, Perkins escaped to federal lines and enlisted in the Union army.

On August 20, 1863, at the age of 24, Perkins enlisted in the Union army in Washington, D.C. His service record describes him as 5 feet, 6 inches tall, with black hair, black eyes, and a black complexion. He mustered into Company E of the 2nd USCT Regiment Infantry and served primarily in Florida. He probably took part in the Union army's operations along the west coast of Florida in July 1864 and probably participated in the attack on Fort Myers on February 20, 1865. On March 6, 1865, Perkins was mortally wounded at the Battle of Natural Bridge in Florida. He died of his wounds soon afterward. 

Following his death, his daughter Catherine and his mother Winnie applied for pensions. The government ruled that Catherine was the only person entitled to a pension, and in 1890, they paid her $8 per month to cover the years 1866 to 1877.