Ocean State Libraries

American Patriots is one of the great untold stories in American history. There have been books on individual black soldiers, but this is the first to tell the full story of the black American military experience, starting with the Revolution and culminating with Desert Storm.
The best histories are about more than facts and events — they capture the spirit that drives men to better their lives and to demand of themselves the highest...

The "superb" New York Times bestselling author delivers a sweeping epic set during the early days of the Civil War.
In 1853, Carolyn Vinton is left alone and pregnant after her fiancé, abolitionist doctor William Saylor, disappears. After his stepbrother convinces her that William is dead, Carolyn accepts his offer of marriage, not realizing that she is being drawn into an elaborate ruse by her new husband and his father,...

"en though they often knew they would return to civilian lives of limited opportunities and unequal treatment, they served their nation with conviction and distinction. This volume offers inspiring profiles of African American service people, from Crispus Attucks, the first casualty of the American Revolution, and the freedom-seeking Loyalists to the renowned 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry of the Civil War. From Buffalo Soldiers to the twenty-first...

"In December 1777, the Continental army was encamped at Valley Forge and faced weeks of cold and hunger, as well as the prospect of many troops leaving as their terms expired in the coming months. If the winter were especially cruel, large numbers of soldiers would face death or contemplate desertion. Plans were made to enlist more men, but as the states struggled to fill quotas for enlistment, Rhode Island general James Mitchell Varnum proposed the...