- 657 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Only available on web
About This Book
"A work of stunning density and penetrating analysis... Lost Battalions deploys a narrative symmetry of gratifying complexity."âDavid Levering Lewis, The Nation During the bloodiest days of World War I, no soldiers served more valiantly than the African American troops of the 369th Infantryâthe fabled Harlem Hellfightersâand the legendary 77th "lost battalion" composed of New York City immigrants. Though these men had lived up to their side of the bargain as loyal American soldiers, the country to which they returned solidified laws and patterns of social behavior that had stigmatized them as second-class citizens.Richard Slotkin takes the pulse of a nation struggling with social inequality during a decisive historical moment, juxtaposing social commentary with battle scenes that display the bravery and solidarity of these men. Enduring grueling maneuvers, and the loss of so many of their brethren, the soldiers in the lost battalions were forever bound by their wartime experience. Both a riveting combat narrative and a brilliant social history, Lost Battalions delivers a richly detailed account of the fierce fight for equality in the shadow of a foreign war.
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Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright Notice
- Contents
- Dedication
- Epigraphs
- List of Illustrations and Maps
- 1. Safe for Democracy: The Lost Battalion and the Harlem Hell Fighters
- 2. âThe Great Composite Americanâ: Theodore Roosevelt and American Nationalism, 1880â1917
- 3. No Black in the Rainbow: The Origin of the Harlem Hell Fighters, 1911â1917
- 4. âThe Jews and Wops, the Dutch and Irish Copsâ: Recruiting the Melting Pot Division, JulyâDecember 1917
- 5. The Politics of Ridicule: The 15th New York Goes to War, October 1917âMay 1918
- 6. The Slamming of Great Doors: Entering the World of Combat, MayâSeptember 1918
- 7. Home Fires Burning: Political and Racial Reaction, Summer 1918
- 8. âTout le Monde Ă la Bataille!â: The Allied Offensive Begins, September 12â27, 1918
- 9. The Last Long Mile: The Hell Fighters at Bellevue Ridge and Sechault, September 26âOctober 1, 1918
- 10. The Lost Battalion: Whittleseyâs Command at Charlevaux Mill, October 1â8, 1918
- 11. Print the Legend: The âLost Battalionâ as Public Myth
- 12. âNo Manâs Land Is Oursâ: The Hell Fighters and the Lost Battalion Return, FebruaryâMay 1919
- 13. The Black and the Red: Race Riots, Red Scares, and the Triumph of Reaction, 1919â1924
- 14. Unknown Soldiers: Charles Whittlesey and Henry Johnson, 1919â1929
- 15. âSay, Donât You RememberâŚ?â: Public Memory, Public Myth, and the Meaning of the War, 1919â1930
- 16. The New Deal and the Renewal of American Nationalism, 1930â1941
- 17. The Bargain Renewed: The Myth of the âGood Warâ and the Memory of the Lost Battalions, 1938â1965
- Notes
- Selected Bibliography
- Acknowledgments
- Index
- Also by Richard Slotkin
- About the Author
- Copyright