Author Description

In September of 1934, striking workers in Rhode Island fought a week-long street battle against the Rhode Island National Guard in the tiny mill village of Saylesville. Two workers were killed and dozens seriously wounded when Rhode Island Governor T.F. Green ordered the soldiers to restore order. But the facts leading up to the Saylesville Massacre are murky at best. The Battle of the Gravestones & the Saylesville Massacre of 1934 explains why the story passed down through history needs another look. In a provocative new telling, labor historian Patrick Crowley challenges the conventional history of the Saylesville Massacre. The book brings to life the characters behind the events of the strike, including union leaders, politicians, striking workers and bosses and asks hard questions about why the strike in Rhode Island produced such a violent response. A union organizer himself for more than 25 years, Crowley adds a street-level perspective to a story that other versions have missed.