Little is recorded of the contributions of slaves and freedmen in America's fight for independence from British rule. This book includes short biographies of twelve black Patriots whose name were recorded--although the number of blacks who fought is believed to be in the thousands. It was a black man, in fact, who is said to have been the first casualty of the conflict. Crispus Attucks led the march of protest on British soldiers stationed in Boston Commons to keep order among the colonists. Numbers of colonists mostly armed, others with sticks were killed that day by British gunfire. The event became known as the Boston Massacre.