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Spanning from the American Revolution to the war in Afghanistan, this long-overdue, comprehensive history covers the full scope of African Americans' involvement in the armed forces during war and peacetime. Accompanying the informative text are 300 photographs and illustrations, most of them rare, some never before published. Highlights include accounts of: - The Rhode Island 1st Regiment, the first all-black regiment in the U.S. Army. - The New Orleans Battalion of Free Men of Color. - The Battle for Richmond, which resulted in the largest loss of black life in the Civil War. - The 1863 New York City Draft Riot. - The 1919 lynchings of black war vets. - The Navy's reluctant integration during World War II. - The dramatic story of the Tuskegee Airmen.