The Battle of the Gravestones & the Saylesville Massacre of 1934

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.