This book explores the role of slaves during the Revolutionary War through the records of one particular slave boy in New England who fought with the Patriots. The written record of this individual is thin but his story is butressed by a lively, readable history of the War and the story of other slaves during the period-- those in the Southern colonies and those who chose to serve with the English. For me, this book filled in the blanks about what ordinary, flesh & blood African Americans were doing during this period in our history and how important freedom was to them.