"During the bloodiest days of World War I, no soldiers served more valiantly than the African-American troops of the 369th Infantry - the fabled Harlem Hell Fighters - and the legendary "lost battalion" composed of "undesirable" New York City immigrants (largely Jews) drawn from the 77th Division, known as the Statue of Liberty Division. Though these men had lived up to their side of the bargain as loyal American soldiers, earning the right to first-class citizenship, the country to which they returned chose to maintain and even extend Jim Crow and other laws and patterns of social behavior that had stigmatized them." "In Lost Battalions, Richard Slotkin takes the pulse of a nation struggling with social inequality during a decisive historical moment. He juxtaposes social commentary with battle scenes that display the bravery and solidarity of the men who would later be shunned by their fellow citizens."--BOOK JACKET.