Rhode Island

RI’s Civil War history reveals an overlooked soldier | Opinion

Published

4 days ago

March 8, 2026

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RI’s Civil War history reveals an overlooked soldier | Opinion

Marta V. Martínez
| Guest columnist

Amos (Ramos) Butler was a Mexican-born man who served in a segregated Black regiment during the Civil War.
His story highlights how 19th-century records often altered or erased the identities of immigrants and people of color.
Butler’s likely surname, Ramos, appears to have been Anglicized to Butler in official military documents.
Highlighting his story adds diversity to Rhode Island’s Civil War history for the nation’s 250th anniversary.

As Rhode Island joins the nation in marking its 250th anniversary, I’ve been asked a fair and important question: Why highlight Amos (Ramos) Butler? Why elevate one individual when there are so many well-documented figures already woven into our state’s history?

My answer is simple: because history is not only about what we have long remembered, but about what we failed to see.

I did not set out to find Amos Butler. I encountered him while researching Civil War records connected to Rhode Island: lists of names, enlistment dates, regiments. In those records, I found a man listed as “Amos Butler,” born in Mexico, who served in the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery Regiment (Colored) during the Civil War. His name alone gave me pause. Amos is not a common Mexican name. That detail led me deeper into the archive, where questions of identity, language and recordkeeping began to surface.

What emerged was not a heroic legend or a tidy narrative, but something more historically instructive: a glimpse into how 19th-century bureaucracies recorded – or misrecorded – immigrant lives.

Amos Butler served alongside Black soldiers in a segregated regiment at a moment when the nation was redefining freedom, citizenship and belonging. His likely Spanish surname, Ramos, appears to have been Anglicized – or misunderstood – by the very system charged with preserving his service. That single alteration tells us a great deal about how people like him moved through official history: fully present and contributing, yet partially obscured.

This is not about retroactively assigning modern identities or reshaping the past to fit contemporary frameworks. It is about acknowledging what the records themselves reveal. Civil War historians know well that military documents often flatten race, erase origin, and simplify identity. Butler’s story fits squarely within that established scholarship. What makes it notable is that it unfolds here, in Rhode Island.

State histories tend to emphasize regiments, battles and leadership. Far less attention is given to the individual enlisted men whose lives complicate our assumptions about who served and why. Butler’s story adds texture to Rhode Island’s Civil War narrative by reminding us that migration, race and service were already intertwined long before the 20th century.

The 250th anniversary of the United States invites reflection, not revisionism. Major commemorations have always prompted historians to revisit archives, ask new questions, and consider whose experiences were overlooked. But commemoration is also, at its best, an act of recognition. To name and remember people of color who lived, labored and served in earlier generations is not to diminish the past – it is to honor it more fully. Their lives are not footnotes to history; they are part of its foundation.

We often say that history is written by those who leave records. But it is also shaped by how carefully we read those records – and whether we are willing to notice the irregularities, the misspellings, the lives that don’t quite fit our expectations.

Honoring Amos Butler is not about elevating one person above others. It is about acknowledging that the American story, and Rhode Island’s story within it, has always been broader and more diverse than the version many of us inherited.

At 250 years, we have an opportunity not only to look back, but to commemorate those whose presence affirms that people of color have always been here – living, serving and shaping this country in ways we are only beginning to fully recognize.

Marta V. Martínez is the executive director of Rhode Island Latino Arts. She serves on the RI250 Commission. Martínez is producing a first-person monologue of Amos (Ramos) Butler, which will be presented as part of the RI250 celebration.

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Rhode Island

Rhode Island hockey star, whose trans father gunned down family, scores game-winning goal — sending team to championship

Published

3 hours ago

March 12, 2026

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Rhode Island hockey star, whose trans father gunned down family, scores game-winning goal — sending team to championship

The Rhode Island hockey player whose family was gunned down by his deranged trans father during one of his games last month scored the winning goal to send his team to the championship — as he honored his slain relatives.

Blackstone Valley School’s star captain Colin Dorgan netted the game-winning goal — in double overtime — Wednesday night in Providence before his Beavers teammates mobbed him on the ice, celebrating their berth to the Division II final.

The senior defenseman, wearing a patch on his uniform with the initials of his mother, brother and grandfather, called it “the greatest moment of my life,” according to WPRI.

Dorgan, who attends North Providence High School but plays for the Blackstone Valley co-op team, found himself in an offensive position and took a leading pass into a breakaway before sniping the puck past the goalie with 48 seconds left in double overtime.

“My good buddy fed me the puck, and I could hear the crowd. It was a surreal moment,” Dorgan told the outlet after the game.

While his teammates mobbed Dorgan, Blackstone Valley School’s head coach Chris Librizzi was overcome with emotion.

“I literally cried like a baby, the floodgates opened,” Librizzi said. “When I saw him open, I knew he was golden.”

Dorgan was on the ice at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket on Feb. 16 when his father, Robert Dorgan, opened fire in the stands, killing his ex-wife, Rhonda Dorgan; their adult son, Aidan Dorgan; and his ex-father-in-law, Gerald Dorgan.

Gerald’s wife, Linda, and family friend Thomas Geruso were both critically wounded in the shooting.

The crazed gunman, who identified as transgender and also went by Roberta Esposito, then turned the gun on himself.

After the shooting, it was revealed that the 56-year-old gunman had recently undergone gender reassignment, and his trans identity and unhinged personality were a source of multiple family court battles leading up to the shooting.

Follow The Post’s latest coverage on the Rhode Island high school hockey shooting

The maniac gunman had also shared surnames with his in-laws because he and his ex-wife, who married in 1992, were first-cousins once removed.

Colin Dorgan praised his teammates for supporting him after the unimaginable loss he experienced last month.

“We have to stick together,” he said. “It’s a hard time for everyone. We have each other’s back, and we truly love each other. These are my brothers.”

Librizzi revealed he took in Dorgan and his sister, Ava, after they lost their family in the tragic shooting.

“We got together every single day,” Librizzi said. “We skated, worked out, or had dinner at night together for 14 days straight. I believe that made a difference.”

Fans inside the Schneider Arena at Providence College erupted with joy after Dorgan’s goal.

The overtime hero acknowledged the fanatics during his celebration, posing with his arms wide open, mouthing “Let’s go,” after the win, according to video from WPRI.

“I know every person out there loves me, and I love them, too,” Dorgan said.

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Rhode Island

Wicked Tulips announces move to North Kingstown

Published

15 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Wicked Tulips announces move to North Kingstown

Wicked Tulips announced it is opening a new location in North Kingstown.

Its new location on 140 Exeter Rd. is double the size of its previous location.

The business said it will be keeping its second location in Preston, Connecticut.

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The farm is projected to open on April 22, 2026.

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Rhode Island

RI Lottery Mega Millions, Numbers Midday winning numbers for March 10, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 10, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from March 10 drawing

16-21-30-35-65, Mega Ball: 07

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Numbers numbers from March 10 drawing

Midday: 9-1-3-0

Evening: 4-2-1-9

Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Wild Money numbers from March 10 drawing

11-12-16-27-34, Extra: 05

Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 10 drawing

03-27-43-45-49, Bonus: 04

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

Prizes less than $600 can be claimed at any Rhode Island Lottery Retailer. Prizes of $600 and above must be claimed at Lottery Headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island 02920.
Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize. The annuitized prize shall be paid in 30 graduated annual installments.
Winners of the Millionaire for Life top prize of $1,000,000 a year for life and second prize of $100,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment.

When are the Rhode Island Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 10:30 p.m. ET daily.
Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. ET daily.
Numbers (Midday): 1:30 p.m. ET daily.
Numbers (Evening): 7:29 p.m. ET daily.
Wild Money: 7:29 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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