For more than a year, I have been piecing together his story. Amos was born in Matamoros, México, and by November 1863 he stood in Providence at the Dexter Training Ground as a member of the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery (Colored). By early 1864, the daily roll call show him in Louisiana serving as a hospital attendant, a role essential to the survival of wounded men yet almost never acknowledged in print.

And here lies one of the most important discoveries of my research—the silence surrounding him.

• There are no newspaper articles announcing “Amos Butler’s” arrival (was that really his name?)
• No soldier’s letters printed in Northern papers.
• No official reports praising his duty or character.

Instead, Amos survives only in one-line entries: Hospital attendant. Present. Serving.

His work kept men alive, but it never made the news. This absence is not a gap—it is evidence of erasure in real time.

My next step is to keep searching—through Louisiana records, pension files, burial logs, and Mexican archives—to discover what became of him after the war.

Amo's story has inspired me to do more: I want to ensure that all our voices are not only heard — but remembered.

That our stories — expressed through art, writing, and theater — become part of the story of Rhode Island, woven into the history that future generations will read, study, and celebrate.

Through this RI250 project, my goal is to reveal who has been commemorated, question who has been left out, and uplift those whose lives were quietly erased or never acknowledged — people like Amos Butler, whose story reminds us that Latino presence in Rhode Island stretches far deeper than most realize.

A Call for Stories | Help Us Record Stories

We are seeking six (6) individuals—Latinx artists, emerging culture workers, or community-minded people of color—who would like to help collect these stories.

Participants will receive:
Oral History 101 training (led by Marta V. Martínez)
Monthly interviewing sessions from March–July 2026
Availability to record stories during the RI250 weekend of July 4 or 5, 2026
A $50 stipend at the end of each monthly interviewing session. $100 for the July 4/5 weekend.

This is an opportunity to learn a meaningful skill, connect with community members, and help preserve voices that might otherwise go unheard.

If you intend to apply, click here ➤

Together, we can ensure that the next chapter of Rhode Island’s story reflects all of us — not just those who were written into the past, but those who stepped forward to shape the future.