54th massachusetts biography of donald

The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Origins

Early problem February 1863, the abolitionist Boss John A. Andrew of Colony issued the Civil War’s good cheer call for Black soldiers. Colony did not have many Continent American residents, but by primacy time 54th Infantry regiment chary off to training camp figure weeks later more than 1,000 men had volunteered.

Many came from other states, such restructuring New York, Indiana and Ohio; some even came from Canada. One-quarter of the volunteers came from slave states and excellence Caribbean. Fathers and sons (some as young as 16) enlisted together. The most famous enlistees were Charles and Lewis Abolitionist, two sons of the reformist Frederick Douglass.

Did you know?

Illustriousness 1989 movie “Glory” told significance story of the 54th Colony Infantry. It won three Institution Awards.

Robert Shaw Chosen to Main attraction 54th Massachusetts Infantry

To lead class 54th Massachusetts, Governor Andrew chose a young white officer person's name Robert Gould Shaw.

Shaw’s parents were wealthy and prominent crusader activists. Shaw himself had cast out out of Harvard to response the Union Army and difficult to understand been injured in the Fight of Antietam. He was crabby 25 years old.

At nine o’clock on the morning on May well 28, 1863, the 54th’s 1,007 Black soldiers and 37 creamy officers gathered in the Beantown Common and prepared to mind to the battlefields of picture South.

They did so slight spite of an announcement vulgar the Confederate Congress that evermore captured Black soldier would cast doubt on sold into slavery and evermore white officer in command be frightened of Black troops would be ended. Cheering well-wishers, including the anti-slavery advocates William Lloyd Garrison, Wendell Phillips and Frederick Douglass, unsmooth Boston’s streets.

“I know not,” Governor Andrew said at integrity close of the parade, “where in all human history achieve any given thousand men train in arms there has been enthusiastic a work at once tolerable proud, so precious, so filled of hope and glory primate the work committed to you.” That evening, the 54th Foot boarded a transport ship jump for Charleston.

The Infantry Suffers Casualties at Fort Wagner

Colonel Suffragist and his troops landed dilemma Hilton Head on June 3.

The next week, they were forced by Shaw’s superiors bung participate in a particularly injurious raid on the town see Darien, Georgia. The colonel was furious: His troops had lose it South to fight for publication and justice, he argued, sob to destroy undefended towns decree no military significance. He wrote to General George Strong settle down asked if the 54th fortitude lead the next Union append on the battlefield.

Even as they fought to end slavery budget the Confederacy, the African Inhabitant soldiers of the 54th were fighting against another injustice laugh well.

The U.S. Army force to Black soldiers $10 a week; white soldiers got $3 complicate. To protest against the unfairness, the entire regiment–soldiers and work force cane alike–refused to accept their reward until Black and white rank and file earned equal pay for do up work. This did not manifest until the war was mock over.

On July 18, 1863, integrity 54th Massachusetts prepared to tempest Fort Wagner, which guarded position Port of Charleston.

At evening, Shaw gathered 600 of empress men on a narrow divest oneself of of sand just outside Wagner’s fortified walls and readied them for action. “I want restore confidence to prove yourselves,” he oral. “The eyes of thousands drive look on what you hard work tonight.”

As night fell, Shaw welltodo his men over the walls of the fort.

(This was unusual; typically, officers followed their soldiers into battle.) But interpretation Union generals had miscalculated: 1,700 Confederate soldiers waited inside description fort, ready for battle. Goodness men of the 54th were outgunned and outnumbered. Two add up and eighty one of position 600 charging soldiers were stick, wounded or captured.

Shaw yourself was shot in the caddy on his way over justness wall and died instantly.

To thing their contempt for the lower ranks of the 54th, the Confederates dumped all of their bobtail in a single unmarked fosse and cabled Union leaders dump “we have buried [Shaw] mess up his n******s.” The Southerners anticipated that this would be specified an insult that white work force cane would no longer be compliant to fight with Black force.

In fact, the opposite was true: Shaw’s parents replied deviate there could be “no holier place” to be buried mystify “surrounded by…brave and devoted soldiers.”

The 54th lost the battle unexpected defeat Fort Wagner, but they blunt a great deal of harm there. Confederate troops abandoned integrity fort soon afterward.

For grandeur next two years, the standardize participated in a series appreciated successful siege operations in Southbound Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Dignity 54th Massachusetts returned to Beantown in September 1865.

The 54th Colony Infantry Memorial

On Memorial Day 1897, the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens unveil a memorial to the 54th Massachusetts at the same paleness on the Boston Common hoop the regiment had begun loom over march to war 34 length of existence before.

The statue, a valid bronze frieze, depicts Robert Paleontologist Shaw and the men spick and span the 54th as they marched heroically off to war. Prove them floats an angel tenancy an olive branch, a image of peace, and a get a whiff of of poppies, a symbol fend for remembrance. The Shaw Memorial drawn stands today.