Massachusetts 54th Regiment

Davis Endicott

Massachusetts 54th Regiment

I recently viewed the movie Glory.  It tells the story of the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, which was made up of black soldiers (both free and escaped slaves).  Throughout the movie we see Robert Gould Shaw in charge of assembling a regiment of black soldiers to fight along side white soldiers.  They face criticism from both sides for these actions and in the end overcome all. 

I also read an article on the writer, Kevin Jarre that said he got the idea for this movie as he was walking across the Boston Common one day.  He passed by the Civil War Memorial as he had many times before but this time he realized some of the soldiers in it were black.  Although the Civil War is often referred to as the war to free the slaves, he and probably many others did not realize that blacks themselves fought in the war.

The 54th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was made up of black soldiers and led by whites, including Robert Gould Shaw, the son of a Boston abolitionist.  At the time, no one believed that blacks would make good soldiers and would not submit to discipline under fire but they were wrong.  They participated in one of the bloodiest battles of the war, in an attack against a Confederate fort in Charleston, South Carolina.  Their performance encouraged the North to recruit other blacks to and may have been the reason for their victory.

Throughout the movie, we see how unfairly the black soldiers were treated.  For instance they were paid less than the white soldiers and at first given only unimportant tasks and manual labor. The argument was made that black soldiers march as far, bleed as much and die as quickly as white soldiers so they should be paid the same amount and be able to fight on the front lines with white soldiers.  Shaw and his men eventually see this to be true and band together, refusing their paychecks until they will all be paid fairly.  This is a turning point in the movie as it shows there is trust among the blacks and whites in the regiment.

Everything in the movie leads up to the final bloody battle scene, a march up a hill to overtake Fort Wagner. It was the troops themselves who had convinced everyone that they would be just as great as the white soldiers. The morning after the battle the movie shows bodies of black and white Union soldiers all over the beach and the Confederate flag is raised over the fort. The dead Union soldiers were all buried in a mass grave with Shaw and Trip's bodies next to each other. The courage of the 54th result in the U.S. accepting thousands of black men for combat.  President Lincoln credited them with helping to turn the tide of the war. 

The Bravery of African Americans of the Mass. 54th Regiment | By Kimberly L.

Blacks always wanted the same opportunities as whites, so when the Civil War began in 1861 many African American men saw/took the prospect to join the Union Army. Despite them enlisting they got turned down, because the color of their skin and was told the Civil War was a "white men's war".  It was until President Abraham Lincoln finally issued the Emancipation Proclamation in September 22, 1862 it became effective in January 1st, 1863 this permitted black citizens to fight and serve in the war just like they wanted.  Even though they were allowed in the Union army there was still prejudice against them, blacks  were not to be used in combat as extensively as whites might have been and segregation was also happening so during this time segregated units were formed with mostly black enlisted men and typically commended by white officers and black non commissioned officers. The Massachusetts 54th regiment was led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, his father was a wealthy Boston Abolitionists. Another obstacle black soldiers face was not being paid the same amount as the white soldiers Robert inspired them to boycott their pay so they decided to take no pay since they were not going to be paid the regular army wage $13 dollars  a month and this was because the color of their skin. Before their last battle they had fought in other engagements. The battle on Fort Wagner July 18th, 1863 claimed the lives of commanding officer, Robert Gould Shaw and 74 of his men. Although they lost the battle where almost half were killed, wounded or captured the black soldiers were seen as a demonstration for their skill, bravery and determination.  In Boston Massachusetts on Beacon Street  there is a monument of Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment in honor and reminder of the first African Americans to fight in that war.

Mass. 54th regiment

MASSACHUSETTS 54th REGIMENT 

Imagine being an African American person in the 1800s and putting your life on the line for the "your"country. Just to find out you're getting underpaid than a person who has a lighter skin tone than you. When everyone is doing the same task. Also, imagine being a runaway slave during that time, in an agreement to fight in war in exchange for your freedom. Your life is already at 10x more risk than it was before During the Civil War, the Massachusetts 54th Regiment was assembled so that African-Americans, some including former slaves, were able to fight for the freedom of others. They trained hard and fought heroically to support the cause of freedom after President Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation. They faced many obstacles as soldiers, including prejudice and unfair treatment. Furthermore, the government then adds more weight on to your shoulders just to add in the fact blacks are limited to the job task they can be assigned to just because of the color of your skin. IN the 1800s white men were more prone to be elected to a recruiter or officer positions during this time compared to the hard-working African Americans who were doing more of the work. During this time you are also witnessing lots of leaders lose their life for something that seemed like the greatest way to freedom. Such as Colonel Robert a famous American Officer. To sum up this is a narration of a solider from the 1800s from the 54th regiment speaking on the behalf of over 1,500 soldiers who put their lives on the line for freedom.