"Onward 54th"
The Civil War
Robert Gould Shaw, a 26-year old, hailing from an affluent Boston family with abolitionist roots, was in the Union Army, cited as an officer, with some military training.
He was put in command of, and organized, the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. There was much controversy and ridicule regarding the unit as a whole, which was made up of free black soldiers. Robert Shaw sought to buck the politically correct. He did what he felt was honorable and right. Shaw stood by his men through all the controversy, he saw they were properly trained, fought for their right to obtain the proper armaments for battle, proper clothing, and equal pay as white soldiers. He took charge of his men with authority. His respect for them did not take a back seat to discipline. The bond that formed produced one of the most celebrated black soldier regiments of the Civil War.
On July 18, 1863, Col. Robert G. Shaw, led his men on the heroic, yet unsuccessful, attack on the Confederate secured Fort Wagner, South Carolina, instead of placing himself in the customary position at the rear.
As the 600 men of the 54th Massachusetts stormed Fort Wagner, they were met with heavy shelling, but they kept moving. As he neared the top of the parapet, Shaw shouted “Onward, 54th!”
Under direct heavy fire, the 54th Regiment was forced to withdraw after suffering tremendous casualties. Word spread quickly of this battle, and the Union Army recognized the courage and valor of the 54th. The 54th was, from that day forward, truly respected and dispelled what was the prevalent negative theory of their fighting ability.
Col. Robert G. Shaw was shot through the heart and killed on July 18, 1863, as he led the charge on Fort Wagner, South Carolina. He was 26 years old.
Enemy officers usually were interred with some ceremony, but Confederate soldiers stripped Shaw's body and threw it into a common grave with his 116 fallen soldiers, believing this burial disgraced the young colonel.
Shaw's parents said they could hope for "no holier place" for Shaw than to be "surrounded by his brave and devoted soldiers."
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The bond that Col. Shaw had with his men broke racial boundaries. He didn't expect anything more or less of his men than he would expect of himself.
This Tribute Is For Col. Robert Gould Shaw
And
The Entire 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment
Jeannie, Webmistress
"My American Heroes"
Sources:
"The Conferderate Soldier In The Civil War", Fairfax Press
"Glory"
National Archives
The History Channel
54th. Mass. Volunteer Infantry, Co. I
"Blue-Eyed Child of Fortune: The Civil War Letters of Robert Gould Shaw"
Recommended Video:
..."Glory", "based on the true story of the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts,1989.
Stars: Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes & Morgan Freeman.
A Must See!
Recommended Reading Available At Barnes & Nobel
...Blue-Eyed Child of Fortune: The Civil War Letters of Robert Gould Shaw,
Russell Duncan (Editor), University of Georgia Press, October 1999
...We'll Stand by the Union: Robert Gould Shaw and the Black 54th Massachusetts Regiment,
Peter Burchard, John A. Scott (Editor), Facts on File, Incorporated, June 1993
...Where Death and Glory Meet: Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts
Infantry, Russell Duncan, University of Georgia Press, November 1999
