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When the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863, it authorized African American men to serve in the Union Army. Recruitment began in early 1863 and many of the prominent abolitionists of the time assisted in recruitment efforts. By late January, Governor John A. Andrew of Massachusetts commissioned Robert Gould Shaw as colonel and “Pen” Hallowell as lieutenant colonel of a new regiment consisting of African-American men. This regiment was the 54th Massachusetts.
Like many other officers of African-American regiments, both Shaw and Hallowell were promoted several grades for taking command of the African-American troops.
Many of the white officers either were from abolitionist families (like both Shaw and Hallowell) or were chosen by Governor Andrew himself. Abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass helped lead recruitment efforts and Douglass’ own two sons were among the first to enlist, but the free African-American community in Massachusetts also eagerly helped with recruitment efforts. Even though Confederate President Jefferson Davis had proclaimed that any soldiers, white or African American, would be put to death if captured, African Americans still saw the opportunity to fight in the war as one of the freedoms they had long waited for. Visit the Massachusetts History site to see photographs of some of the 54th Regiment.
The unit began its combat training in February 1863 at Camp Meigs outside Boston, Massachusetts. When they completed training in May, they were shipped out to Beaufort, South Carolina, where they became part of the X Corps of the Union Army commanded by Major General David Hunter. The regiment’s first action took place with the Raid at Combahee Ferry in Georgia. After the raid was successful, another unit’s commander ordered the 54th Regiment soldiers to loot and burn the town of Darien, Georgia. (The townspeople had evacuated.) Colonel Shaw objected to this practice and complained to his superior officers that these were not acceptable activities for soldiers, even in the middle of war.
The 54th Regiment took part in the Battle of Grimball’s Landing near Charleston, South Carolina in July of 1863. They were successful at stopping the Confederates from advancing, but lost 45 men in the process. The 54th Regiment was recognized for their “steadiness and soldierly conduct” in the official report by Brigadier General Alfred H. Terry, which increased the morale and confidence of the soldiers.
The regiment’s most famous combat action came just two days after the Battle of Grimball’s Landing when the 54th led the charge at Fort Wagner outside of Charleston, South Carolina. The battle plan required that the soldiers take a frontal approach, meaning they would storm the Confederate-occupied fort. This was a very dangerous mission - of the 600 men enlisted in the 54th, 270 of them were killed, wounded, or captured. Among those killed was Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. Union forces were unable to take and hold the fort. Watch Bottom Rail on Top (7:49) to learn more about the 54th Regiment and the siege at Fort Wagner. PBS login information.
In spite of this loss, the 54th regiment was highly regarded for their bravery in battle and their reputation led to further enlistment of African-American soldiers in the Union Army. President Abraham Lincoln publicly stated that this increased recruitment and enlistment of African-American soldiers was a key to the Union victory.
In 1900, decades after the war ended, Sergeant William Harvey Carney of the 54th was awarded the Medal of Honor. After Colonel Shaw and many of his fellow soldiers were killed at Fort Wagner, Carney was determined not to see the Union flag captured by the Confederates. He seized the flag and did not hand it over until he was safe in a Union hospital, telling his fellow soldiers, “Boys, I did my duty; the dear old flag never touched the ground.” Although Carney was not the first African-American to receive the medal, his service in 1863-1864 was the earliest to be awarded the medal.
Despite the heroic efforts of the 54th and the praise they were given by President Lincoln himself, the soldiers still had to face many of the same societal inequalities as other freed African Americans. Although the soldiers of the 54th were promised $13 a month, they were only paid $10. Once a $3 clothing allowance was deducted, the soldiers only received $7 a month for their service. Their white counterparts were paid the full amount of $13 and were not charged for their clothing. When the state of Massachusetts offered to make up the difference in pay, the 54th soldiers refused on principle. When payday arrived, not only did the soldiers refuse their pay, but the white officers did as well. Finally, after eighteen months of service, Congress took action to pay the men what they were owed in September of 1864.
The memorial featured in the introduction was constructed in 1898 by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. It is a prominent feature of Boston’s Black Heritage Trail. The story of the 54th has lived on and has been retold in a variety of ways. Charles Ives composed a piece of music about the regiment in 1911 and the 1959 Civil War Centennial poem “For the Union Dead” by Robert Lowell features Col. Shaw and the 54th prominently. The most well-known retelling of the story of the 54th is the 1989 film Glory, which won several Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Denzel Washington. After the film’s release, the 54th Regiment was given the nickname the “Glory Regiment”.
Since Colonel Shaw and many of his men died in the siege at Fort Wagner, the Union Army petitioned for their bodies to be returned to their families, but the Confederate commander Brigadier General Hagood replied that Shaw had been buried in a mass grave with his “colored soldiers” and refused the return. Colonel Shaw’s father responded in a letter that he was proud that his son had been buried in that manner and asked that the grave not be disturbed. Watch Meet the 54th Regiment Reenactors (3:55) to see how the memory of the 54th Regiment lives on.