Learn about the 54th Regiment, a Black infantry unit from Massachusetts that fought in the Civil War
Learn about the 54th Regiment, a Black infantry unit from Massachusetts that fought in the Civil War
The Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment was a Black infantry unit that fought with great courage during the Civil War and paved the way for the formation of other African American units. The 54th Regiment's exploits are depicted in the movie Glory (1989).
© Civil War Trust (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
Transcript
So I'm standing in front of the monument to the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. We're at the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial here in Boston, Massachusetts. This is a monument to the first black regiment that was raised in early 1863, following Lincoln's issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.
It's the brainchild of Governor John Andrew, who, from the beginning of the war, pressed Abraham Lincoln and the rest of the government to recruit black soldiers for the Union war effort. Of course, Lincoln refused to do so until early 1863. And with the go-ahead, Governor Andrew commenced with the raising of the 54th, as well as the 55th and the 5th Massachusetts Cavalry. All three of them were all-black regiments.
Most of the men that served in the 54th and the 55th actually came from outside of Massachusetts. These were free black men raised in other northern states. The reason for that-- there are a number of reasons. First, there were actually relatively few black, or free blacks, in Boston in Massachusetts that could fill up the ranks. Many African-Americans here in the free black community in Boston were suspicious of a war effort that, up until now, had refused to recruit them as soldiers.
By the spring of 1863, the 54th Massachusetts was sent off, down to South Carolina, off of the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia. They first made their way to Beaufort, South Carolina, and by June, early July of 1863, had taken part in a number of engagements-- on James Island, of course, the famous raid and burning of Darien, Georgia.
But its claim to fame comes on July 18th, 1863, with the storming of Battery Wagner, just outside of Charleston, South Carolina. In this failed assault, the commander, Robert Gould Shaw, was killed, along with roughly 40% of the attacking force. So for many viewers, the monument behind me conjures up perhaps memories of the movie, Glory, which was released in 1989-- very successful movie, starring Matthew Broderick, and Denzel Washington, and Morgan Freeman, which told the story of the 54th Massachusetts.
In my mind it's still one of the best Civil War movies out there, but like any Hollywood movie, it does play loose at times with the actual history. There are a couple points, I guess, that should be noted here. I think, most importantly, the movie, Glory, focuses on a sort of small group of fugitive slaves that served in the 54th Massachusetts. And, while they were certainly a small number of former slaves who managed to get into this first black regiment, the vast majority of these men were free blacks born in Northern states, who were recruited in early 1863 to serve in this regiment. So that's one example.
And I think another example has to do with the pay crisis that the movie briefly alludes to. As the unit is coming together in training, there's a famous moment where Colonel Shaw tears up his pay voucher in protest over the unequal pay that black soldiers would receive from the federal government. That was certainly the case.
But what the movie sort of leaves out is that, even after its failed assault at Battery Wagner, for the next close to a year, up until June 1864, the 54th Massachusetts and many other black regiments protested unequal pay. They refused to accept the unequal pay from the federal government. And for the units raised here in Massachusetts, they even refused payment from the governor himself, who wanted to make up the difference.
I think it's safe to say that Glory put these men back on the historical map. And certainly it's the case that, most Americans, when they think of black soldiers or black Union soldiers in the Civil War, they think of the 54th Massachusetts. And that, of course, is now serving as a springboard for research into other black regiments that may not have experienced the war in the same way as these men from Boston did.
It's the brainchild of Governor John Andrew, who, from the beginning of the war, pressed Abraham Lincoln and the rest of the government to recruit black soldiers for the Union war effort. Of course, Lincoln refused to do so until early 1863. And with the go-ahead, Governor Andrew commenced with the raising of the 54th, as well as the 55th and the 5th Massachusetts Cavalry. All three of them were all-black regiments.
Most of the men that served in the 54th and the 55th actually came from outside of Massachusetts. These were free black men raised in other northern states. The reason for that-- there are a number of reasons. First, there were actually relatively few black, or free blacks, in Boston in Massachusetts that could fill up the ranks. Many African-Americans here in the free black community in Boston were suspicious of a war effort that, up until now, had refused to recruit them as soldiers.
By the spring of 1863, the 54th Massachusetts was sent off, down to South Carolina, off of the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia. They first made their way to Beaufort, South Carolina, and by June, early July of 1863, had taken part in a number of engagements-- on James Island, of course, the famous raid and burning of Darien, Georgia.
But its claim to fame comes on July 18th, 1863, with the storming of Battery Wagner, just outside of Charleston, South Carolina. In this failed assault, the commander, Robert Gould Shaw, was killed, along with roughly 40% of the attacking force. So for many viewers, the monument behind me conjures up perhaps memories of the movie, Glory, which was released in 1989-- very successful movie, starring Matthew Broderick, and Denzel Washington, and Morgan Freeman, which told the story of the 54th Massachusetts.
In my mind it's still one of the best Civil War movies out there, but like any Hollywood movie, it does play loose at times with the actual history. There are a couple points, I guess, that should be noted here. I think, most importantly, the movie, Glory, focuses on a sort of small group of fugitive slaves that served in the 54th Massachusetts. And, while they were certainly a small number of former slaves who managed to get into this first black regiment, the vast majority of these men were free blacks born in Northern states, who were recruited in early 1863 to serve in this regiment. So that's one example.
And I think another example has to do with the pay crisis that the movie briefly alludes to. As the unit is coming together in training, there's a famous moment where Colonel Shaw tears up his pay voucher in protest over the unequal pay that black soldiers would receive from the federal government. That was certainly the case.
But what the movie sort of leaves out is that, even after its failed assault at Battery Wagner, for the next close to a year, up until June 1864, the 54th Massachusetts and many other black regiments protested unequal pay. They refused to accept the unequal pay from the federal government. And for the units raised here in Massachusetts, they even refused payment from the governor himself, who wanted to make up the difference.
I think it's safe to say that Glory put these men back on the historical map. And certainly it's the case that, most Americans, when they think of black soldiers or black Union soldiers in the Civil War, they think of the 54th Massachusetts. And that, of course, is now serving as a springboard for research into other black regiments that may not have experienced the war in the same way as these men from Boston did.