Robert Gould Shaw's Leadership of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment
Robert Gould Shaw commanded the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the first African American regiment raised in the Northern states during the American Civil War. Born in Boston in 1837 to abolitionist parents, Shaw accepted this role in early 1863 after earlier military service. He led the regiment in a famous assault on Fort Wagner in South Carolina on July 18, 1863, where he was killed. His death and the regiment's bravery became symbolic, inspiring further Black enlistment. Shaw is memorialized by a monument on Boston Common created by Augustus Saint-Gaudens.
Key facts
- Robert Gould Shaw was born in Boston in 1837 into an abolitionist family.
- He was appointed colonel of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry in early 1863.
- Shaw was killed leading an assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina, on July 18, 1863.
- A monument by sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens honoring Shaw and the 54th was unveiled on Boston Common in 1897.
- The 54th Massachusetts was the first officially authorized African American regiment raised in the North during the Civil War.
Entities
Artists
- Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Institutions
- Harvard University
- National Cemetery in Beaufort
Locations
- Boston
- Massachusetts
- South Carolina
- Staten Island
- New York
- Charleston
- Switzerland
- Hanover
- Germany