Robert Gould Shaw (10 October 1837 – 18 July 1863) was a Colonel of the US Army during the American Civil War and the commander of the all-colored 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. Shaw turned a regiment of 1,000 escaped slaves and freedmen into a battle-ready unit of the Union army, and he led it into battle in South Carolina and Georgia in 1863. On 18 July 1863, he was killed while bravely leading the regiment at the Second Battle of Fort Wagner.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Robert Gould Shaw was born in Boston, Massachusetts on 10 October 1837 to a prominent abolitionist and devout Unitarian family. Shaw grew up in a wealthy household, and he befriended the freedman Thomas Searles (who would later work for Shaw's father) and fellow student Cabot Forbes. From 1856 to 1859, he attended Harvard University, and he joined the US Army on 19 April 1861 at the start of the American Civil War. Shaw became a Lieutenant in the 2nd Massachusetts Infantry on 28 May 1861, fighting at Winchester, Cedar Mountain, and Antietam in 1862.
54th Massachusetts[]
Shaw on parade in Boston, 1863
After being wounded at Antietam, Shaw returned to Boston on leave, and he met Governor John Albion Andrew and famous abolitionist Frederick Douglas at a ball. Andrew told Shaw that he had given his name to Union high command for consideration to become the colonel of an all-colored Union regiment, and Shaw was overwhelmed at first. However, he decided to take the job, and he recruited Forbes as his Major and second-in-command, while Searles became the regiment's first volunteer.
On 27 November 1862, the new 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment began training at the Readville camp, and Shaw was forced to sacrifice his close friendships with Forbes and Searles in order to instill discipline in his rag-tag recruits, turning civilians into soldiers. The training process was cruel, and the soldiers faced discrimination from other Union soldiers, especially when the regimental quartermaster deliberately withheld shoes and clothing from the men. Shaw joined the regiment in tearing up their paychecks when it was revealed that the black soldiers were being paid less than white soldiers, and Shaw decided that nobody in the regiment would accept pay if the soldiers did not. Eventually, Shaw managed to force the quartermaster to send the black soldiers new shoes, and the soldiers were delighted when they were given their blue uniforms in early 1863. Shaw and his soldiers went on parade in Boston, being cheered on by abolitionists, free African-Americans, and other supporters of the Union as they marched down the street.
The regiment was shipped out to South Carolina on 28 May 1863, arriving in Beaufort, where they were greeted by freed slaves and northern abolitionist Protestant missionaries. Shaw met his new commanding officer, General Charles Garrison Harker, who had the 54th Massachusetts accompany Colonel James Montgomery's all-black regiment in a series of raids along the Combahee River, including the burning of Darien, a war crime that led to Shaw protesting against Montgomery's actions. The regiment would also be sent to do foraging along the Georgia coast, doing manual labor instead of being sent to fight. Shaw decided to confront General Harker about revelations of corruption within his command and threatened to report Harker to the War Department unless his men were sent into battle; Harker decided to send them to fight at the Battle of Grimball's Landing on 16 July. The 54th Massachusetts handled itself well in the skirmish, repelling the Confederate forces sent to attack them; the regiment lost 42 men dead, wounded, or captured in its first battle.
On 18 July 1863, Shaw was placed under the command of General George Crockett Strong, who intended to storm Fort Wagner as a step towards taking Charleston from the Confederacy. Strong announced that the regiments would have to march single-file along the beach and that the leading regiment would face the risk of suffering extreme losses, but Shaw volunteered the 54th to lead the way. Shaw set his horse free to prove that he would not abandon his men, and he personally led the charge from the front, saber drawn. The regiment was decimated by artillery fire, but they managed to reach the walls, and they were gunned down or blasted with grenades in droves as they struggled to charge the Confederate parapet from a small pool below. Shaw decided to lead his men by climbing the parapet and shouting, "Forward, 54th, Forward!," but he was shot three times in the chest while heading up the sandy slope. Shaw died instantly, and Major Forbes briefly took command of the regiment, leading a charge up to the artillery battery, where he was killed by canister shot. Shaw was buried in a mass grave with the other dead African-American soldiers, with William B. Taliaferro reasoning that he should share the same fate as his black troops rather than have a proper funeral like the white soldiers. However, Shaw's family perceived his inclusion in the mass burial as more of an honor, as they knew Robert would've had no qualms with being buried alongside his troops.
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