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Later the 54th fought along with the 35th United states Colored Troups at the the battle of Olustee ,although entering the battle Late in the day the Union was saved fron total disaster by the men of The 54th Regiment . As the men rushed into battle they shouted " Three cheers for Massachusetts and seven dollars a month ". Before being mustered out in 1865, the men of The 54th regiment fought in a few more battles one of them being the Battle of Honey Hill. Now more than a centry after the war The 54th Regiment of Massachusetts still remains the most famous black regiment of the war , made well known even today by the movie Glory which recounts The 54th Regiment prior to and including the attack on Battery Wagner. http://www.black-hawk-design.net/wildwest/54Regement/page10.htm
On July 18, 1863, the regiment won undying glory by leading the bloody assault on Fort Wagner near Charleston, South Carolina. In the attack nearly half the regiment was killed, wounded or captured. Colonel Shaw was among those who died. For his bravery in the battle, he became the first black to earn the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award. The survivors of the Fifty-fourth went on to participate in the eventual capture of Fort Wagner several weeks later. The Fifty-fourth continued to serve throughout the remainder of the war. They fought at Olustee, Florida; Honey Hill, South Carolina; and finally at Boykin's Mills, South Carolina. By the end of the war, almost 179,000 African Americans served in the Union Army and navy. Almost 3,000 died from battle wounds, and 33,000 more died of disease. http://www.black-hawk-design.net/wildwest/54Regement/page10.htm
The American Civil War, fought from 1861-1865, was one of the most significant historical events in the history of the United States of America, as well as the most tragic, and most costly, in terms of the numbers of lives lost. The main cause of the War Between the States was the institution of slavery. States rights also played a role, but the despicable institution of slavery was at the heart of the war. http://www.epinions.com/review/mvie_mu-1008415/content_195276213892
The 54th Massachusetts Regiment was one of these first all-black regiments. A staff of white officers led these regiments. Untested in battle, the 54th was among the first to see combat, although they were not the first. Based on their performance in battle, the go ahead was given to allow black troops to fight in the war. http://www.epinions.com/review/mvie_mu-1008415/content_195276213892
Sergeant William H. Carney Civil War Hero 1840-1908 " When a soldier from another regiment offered to take the flag so Carney could seek medical aid, he replied, "No one but a member of the 54th should carry the colors!" Upon carrying the flag back into camp after the battle, he received rousing cheers from other units but simply replied, typically for a Medal of Honor recipient, "I only did my duty." On July 18, 1863, during the Battle of Fort Wagner, South Carolina a hero is born.! http://www.black-hawk-design.net/wildwest/54Regement/page10.htm
