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the 54th regiment became the wars most famous regiment because of its dynamic heroism in battle. at the battle of fort wagner 630 men from this regiment shot cannon and rifle fire across 200 yards of beach. they then climbed the forts walls. shaw lead these men through this battle until he was shot through the heart. the national flag never touched the ground even though the carrier was struck by three bullets. at the battle of olustee, by the end of the etreat half of the men were missing shoes or food. 86 total were killed wounded or missing. at the battle of boykins mill, the regiments last battle, they killed 160 enemy soldiers and suffered only 25 casualties.
The massachusetts 54th regiment was a volunteer infantry regimiment of free african americans. they fought because they figured if african americans wanted slavery to end, then they should fight for it themselves. their leader was john a andrew. he chose robert gould shaw to command the regiment. Frederick Douglass helped recruit. the members mostly came from massachusetts but some from pennsylvania. they recruited so many that they needed to establish the 55th regiment to accompany the surplus soldiers. the blacks were often angry because they did not recieve very good pay/ training, second rate tents and uniforms, and poor weapons. also menial laborers. work suitable for servants. less then 100 blacks became officers, including major martin delaney, francis dumas, and alexander augustus. the blacks were in risk of dying or being enslaved becuse the confederacy said that it would punish captured soldiers as runaway slaves.
the regiment served in south carolina until august 1864. when the service ended the regiment was formally disbanded in boston on sep. 1st. 1864. in 1867 the regiment held a reunion, ten years later a bronze memorial of robert gould shaw was awarded to the regiment.
The 54th Massachusetts volunteer infantry regiment
