African-American Troops In The Civil War: The 54th Massachusetts
The Fifty-fourth Massachusetts was organized in early 1863 by Robert
Gould Shaw, twenty-six year old member of a prominent Boston abolitionist family.
Shaw had earlier served in the Seventh New York National Guard and the Second
Massachusetts Infantry, and was appointed colonel of the Fifty-fourth in
February 1863 by Massachusetts governor John A. Andrew.
As one of the first black units organized in the northern states, the
Fifty-fourth was the object of great interest and curiosity, and its performance
would be considered an important indication of the possibilities surrounding the
use of blacks in combat. The regiment was composed primarily of free blacks from
throughout the north, ...
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was placed in the vanguard
and over 250 men of the regiment became casualties. Shaw, the regiment's young
colonel, died on the crest of the enemy parapet, shouting, "Forward, Fifty-
fourth!"
That heroic charge, coupled with Shaw's death, made the regiment a
household name throughout the north, and helped spur black recruiting. For the
remainder of 1863 the unit participated in siege operations around Charleston,
before boarding transports for Florida early in February 1864. The regiment
numbered 510 officers and men at the opening of the Florida Campaign, and its
new commander was Edward N. Hallowell, a twenty-seven year old merchant from
Medford, Massachusetts. Anxious to avenge the Battery Wagner repulse, the Fifty-
fourth was the best black regiment available to General Seymour, the Union
commander.
Along with the First North Carolina Colored Infantry, the Fifty-fourth
entered the fighting late in the day at Olustee, and helped save the Union army
from complete disaster. The ...
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nothing to molest us for three days. We saw nothing of the Johnnies, and
on Friday the 8th of April, at Epp's Ferry, Cos. H and A were detached from the
regiment to go and destroy the said Ferry. Myself, one corporal and fifteen
privates were in the advance. On we went, neither hearing nor seeing any thing
in particular. After advancing about two miles, and wading through water and mud,
we spied a Johnny sitting upon his horse as a picket. He left his post and
secreted himself. Halting my men for further orders, I received instructions to
proceed forward with the utmost caution, and screen my men as much as possible
in the woods. The swamp through which we had to pass was ...
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African-American Troops In The Civil War: The 54th Massachusetts. (2008, October 30). Retrieved December 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/African-American-Troops-Civil-War-54th/92289
"African-American Troops In The Civil War: The 54th Massachusetts." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 30 Oct. 2008. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/African-American-Troops-Civil-War-54th/92289>
"African-American Troops In The Civil War: The 54th Massachusetts." Essayworld.com. October 30, 2008. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/African-American-Troops-Civil-War-54th/92289.
"African-American Troops In The Civil War: The 54th Massachusetts." Essayworld.com. October 30, 2008. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/African-American-Troops-Civil-War-54th/92289.
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