The Mass. 54th Unit Exhibit Flyer
Hunter Shepherd
Who were the Massachusetts 54th
The Massachusetts 54th was the Union army's first all black Regiment. The Regiment was formed because President Lincoln was running out of volunteers for the Union army and decided that if we were fighting to free slaves we might as well let them help fight for their own freedom and help us win the war. The group of volunteers who decided to join the Union army ranged from around 18 all the way to 40 to 45 years old and most of the men had came from a poor jobs such as a field hand or factory worker but there were some educated African Americans who also had joined, like another one of Shaw's childhood friends, Thomas Searles. Some of the men were even runaway slaves from the south. The Regiment was led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and Major Cabot Forbes (a close childhood friend of Shaw's).
Training of the Massachusetts 54th
When the volunteers signed up they had to go through training so they would know how to march, aim, fire and things like that so that in combat they could be efficient. The man who was in charge of training them was Sargent Major Mulcahy, a older Irish man. Mulcahy was rough on the soldiers because he wanted them to turn out the best and in the quickest time possible. Through training it is safe to assume that everyone hated him for his training methods which were very rough and physical. Before the men could go anywhere they needed to be taught how to march and some of the volunteers needed to be taught the difference between left and right. They also needed to learn how to fire their rifles as accurately and as quickly as possible with the fastest reload time they could. Along with learning how to use the rifle they learned how to use the bayonet at the end of the barrel of the weapon. The bayonet is a short knife at the end used for stabbing in close quarters combat.
Facing Discrimination
The soldiers of the 54th had a lot to deal with when it came to dealing with the public because of the hatred they got. They were cursed at for not many real reasons other than there skin color. One of the reasons why they were being hated was because some people thought that it was an honor to be a soldier and allowing the African Americans to become a soldier was disrespectful. Many people at that time thought that the Regiment would be no good because they thought that the volunteers were to dumb to learn anything and lacked the will to learn but those people who had thought that were especially wrong when Colonel Shaw wrote that the soldiers were much better than white soldiers because they hardly ever gave up and did not stay in a bad mood like white soldiers would.
Their arrival in South Carolina
The soldiers were not happy that they were returning to the south but they also knew that by getting there they would be helping to free slaves and some of the troops would even hoped to see their families again. When the regiment was travelling by sea to get to South Carolina, John Rawlins was promoted to Sergeant Major because of his loyalty and helpfulness to Colonel Shaw. When the Regiment reached the plantation that they were going to turn into a Union outpost, they through a party because they knew that by being there they would see battle and not only be used for manual labor.
Their First Assignment in South Carolina
The 54th's first assignment was to go loot a town for ammo, food and valuable objects so the Union could make money. after they got to the town Captain Charles Morse told the troops to loot and any person they find they would need to kill because they were helping the confederates he thought. Colonel Shaw did not want to do with any of the killing or burning but if he did not command his troops to do so he would have the Regiment taken from him because he did not follow his superior officer's command.
No Fighting Just Manual Labor for the Massachusetts 54th
Besides the attack on the town the 54th still hadn't seen any fighting and were getting anxious. While the Regiment was in the south most of the tasks assigned to them were manual labor like building roads, cutting down trees, and digging holes. It was very frustrating for the entire 54th because the whole reason they were there was to fight and by being told that what they trained for was not going to come into action for a long time was very disheartening for the soldiers.
Their 1st battle assignment on James Island
When the 54th finally did get what they had wanted, a battle assignment, they were excited and also afraid. They were excited that they were going to test their skills but frightened to be going into battle. When the regiment got to James island and were set for war the Confederates sent a Calvary unit to test their power and the 54th thought that after they had scared off the Calvary they thought that they had won the battle but they were wrong. The south came over the hill with a mighty force charging. The 54th stood there ground until the Confederates were to close to try for another reload so it became a brutal hand to hand fight that the 54th won with great respect for boot camp instructor, Sargent Major Mulcahy, who had taught them how to effectively use their bayonets.
The Massachusetts 54th Volunteers for the Attack on Fort Wagner
The attack on Fort Wagner was mostly a suicide mission for the first Regiment to lead into the battle. It was so dangerous because The Fort was set up on the top of a hill with a spike filled trench surrounding a steep sand wall. While knowing that it was almost certain death for the leading Regiment Colonel Shaw volunteered the 54th for this task because that he knew he would die with his men and he and his men would be greatly honored for their loyalty to the Union.
The Attack on Fort Wagner
Leading the attack Colonel Shaw bravely led his soldiers through a battlefield of stray Confederate bullets and cannon fire. Once he and the survivors of the march had got to the sand dunes overlooking the ocean they camped there until the sun went down and Shaw lead the attack. to the trenches where sadly, Shaw had died leading the Regiment up the sand walls. His death both inspired the soldiers and frightened them. The man that the Regiment had looked up to as an honorable man had died and that gave the men encouragement to fight better, to avenge their leader. When the remaining Regiment had made it over the wall there were confederates waiting with loaded weapons and cannons. The confederates held the fort with strength up until the end of the Civil War.
The Outcome
The Confederates had held the fort, won the battle but not the war or the honor that the 54th had won itself. The Massachusetts 54th Regiment encouraged African Americans to involve themselves in the war and also encouraged the Union to allow them to fight. After the 54th had shown both the north and the south what great soldiers they were the northerners got less offended if at all to be fighting alongside an African American. The 54th Regiment had proven themselves and a whole race that they were equal to white people in this war.