The Massachusetts 54th

Welcome to Civics and Coffee. My name is Alycia and I am a self-professed history nerd. Each week, I am going to chat about a topic on U.S history and give you both the highlights and occasionally break down some of the complexities in history; and share stories you may not remember learning in high school. All in the time it takes to enjoy a cup of coffee. 

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Hey everyone. Welcome back. 

If you are a fan of historical dramas and movies based on real events, then it is possible you have come across the 1989 film Glory. Starring Denzel Washington and Matthew Broderick, the movie depicts a fictionalized account of the first all black regiments in the Civil War, the Massachusetts 54th. 

Despite my overall disinterest in the various details of the Civil War, I have long been interested in the 54th and what the group hoped to achieve. I even wrote a term paper about the regiment during my time as an undergraduate years ago. And let me tell you - there is nothing quite like re-reading old papers to solidify just how much you’ve improved as a writer. It was both nostalgic and a bit embarrassing reading my old stuff, but it proved to be a great starting point in crafting this episode. 

So this week I am diving into the Massachusetts 54th. Who were they? How did they get established? And what is their legacy?

Grab your cup of coffee, peeps. Let’s do this. 

On January 1st, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation. In addition to declaring the men and women held in bondage in the areas in rebellion free, Lincoln announced support for Black Americans to join the cause, saying partially quote: “such persons of suitable condition, will be received into the armed service of the United States to garrison forts, positions, stations, and other places, and to man vessels of all sorts in said service,” end quote. While the proclamation had very little tangible or enforceable impact, it served as a rallying cry of sorts for the millions of Black men and women who had wanted the president to come out and declare the war was in the defense of freedom and not simply the preservation of the country. 

Soon after the Proclamation’s release, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton authorized the raising of black troops. The task of establishing the Massachusetts Fifty Fourth was assigned to the state’s Governor John A. Andrew who had long supported the inclusion of African Americans in the military. Governor Andrew, elected in 1860, wanted to prove that African American men would fight in the army if given the chance. In Andrews’ view, if Black Americans fought, they would be seen as men and therefore considered citizens. Andrew, deeply invested in building a new African American regiment, had to contend with such influential men as General Benjamin F. Butler, who initially prevented Andrews from establishing said regiments. Determined to fulfill his mission, Andrew was able to override General Butler’s opposition by appealing to the president, playing on patriotic sentiment, stating quote, “In a time like this, it is the duty of every citizen to bear whatever can be borne consistently with honor, and I have been silent towards the public, trusting that the Federal Government would at last discontinue the toleration of this indignity, practiced towards a Commonwealth which had done nothing to deserve it” end quote. 

To lead the men, Governor Andrew selected Robert Gould Shaw. Born to a prominent abolitionist family in 1837, Shaw had been actively serving since 1861 as a member of the 2nd Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. Shaw built an impressive service career, fighting in several battles. While other officers may have had a stronger desire to lead the unit, no one had a more connected, richer abolitionist family than Shaw. With the enlistment of the young Shaw as colonel, Andrew’s regiment was guaranteed support by the entire Shaw family, who could provide monetary aid as well as garner support in the public sphere.

Although Robert Gould Shaw grew up in an abolitionist family, he himself was initially indifferent to slavery. It was only after traveling abroad and reading Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin that Shaw began to get a sense for the true horrors of slavery. But his enlistment in 1861 was out of a sense of pride and duty and not necessarily a crusade to help end the institution of slavery. Shaw, like many of his contemporaries, felt that the war was destined to end quickly and that would face little actual danger. According to scholar Russell Duncan, Shaw had quote “grown tired of sectional tension that pervaded his daily life” end quote. In fact, when chosen to lead the first African American military regiment, Shaw initially refused. It is assumed that the reason Shaw eventually accepted the position was due to the pressure put on by his parents. However, once in place, Shaw proved to be a strong supporter and advocate for the men under his charge. 

Recruiting officers posed several challenges. As a state regiment, initial calls for troops within Massachusetts did not produce sufficient numbers to build a proper unit. Hoping to increase the number of black recruits, prominent abolitionists in the Black community, such as Frederick Douglass, were brought in and asked to help generate interest among potentially eligible black men. Earning a stipend of $10 a week, Douglass leveraged his elevated status to recruit men to serve, emphasizing his belief that in serving the Union, Black men could, once and for all, demonstrate to the rest of the country that they were capable, strong, and worthy of citizenship. The famed orator also leveraged his newspaper, Douglass Monthly, to publish broadsides in an effort to recruit the necessary number of troops. And as I covered during my episodes on Frederick Douglass in 2022, his sons were among the first to enlist and volunteer, serving in the 54th. 

For those considering enlistment, there were significant issues to consider. These men were leaving their homes and families, who were usually dependent on them to be the sole support system for the family and provide the basic necessities. And despite the patriotic calls to serve their country, Black men still had to contend with the fact that they would have to accept a lower rate of pay than white officers, despite performing many of the same duties, and could not be commissioned as officers. Despite this, most who decided to join the fight did so because they felt they would be participating in the ending of slavery. In their eyes, fighting with the Union Army was the quote unquote “biggest and best” way to earn their freedom. Also, African American men felt a high sense of importance at being labeled a soldier, as one soldier wrote his wife quote, “i am a soldier now and i shall use my utmost endeavors to strike at… the heart of this system that… has kept us in chains” end quote. 

Drilling took place at Camp Meigs in Readville, Massachusetts in the early months of 1863. When filing through the volunteers, Massachusetts Surgeon General Dale set high standards to qualify for placement in the unit. As a result, the men Shaw oversaw and trained were considered the best available. Shaw, who had minimal contact with Black Americans prior to taking charge of the unit, initially had doubts about the intelligence and capabilities of the men in his charge. However, as time progressed and Shaw got to see the dedication of the men under his charge, his opinions shifted and he began to see them for who they were - committed and capable soldiers looking to defend their country. Having a new found respect for his unit, Shaw wrote to his father quote, “The intelligence of the men is a great surprise to me” end quote. And by the time the regiment was presented with their colors in May of 1863, Shaw’s admiration for his unit was palpable, and he often took to writing about the 54th as a quote “fine army” end quote. 

With training complete, the Massachusetts 54th was prepared for deployment. Marching through the streets of Boston, the regiment was shipped to South Carolina. Ready to engage the enemy as they’d been trained, the men of the 54th were likely frustrated and disappointed to find that the only assignment bestowed upon them was performing manual labor. The group spent weeks loading and unloading supplies before their commander protested the use of the regiment. Their second assignment was not much better, leading Shaw to complain that his unit was being denied the chance to prove themselves and perform in a proper military engagement. 

The men of the 54th would finally be given a chance to prove their strength and capabilities in back to back engagements in July, 1863. After performing well in a battle on James Island in South Carolina, the 54th regiment faced their most significant engagement yet with the Battle of Fort Wagner on July 18, 1863. Approximately 630 men charged the heavily guarded fortress on Morris Island, also located in South Carolina. Ending in a military defeat, the Union side lost hundreds of soldiers and failed to wrestle control of the fortification from the Confederacy. The men of the 54th experienced significant losses including that of their commanding officer, Robert Gould Shaw. However, their loss was not the result of under preparation, but bad intelligence. Heading into the engagement, the regiment expected to face a much smaller group of Confederates and were simply overpowered, out gunned, and outmanned.  

As the battle unfolded, Harriet Tubman watched from afar as the men bravely tried their hardest to secure a victory. She later recalled quote, “And then we saw the lightening, and that was the guns; and then we heard the thunder, and that was the big guns; and then we heard the rain falling, and that was the drops of blood falling; and when we came to get in the crops, it was the dead that we reaped,” end quote. 

For those who did survive the charge, the loss only made their desire to fight more intense. In a letter to his commanding officer, one soldier wrote quote, “I still feel more eager for the struggle than I ever yet have, for I now wish to have revenge for our galant Colonel and the spilt blood of our Captain” end quote. And despite the confederate hope that racial attitudes would drive a wedge between black and white soldiers, the bravery and tenacity demonstrated by the members of the 54th served to create a shared bond between the ranks. 

While contact with the Fifty Fourth may have worked to reduce racism inside the military, it failed to eliminate the sentiment entirely. Some high ranking military officials continued to make their distaste obvious for black soldiers, with one colonel being quoted as saying he wished blacks were safely back in Africa. Yet another military officer, Colonel Albert Rogall, attacked black soldiers by describing them as theives, nuisances, and unworthy. In charge of a regiment of African Americans, Rogall held such contempt for his commission that he resigned after only a year of service.

And the demonstrated loyalty and bravery also proved ineffective in easing racial tensions off the battlefield. The 54th was celebrated as a success by both abolitionists and most of the Union Army, however many Americans considered the idea of Black Americans seeking military service as acting out of turn. In fact, several white americans were angered at seeing black soldiers walk proudly, and considered their actions arrogant and disrespectful to their prescribed place in society. And while the bravery exhibited by the regiment was glorified and popularized to generate interest in establishing more units, African Americans continued to contend with the pervasive racism from the government they were working so hard to defend. Black soldiers were put into segregated regiments and were denied the opportunity to attain higher ranks such as Major and Colonel. The War Department even attempted to change the colors of the regiments’ uniform colors, a move that was met with staff opposition. Additionally, despite promises of equal or at least comparable compensation to their white counterparts, Black soldiers often had to deal with unequal pay, with the War Department pushing to pay black soldiers the same rate they would as formerly enslaved individuals considered contraband. They also had to contend with delayed or denied veteran benefits despite their time in service to the union. 

While the men serving in the 54th suffered immeasurable loss at the Battle of Fort Wagner and grappled with substandard treatment, they succeeded in becoming a symbol of what equality could mean. In standing their ground on the field of battle, following the orders of their commanding officers, and performing as gallantly as their white counterpart, the men of the Massachusetts 54th helped undue some of the pervasive misconceptions about the capacity and bravery to black men. This led to nearly two hundred thousand black men to enlist in the cause, providing the Union with a significant boost in manpower and contributed to their ultimate success in the war. 

In 1897, a new monument was unveiled honoring the service of Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts 54th. You can still visit the monument today as it stands opposite the Massachusetts State House on Beacon Street and is an included stop on the Black Heritage trail if you ever decided to visit the city. And the National Park Service has a database of enlisted soldiers, including over 1500 names for the men who served in the Massachusetts 54th, ensuring their service remains a part of the historical record. 

A regiment that many hoped would fail, the Massachusetts 54th set a new tone for service in the Civil War. They helped combat the notion that African Americans were cowardly or otherwise incapable of serving their country and challenged the pervasive stereotypes of the time. In doing so, they helped move the needle on black equality ever so slightly, a fight that would continue well into the next century.  

Before I sign off today, I wanted to give a special shout out to listener Kate. I recently had the pleasure of attending the American Historical Association conference held in San Francisco where I got to geek out - and I do mean geek out - over historians, fellow podcasters, and meeting listeners like Kate. Kate was so kind and thoughtful and it was a highlight of the conference getting a chance to meet her. So, thank you Kate. You made this podcaster’s year. 

Also, the conference, usually referred to by its acronym the AHA was such a fantastic and inspiring few days. Many of you reached out while I was posting on social media about my experience with questions about the conference and what it felt like to go. I decided what better way to answer your questions as well as gush and digest my conference experience than by dedicating an episode to conferences. I hope to highlight some of the best practices I’ve learned since I started attending just a year ago as well as give you the inside track on ways to maximize your experience. Stay tuned - I hope to get that out to you all in a couple of weeks.

Thanks, peeps. I’ll see you next week.

Thanks for tuning and I hope you enjoyed this episode of Civics & Coffee. If you want to hear more small snippets from american history, be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening and I look forward to our next cup of coffee together. 

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