Download Fighting for Glory: The History and Legacy of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment AudioBook Free
- Includes accounts of the fighting at Fort Wagner, compiled by a few of the 54th's soldiers.
- Information men of the 54th, including Robert Gould Shaw.
"A deserted homestead is often a sad look, but within the South we should look just a little deeper than the surface, and then we see that each such overgrown plantation and vacant house is a harbinger of independence to the slaves, and every fan of his country, even if he haven't any feeling for the slaves themselves, should rejoice." (Robert Gould Shaw) From your Stonewall Brigade to the Iron Brigade, Americans have always been fascinated by the Civil War's most famous and legendary items, and most are familiar with the 20th Maine's protection of Little Round Top at the Fight of Gettysburg. But ironically, today, the most famous regiment of the whole war is perhaps the 54th Massachusetts, which was one of the first and in the end the best known regiment that contains black soldiers. Like most dark soldiers, the 54th received discriminatory treatment from the military, as white men on both sides were cautious with trusting black soldiers in heavy battle situations, despite the fact that the 54th acquitted itself well in a nearly suicidal episode at Fort Wagner. Because of this the 54th fought in several battles of less note, plus they may have faded into obscurity if not for the critically acclaimed movie
Glory, which viewed the lives of its commander, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, and its own soldiers. Ironically, though it was unknown at the time of the movie, one of the soldiers in the regiment told his captors he previously fought for glory. The movie made the 54th famous, and those who are aware of the regiment are also familiar with its episode on Fort Wagner, however the report of its creation and its own entire service during the Civil Battle is amazing from learn to finish.
