Led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, the Fifty-fourth was made up of free Blacks including the sons of Frederick Douglass, who was instrumental in the formatiion of the unit.
On July 18, 1863, the regiment won undying glory by leading the bloody assault on Fort Wagner near Charleston, SC. In the attack nearly half the regiment was killed, wounded or captured. Colonel Shaw was among those who died. The survivors of the Fifty-fourth went on to participate in the eventual capture of Fort Wagner several weeks later.
The Fifty-fourth continued to serve throughout the remainder of the war. They fought at Olustee, FL; Honey Hill, SC; and finally at Boykin's Mills, SC.
The example of steadfast courage and heroism set by the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts paved the way for the enlistment of over 200,000 African Americans in the Union Army and Navy.
