Robert Gould Shaw

Robert Gould Shaw (1837-1863), was the white commander of the all-black 54th Massachusetts Regiment, which entered the American Civil War in 1863. Born in Boston, Massachusetts to a prominent abolitionist family, he served as a captain in the 2nd Massachusetts until he was recruited by Governor John Andrew to raise and command the first regiment of black troops of the Union. His new regiment, the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, was sent to Charleston, South Carolina to take part in the operations against the Confederates stationed there. On July 18, 1863, along with two brigades of white troops, he led the 54th to carry out an assault on Confederate Battery Wagner. The Robert Gould Shaw Memorial was built in 1897, on Beacon and Park Streets in Boston in his memory.