1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class from house 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: stuff Works dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 1: I'm Sarah Dowdy and I'm Delia Truck Recording, and probably 4 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:19,880 Speaker 1: for the first time since our three hundred episode, we 5 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:22,520 Speaker 1: we're going to be talking about a subject that most 6 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: of you might know better from the movie version. It's 7 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:29,680 Speaker 1: the four Massachusetts Colored Infantry. And if you've seen the 8 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:33,199 Speaker 1: nine nine film Glory, you know that the story covers 9 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:36,640 Speaker 1: an all African American regiment in the Civil War. In 10 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:39,800 Speaker 1: their white Colonel Robert gould Shaw, who's played by a 11 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:45,160 Speaker 1: barely out of Ferris Bueller Matthew Broderick. And despite required 12 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:47,960 Speaker 1: Hollywood tweaks and changed timelines, I mean, they've got a 13 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:51,400 Speaker 1: self tickets. After all, Glory is considered one of the 14 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:55,120 Speaker 1: best Civil War films, probably because it had Shelby Foote, 15 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:58,760 Speaker 1: the author as its historical advisor, and a really well 16 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 1: respected cast for Derick Morgan Freeman. A young Denzel Washington 17 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:06,000 Speaker 1: actually checked out the review of Glory in the New 18 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 1: York Times Articles Archives and they said he was clearly 19 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:13,959 Speaker 1: on his way to a major screen career. Indeed. Um, 20 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:15,840 Speaker 1: so we're of course going to be talking about some 21 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:18,840 Speaker 1: of the high points featured in the film Glory, the 22 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:24,199 Speaker 1: regiments parade through Boston, their pay refusal, their tragic battle 23 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:27,040 Speaker 1: at Fort Wagner. But we're also going to be talking 24 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:30,600 Speaker 1: about why the fifty four was so remarkable in the 25 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:34,320 Speaker 1: first place, and why it took until eighteen sixty three 26 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:37,399 Speaker 1: for a northern state to raise an all black regiment. 27 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 1: That last fact is especially surprising when you consider African 28 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:44,319 Speaker 1: Americans fought in the Revolutionary War, so why in the 29 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:47,480 Speaker 1: Civil War when their liberty was again at stake, where 30 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 1: blacks not initially allowed to fight well. When the war began, 31 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 1: many free blacks wanted to join, but a seventeen ninety 32 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 1: two law prevented them from doing so. And also Northerners 33 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:00,760 Speaker 1: as a whole weren't in favor of it. They believed 34 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 1: African Americans were unsuitable soldiers, cowardly or unintelligent, and they 35 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 1: thought that they weren't equipped to do anything beyond the 36 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 1: hard labor work that was required for war, so grave digging, 37 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 1: hauleen cooking, things like that. And if you listen to 38 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 1: our episode on the Stone a Rebellion, and if you've 39 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:22,040 Speaker 1: heard of other revolts like Nat Turners. It's also easy 40 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: to see that there was a fair amount of fear involved. 41 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 1: It seemed a risk almost to outfit and armed black soldiers. 42 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:31,799 Speaker 1: But opinions did start to change over time, partly because 43 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:35,600 Speaker 1: the war dragged on longer than people had expected it too, 44 00:02:35,639 --> 00:02:38,200 Speaker 1: and fewer white men were so gung ho to go 45 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:43,359 Speaker 1: and list anymore. Also, abolitionists started to make promoting black 46 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 1: service a prime wartime goal. Many thought it as the 47 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 1: natural road toward full freedom, that you had to participate 48 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 1: in earning that freedom by fighting, and one of the 49 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 1: most famous abolitionists of the day, the former slave Frederick Douglas, 50 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:00,239 Speaker 1: even fed quote, once the black man gets the upon 51 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:03,720 Speaker 1: his person, the brass letters UF must get on his 52 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:06,840 Speaker 1: shoulder and bullets in his pocket, there is no power 53 00:03:06,919 --> 00:03:09,200 Speaker 1: on earth which can deny that he has earned the 54 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:13,679 Speaker 1: right to citizenship in the United States. Finally, though some 55 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 1: Northern generals, not all saw enlisting African American troops as 56 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:21,480 Speaker 1: a way to win the war. To end the war, 57 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 1: General Grant considered enlisting black troops as a definitive way 58 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:28,919 Speaker 1: to beat the Confederacy. I mean, it makes sense to 59 00:03:29,080 --> 00:03:31,960 Speaker 1: you have this huge minority of the population with a 60 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 1: very strong investment in the fight, So why not let 61 00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:38,200 Speaker 1: them in and let them have a go at it. 62 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: So by July eighteen sixty two, laws did start to 63 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:45,520 Speaker 1: change to allow more black participation. Congress first of all, 64 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:49,440 Speaker 1: repealed in seventeen two law barring blacks from service. They 65 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:52,920 Speaker 1: also passed the Confiscation Act, which made all slaves of 66 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:56,040 Speaker 1: rebel masters free as soon as they crossed Union lines, 67 00:03:56,720 --> 00:03:59,600 Speaker 1: and they passed the Militia Act, which empowered the President 68 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 1: to say that the black militias. So within a month, 69 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 1: the War Department had authorized Brigadier General Rufus Saxton, who 70 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: controlled the Union occupied area of South Carolina, to raise 71 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:14,560 Speaker 1: five black regiments with white officers, and the volunteering was 72 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:18,240 Speaker 1: sluggish at first, but by November the first South Carolina 73 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 1: Volunteer Regiment was mustered under the command of a Massachusetts 74 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 1: abolitionists named Colonel Thomas Wentworth Higginson. A second regiment was 75 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:30,200 Speaker 1: then formed soon after, commanded by Colonel James Montgomery, and 76 00:04:30,279 --> 00:04:33,400 Speaker 1: the first and the second Carolina regiments quickly proved their worth. 77 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:37,719 Speaker 1: They rated Georgia, Florida and even occupied Jacksonville, and similarly 78 00:04:37,839 --> 00:04:41,080 Speaker 1: organized groups of soldiers were soon formed in Kansas and 79 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 1: occupied areas of Louisiana, made up of freedmen and former slaves. 80 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:48,719 Speaker 1: So by fall eighteen sixty two there were a few 81 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:52,720 Speaker 1: regiments of black soldiers in action, but so far none 82 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:56,800 Speaker 1: had been created by northern states. Still seemed like a 83 00:04:56,880 --> 00:05:01,080 Speaker 1: black army was a ways off. One obstacle, of course, 84 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:04,240 Speaker 1: was the Border States. President Lincoln had then quote to 85 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:07,599 Speaker 1: arm the Negroes would turn fifty thousand bayonets from the 86 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:11,800 Speaker 1: loyal border states against us that were for us. But 87 00:05:11,960 --> 00:05:15,320 Speaker 1: the abolition hast really continued to press their cause, as 88 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:17,920 Speaker 1: did the realities of a long war. You know, you've 89 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:21,000 Speaker 1: got to have enough soldiers to fight the thing. And finally, 90 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:25,200 Speaker 1: on January one, eighteen sixty three, Lincoln signed the Emancipation 91 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:29,640 Speaker 1: Proclamation into law. And the proclamation meant that Lincoln could 92 00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:34,159 Speaker 1: not only remove resources from their conquered owners and laboring 93 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:37,239 Speaker 1: slaves from their conquered owners, he could use those freedmen 94 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:41,200 Speaker 1: to further his own wartime aims by turning them into soldiers. 95 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:45,160 Speaker 1: So African Americans could now enlist in the army and navy. 96 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:47,480 Speaker 1: And the way Lincoln put it to Grant really kind 97 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:50,040 Speaker 1: of sums the whole thing up. He said, it works 98 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:55,279 Speaker 1: doubly weakening the enemy and strengthening us. So Massachusetts seems 99 00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:58,239 Speaker 1: like a natural place to form an all black state regiments, 100 00:05:58,279 --> 00:06:00,400 Speaker 1: since it had been the heart of the abolition movement 101 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:04,920 Speaker 1: for years. Massachusetts Governor John Andrew, who was an abolitionist himself, 102 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:08,960 Speaker 1: believed ardently that African Americans must play a part in 103 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:12,280 Speaker 1: ending Southern slavery. It really saw it as a moral issue, 104 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:16,680 Speaker 1: like if this happens without their participation, how can we 105 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:20,640 Speaker 1: all go on with that as a as the reality. 106 00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:23,880 Speaker 1: That's why he petitions Secretary of War and When Stanton 107 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:26,800 Speaker 1: for permission to form a state regiment, and was approved 108 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:30,000 Speaker 1: by the end of January, so it was officially on 109 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:33,400 Speaker 1: at that point. His first order of business was, of course, 110 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:37,600 Speaker 1: attracting soldiers. Massachusetts did not have a large African American 111 00:06:37,640 --> 00:06:41,360 Speaker 1: population at this time, and according to William C. Cassatists 112 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 1: in American history, only one hundred men volunteered in those 113 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:47,680 Speaker 1: first six weeks, So that must have been a major 114 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:51,680 Speaker 1: blow to Andrew, who is so excited about the prospect 115 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:55,560 Speaker 1: of forming a regiment in his state. So he decided 116 00:06:55,640 --> 00:06:58,960 Speaker 1: to expand his net go beyond Massachusetts, and with the 117 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:01,800 Speaker 1: help of other abolish and as he raised five thousand 118 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:06,040 Speaker 1: dollars to set up these recruiting posts across the Northern States, 119 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:09,240 Speaker 1: trying to draw the cream of the crop in basically 120 00:07:09,279 --> 00:07:13,640 Speaker 1: eventually attracting one thousand recruits. He soon had enough recruits 121 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:18,040 Speaker 1: to form not only a Massachusetts fifty four, but a 122 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:22,520 Speaker 1: Massachusetts fifty five too. And they was a pretty diverse 123 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:25,760 Speaker 1: bunch as you as you'd figure from these recruiting posts 124 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:29,480 Speaker 1: all over the North. The fifty four featured men from 125 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:34,040 Speaker 1: twenty four different states, the District of Columbia, the West Indies, 126 00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:38,960 Speaker 1: and Africa. Twenty percent of them had been slaves, and 127 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:42,240 Speaker 1: some were pretty high profile guys too too. Of Frederick 128 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 1: Douglas's sons, for instance, enlisted. It was, like I said, 129 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 1: kind of the best of the beasts were attracted to 130 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:52,680 Speaker 1: this regiment. Governor Andrew also promised potential black recruits that 131 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:55,840 Speaker 1: this wasn't a setup and white officers wouldn't be against 132 00:07:55,880 --> 00:08:00,320 Speaker 1: their own men. They'd be committed abolitionists with real war experience. 133 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:02,720 Speaker 1: I think the fear was that they would they would 134 00:08:02,720 --> 00:08:05,680 Speaker 1: pair the black troops with somebody who either didn't care 135 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:09,000 Speaker 1: about them, you know it was race, or somebody who 136 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:11,280 Speaker 1: just didn't know what he was doing, and that would 137 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:13,800 Speaker 1: certainly speak to how much you cared about your regiment 138 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:16,280 Speaker 1: if you put them with a poorly trained officer. Well. 139 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 1: Governor Andrew's pick ended up being Captain Robert Gouldshaw, the 140 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:23,800 Speaker 1: twenty five year old son of abolitionist Francis and Sarah Shaw. 141 00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:27,720 Speaker 1: And Shaw's father was an extremely wealthy former merchant from 142 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:30,960 Speaker 1: Boston who had retired early to West Roxbury for an 143 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:35,040 Speaker 1: academic life translating literature. And Shaw grew up attending top 144 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:37,800 Speaker 1: schools around New York in Europe and listening as a 145 00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:40,839 Speaker 1: private when the war started. And fun loving and hard 146 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:43,520 Speaker 1: to discipline as he was, Shaw really thrived in the army, 147 00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:46,760 Speaker 1: where he was eventually commissioned as a second lieutenant and 148 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 1: finally a captain with the second Regiment of the Massachusetts Infantry. 149 00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:54,439 Speaker 1: He saw action and was wounded twice, so he had 150 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:58,560 Speaker 1: abolitionist cred on one hand, he also had war experience 151 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:01,240 Speaker 1: on the other hand. And together, when you put this 152 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:05,040 Speaker 1: two together, he seemed like a perfect candidate too. Yeah, 153 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:07,560 Speaker 1: just the kind of guy that Governor Andrew was looking for. 154 00:09:07,720 --> 00:09:11,439 Speaker 1: But when Shaw was offered, the command delivered personally from 155 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:14,880 Speaker 1: the governor to Shaw's father, So he received this this 156 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:18,320 Speaker 1: offer from his own father. He didn't jump at the chance, 157 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:21,000 Speaker 1: and he had a few reasons for doing that. For 158 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:23,520 Speaker 1: one thing, he liked his current gig. He liked being 159 00:09:23,520 --> 00:09:27,720 Speaker 1: a captain with the Massachusetts Second. Second, he wasn't thrilled 160 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:30,560 Speaker 1: at the idea of what would undoubtedly be a very 161 00:09:30,679 --> 00:09:35,480 Speaker 1: high profile, controversial, and likely unpopular job. You know, a 162 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:38,360 Speaker 1: lot of eyes would be on him. And then, most surprisingly, 163 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:42,280 Speaker 1: he wasn't really that much of an abolitionist. That had 164 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:46,680 Speaker 1: been a major point in his selection. But his personal 165 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:49,560 Speaker 1: beliefs weren't as strong as those of his parents, and 166 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:52,080 Speaker 1: surely his friends must have known this. But to the 167 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:56,640 Speaker 1: wider world, his parents reputation basically made his own. They 168 00:09:56,679 --> 00:10:00,360 Speaker 1: had joined the American Anti Slavery Society a year after 169 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:03,440 Speaker 1: he was born, and he had grown up playing with 170 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:08,200 Speaker 1: William Lloyd Garrison's kids. But Shaw himself, while anti slavery, 171 00:10:08,280 --> 00:10:11,480 Speaker 1: he didn't see that as his prime motivation for fighting. 172 00:10:11,559 --> 00:10:15,840 Speaker 1: He was more of a patriot. He felt upset that 173 00:10:15,920 --> 00:10:18,840 Speaker 1: the North was being flighted. You know it wasn't It 174 00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:21,959 Speaker 1: wasn't about slavery for him, According to a Russell Duncan 175 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:25,760 Speaker 1: book on Shaw, In one letter, Shaw actually wrote to 176 00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:28,520 Speaker 1: his mother, quote, I don't talk and think slavery all 177 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:31,120 Speaker 1: the time. And it's likely that it was Shaw's mother 178 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:33,880 Speaker 1: who finally urged him to accept the offer that his 179 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:36,920 Speaker 1: letter to his future wife, Annie Haggerty suggests that he 180 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:41,280 Speaker 1: also had glory on his mind as a motivator. He said, quote, 181 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:44,600 Speaker 1: you know how many eminent men consider a Negro army 182 00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:46,920 Speaker 1: of the greatest importance to our country at this time. 183 00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:50,040 Speaker 1: If it turns out to be so, how fully repaid 184 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:52,679 Speaker 1: the pioneers and the movement will be for what they 185 00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:55,400 Speaker 1: may have to go through. I feel convinced I shall 186 00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:58,080 Speaker 1: never regret having taken this step, as far as I 187 00:10:58,160 --> 00:11:01,559 Speaker 1: myself am concerned. For while I was undecided, I felt 188 00:11:01,559 --> 00:11:04,880 Speaker 1: ashamed of myself, as if I were cowardly. So whatever 189 00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:08,760 Speaker 1: his reasons, Shaw did ultimately accept the commission and he 190 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:11,760 Speaker 1: was promoted to colonel, and from there he oversaw the 191 00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:14,560 Speaker 1: training of his men at a camp near Boston. But 192 00:11:14,679 --> 00:11:18,040 Speaker 1: one important thing to remember here. All of the officers 193 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:20,800 Speaker 1: in the unit, not just Shaw, were white and many 194 00:11:20,840 --> 00:11:26,839 Speaker 1: of them started working with pretty stereotypical views of their soldiers, 195 00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:29,560 Speaker 1: and Shaw was certainly included in that he would use 196 00:11:29,880 --> 00:11:33,440 Speaker 1: racial names. When writing home to his parents, he'd express 197 00:11:33,559 --> 00:11:37,160 Speaker 1: his surprise at how intelligent his men were, things that 198 00:11:37,240 --> 00:11:39,840 Speaker 1: seem a little icky now when you read them today, 199 00:11:39,880 --> 00:11:43,880 Speaker 1: But working together did eventually foster a sense of unity 200 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:48,559 Speaker 1: between the soldiers and the officers, especially since both of them, 201 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:51,760 Speaker 1: both the men and the officers were under intense scrutiny 202 00:11:51,800 --> 00:11:55,800 Speaker 1: from white soldiers. For instance, when the men who had 203 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:59,160 Speaker 1: been promised fair pay at recruitment were only offered ten 204 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:02,440 Speaker 1: dollars per month, which was three dollars less than white 205 00:12:02,440 --> 00:12:06,440 Speaker 1: soldiers were paid, Shaw wrote to the governor vowing that 206 00:12:06,559 --> 00:12:11,160 Speaker 1: the whole regiment, including him, would refuse payment until it 207 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:13,240 Speaker 1: was fair and equal. And we're going to talk about 208 00:12:13,280 --> 00:12:15,600 Speaker 1: that pay question a little bit more later. It's kind 209 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:20,480 Speaker 1: of overshadowed by later events that go through, but it's 210 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:23,640 Speaker 1: one of their most important contributions to the war, and 211 00:12:23,679 --> 00:12:26,160 Speaker 1: the bravery of both the men and the officers was 212 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:29,760 Speaker 1: also tested long before they even left the training grounds. 213 00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:34,319 Speaker 1: Shortly after Muster, the Confederate Congress passed an act stating 214 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:38,559 Speaker 1: that any black soldier or white officer commanding black soldiers 215 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:42,320 Speaker 1: would be summarily executed if caught behind rebel lines. So 216 00:12:42,480 --> 00:12:45,720 Speaker 1: that's something that's going to certainly strengthen the ties between 217 00:12:45,760 --> 00:12:49,400 Speaker 1: the officers and the men themselves. So the development of 218 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:53,280 Speaker 1: the four though, as we said, was under intense scrutiny, 219 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:56,000 Speaker 1: but it was also kind of a spectator sport. Almost 220 00:12:56,040 --> 00:12:59,800 Speaker 1: about three thousand people ended up visiting them to watch 221 00:12:59,840 --> 00:13:02,760 Speaker 1: the training. To Frederick Douglas dot By, not too surprising 222 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:05,720 Speaker 1: if his sons were were involved, but all sorts of 223 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:09,559 Speaker 1: people came back to watch their progress. People were interested 224 00:13:09,559 --> 00:13:12,880 Speaker 1: in it, invested in it. But by May eighteen sixty three, 225 00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:15,920 Speaker 1: it was time for the men to to ship out 226 00:13:15,960 --> 00:13:19,120 Speaker 1: to get going, and on the eighteenth Governor Andrew himself 227 00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:22,920 Speaker 1: delivered the regimental flags to Shaw and they got their 228 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:26,080 Speaker 1: first assignment, which was going to be South Carolina. So 229 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:30,120 Speaker 1: unlike those earlier earlier troops we mentioned that we're in 230 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:33,600 Speaker 1: Kansas or in Louisiana, they were going to really be 231 00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:36,120 Speaker 1: in the thick up things. Their procession to the Boston 232 00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:39,000 Speaker 1: Harbor included a march through downtown and review in front 233 00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:41,080 Speaker 1: of the governor before they boardered a ship bound for 234 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:44,560 Speaker 1: Port Royal Island, South Carolina, reporting to the Department of 235 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:47,440 Speaker 1: the South for duty. So what was going on in 236 00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:51,840 Speaker 1: South Carolina at this time? There were attacks on Charleston's fortifications, 237 00:13:51,880 --> 00:13:54,679 Speaker 1: mostly but not for Shawsna, and they were met with 238 00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:58,480 Speaker 1: the bitter disappointment of manual labor. What they what this 239 00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:00,760 Speaker 1: was supposed to not be about. They showed up and 240 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:02,800 Speaker 1: they had to do some ditch digging. So it seems 241 00:14:02,840 --> 00:14:04,480 Speaker 1: like they were back to square one. You know, I 242 00:14:04,520 --> 00:14:08,760 Speaker 1: go through all this training, all this pageantry, and just 243 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:12,199 Speaker 1: go back to digging ditches. So the fifty four didn't 244 00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:14,920 Speaker 1: get to see any action until June eighth, when they 245 00:14:15,040 --> 00:14:18,400 Speaker 1: joined the troops of Colonel James Montgomery and his All 246 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:22,840 Speaker 1: African American Second South Carolina Regiment. Even this, though their 247 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:26,400 Speaker 1: first taste of soldiering was pretty much a disappointment. Shawn 248 00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:30,280 Speaker 1: and his men, under the command of Colonel Montgomery, were 249 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:34,120 Speaker 1: ordered to plunder and burn this tiny town in Georgia 250 00:14:34,120 --> 00:14:37,120 Speaker 1: called Darian. It's a bit north of Brunswick and Seawan 251 00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:42,080 Speaker 1: was deeply disturbed with the order to burn down this defenseless, 252 00:14:42,080 --> 00:14:46,400 Speaker 1: pretty unimportant town, and afterward wrote to his superiors about 253 00:14:46,440 --> 00:14:49,960 Speaker 1: the incident, knowing that writing about it, talking about it 254 00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:54,920 Speaker 1: like this could mean disciplinary action for speaking up. Ultimately, though, 255 00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:58,320 Speaker 1: the officer who commanded Montgomery to sack the town was 256 00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:01,120 Speaker 1: not too long after relieved of his command by Lincoln, 257 00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:04,000 Speaker 1: so maybe it was worth it for for Shaw to 258 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:08,760 Speaker 1: speak up. Finally, though, July sixty four saw the type 259 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:11,400 Speaker 1: of action they had been hoping for all along, Not 260 00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:15,160 Speaker 1: ditch digging, not burning down people's homes or businesses, but 261 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:19,760 Speaker 1: actual soldiering. Yeah, they joined White troops on James Island 262 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:24,040 Speaker 1: near Charleston, carrying themselves well, and they ensured the safe 263 00:15:24,040 --> 00:15:28,000 Speaker 1: retreat of the tenth Connecticut Infantry after surprise Confederate attack. 264 00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:31,000 Speaker 1: One Connecticut soldier even wrote home to his mother that 265 00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:35,280 Speaker 1: the fifty four had quote font like heroes. So Shaw's 266 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:38,800 Speaker 1: brigade commander, General George C. Strong had heard about how 267 00:15:38,840 --> 00:15:40,920 Speaker 1: well the men had done on James Island and asked 268 00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:43,360 Speaker 1: Shaw if he lead an attack on Fort Wagner on 269 00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:46,960 Speaker 1: Morris Island, one of the strategic defenses of Charleston's harbor. 270 00:15:47,320 --> 00:15:49,840 Speaker 1: So he was all for this. I mean, this was 271 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:52,520 Speaker 1: a great opportunity for them. Shaw had been angling for 272 00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 1: this assignment, and he and his men, as well as Strong, 273 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:57,520 Speaker 1: saw it as a great honor. Yeah, it was an 274 00:15:57,560 --> 00:16:00,440 Speaker 1: honor to to leave the attack like this, but not 275 00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:04,680 Speaker 1: everybody saw it that way. The division commander, Major General 276 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:08,880 Speaker 1: Truman Seymour only agreed to Strong's request because he saw 277 00:16:08,920 --> 00:16:12,480 Speaker 1: the four as disposable. So for him it was it 278 00:16:12,520 --> 00:16:15,720 Speaker 1: was not a privilege to give these men the the 279 00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:18,120 Speaker 1: honor of leading the attack against the fort. They were 280 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:21,000 Speaker 1: just cannon fodder and he would just as soon dispose 281 00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:24,720 Speaker 1: of them first. The geography of Fort Wagner made the 282 00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:27,840 Speaker 1: assault especially tricky, and we're gonna have to explain it 283 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:30,320 Speaker 1: a little bit for the attack itself to make sense. 284 00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:33,480 Speaker 1: So from a far the earthen work fort really looked 285 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:36,840 Speaker 1: kind of like sand hills. But inside there were one thousand, 286 00:16:37,040 --> 00:16:40,360 Speaker 1: three hundred men from the North Carolina fifty one and 287 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:43,920 Speaker 1: thirty feet and some South Carolina artillery men. So it's 288 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:46,560 Speaker 1: very well defended. And since it was in the middle 289 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:50,640 Speaker 1: of a sandy peninsula, the fort was only open to 290 00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:53,800 Speaker 1: direct assault on one side, which happened to be this 291 00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:56,960 Speaker 1: tiny little sliver of sand that was between the surf 292 00:16:57,120 --> 00:16:59,080 Speaker 1: and the marsh. I mean, if you've ever been to 293 00:16:59,120 --> 00:17:02,040 Speaker 1: any of the sea islands, you can kind of imagine 294 00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:05,600 Speaker 1: the terrain in the less developed areas. So this meant 295 00:17:05,680 --> 00:17:08,439 Speaker 1: that the charge would have to be led in waves 296 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:11,000 Speaker 1: because they only have that tiny flivver of land to 297 00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:14,240 Speaker 1: work on, and uh they could only fit a few 298 00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:18,359 Speaker 1: men shouldered shoulder on the shore to run ahead. So 299 00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:23,040 Speaker 1: all through the day on the Union artillery shelled Fort Wagner, 300 00:17:23,080 --> 00:17:25,600 Speaker 1: you know, hoping to weaken the defenses a little bit. 301 00:17:26,040 --> 00:17:29,200 Speaker 1: By early evening, Shaw and six hundred of his men 302 00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:33,359 Speaker 1: had grouped themselves into two wings made of five companies, 303 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:36,400 Speaker 1: and they were using the surface their guide to the fort. 304 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:39,879 Speaker 1: But before the charge, Shaw told them the eyes of 305 00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:42,679 Speaker 1: thousands will look on what you do tonight. He handed 306 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:46,120 Speaker 1: over his personal effects to a civilian he had made 307 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:49,119 Speaker 1: friends with um, knowing full well that he was probably 308 00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:52,240 Speaker 1: not going to come back from this charge, but using 309 00:17:52,320 --> 00:17:55,120 Speaker 1: his words for motivation, they built to a full sprint 310 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:57,280 Speaker 1: across the sand and made it all the way to 311 00:17:57,320 --> 00:18:01,359 Speaker 1: the fort under heavy fire. Sergeant Major Lewis Douglas wrote 312 00:18:01,359 --> 00:18:04,000 Speaker 1: that quote, not a man flinched, though it was a 313 00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:07,320 Speaker 1: trying time. A shell would explode in clear space of 314 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:11,080 Speaker 1: twenty ft our men would close up again. Shaw led 315 00:18:11,119 --> 00:18:13,320 Speaker 1: the charge until he was shot dead at the parapet. 316 00:18:14,119 --> 00:18:16,720 Speaker 1: The flag bear staked the flag in the parapet, but 317 00:18:16,760 --> 00:18:19,160 Speaker 1: the men only had the fort for a short time 318 00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:22,520 Speaker 1: before being forced to retreat, and some were shot by 319 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:25,760 Speaker 1: advancing friendly fire when they did so. Twenty three year 320 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:29,399 Speaker 1: old Sergeant William Carney, by this point, shot in the head, chest, 321 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:32,440 Speaker 1: right arm and leg, grabbed the flag on his way out, 322 00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:34,800 Speaker 1: delivering it back to the Union lines. And for this 323 00:18:34,920 --> 00:18:37,320 Speaker 1: he became the first of twenty one black men during 324 00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:40,080 Speaker 1: the war to win the Medal of Honor. Other men, 325 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:44,199 Speaker 1: of course, couldn't make that retreat and became prisoners. You know, 326 00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:46,240 Speaker 1: maybe they were too wounded to be able to get out. 327 00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:50,320 Speaker 1: Sergeant Robert J. Simmonds, for instance, was shot in the arm, 328 00:18:50,359 --> 00:18:53,440 Speaker 1: taken prisoner, and died later in a Charleston hospital. And 329 00:18:53,480 --> 00:18:56,760 Speaker 1: if you've listened to our earlier episode on the New 330 00:18:56,800 --> 00:18:59,359 Speaker 1: York Draft Riot, this will really resonate with you. But 331 00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:02,880 Speaker 1: when storming the fort, he hadn't known that only three 332 00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:06,880 Speaker 1: days earlier, New York draft riders had attacked his mother 333 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:09,639 Speaker 1: and sister there and beat his seven year old nephew 334 00:19:09,680 --> 00:19:13,040 Speaker 1: to death, so one of the probably greatest tragedies of 335 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:17,159 Speaker 1: the fifty four. Later waves of soldiers couldn't hold the 336 00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:19,280 Speaker 1: fort either, though you know, it wasn't just the fifty 337 00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:23,119 Speaker 1: four trying to trying to take it Overall, one thousand, 338 00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:26,320 Speaker 1: five fifteen Union men were killed, wounded, or went missing, 339 00:19:26,359 --> 00:19:28,600 Speaker 1: with two hundred and fifty six of them from the 340 00:19:28,680 --> 00:19:32,240 Speaker 1: fifty four, which was the highest regimental casualty number among 341 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:37,120 Speaker 1: the participating regiment. Militarily, the mission was considered a failure. 342 00:19:37,600 --> 00:19:40,600 Speaker 1: Area scouting had been subpar, that was one reason why 343 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:44,200 Speaker 1: the fort hadn't been adequately weakened, and the men leading 344 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:47,400 Speaker 1: the charge of the fifty four had never practiced storming 345 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:49,040 Speaker 1: of fort, So there were a lot of things working 346 00:19:49,080 --> 00:19:52,480 Speaker 1: against like obvious flaw too. I mean that they were 347 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:55,919 Speaker 1: able to even make it now seemed surprising when you 348 00:19:55,960 --> 00:19:57,960 Speaker 1: know that they haven't been able to practice that. But 349 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:02,800 Speaker 1: the discipline and the braver oft was duly noted. A 350 00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:06,920 Speaker 1: month after the disaster, Grant wrote to Lincoln empathizing how 351 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:09,879 Speaker 1: much he now supported the use of black troops, and, 352 00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:14,120 Speaker 1: according to a Michael J. Barhola article in Civil War Times, 353 00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:19,040 Speaker 1: by December of that same year, sixty Black regiments had 354 00:20:19,080 --> 00:20:22,040 Speaker 1: been formed in the Union Army, and they weren't regiments 355 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:25,440 Speaker 1: of grave diggers or cooks or laborers, but regiments of soldiers, 356 00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:28,360 Speaker 1: and by the war's end, about hundred and eighty thousand 357 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:32,240 Speaker 1: black men had fought. Ken Burns documentary on the Civil 358 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:35,880 Speaker 1: War includes an even more startling figure. Though Blacks made 359 00:20:35,920 --> 00:20:38,600 Speaker 1: up less than one percent of the Northern population at 360 00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:40,560 Speaker 1: the start of the war, by the end of the 361 00:20:40,560 --> 00:20:44,000 Speaker 1: war they made up ten percent of the army. So 362 00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:48,800 Speaker 1: what ultimately happened to the fifty four after that fateful battle, Well, 363 00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:51,760 Speaker 1: this battle pretty much tore the regiment apart. It wouldn't 364 00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:55,040 Speaker 1: fight in another major engagement again, and it took until 365 00:20:55,119 --> 00:20:58,960 Speaker 1: March eighteen sixty five for Congress to finally order that 366 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:01,960 Speaker 1: the men, who had now unpaid for eighteen months, to 367 00:21:02,040 --> 00:21:06,719 Speaker 1: be compensated retroactively for their service. Shaw was buried with 368 00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:09,680 Speaker 1: his men in a pitch at the side of Fort 369 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:12,680 Speaker 1: Wagner as a sign of disrespect, But when his father 370 00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:15,679 Speaker 1: learned where he was learned how he was buried, he 371 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:18,439 Speaker 1: said he was pleased that his son had been buried 372 00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:21,040 Speaker 1: with his men on the field where he fell. He 373 00:21:21,080 --> 00:21:25,520 Speaker 1: even prevented later attempts to relocate Shaw's body, and so 374 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:29,840 Speaker 1: with his family definitely assuring his legacy. With acts like that, 375 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:33,280 Speaker 1: it's no surprise Shaw became kind of a martyred figure 376 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:35,960 Speaker 1: after the fact. And if you take a closer look 377 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:39,439 Speaker 1: at his letters, which contain, as historian Joan Wap puts it, 378 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:44,000 Speaker 1: racist and condescending language, you know it may have affected 379 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:46,760 Speaker 1: that reputation a little bit, but certainly not during the 380 00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:48,919 Speaker 1: lifetime of his men. I think that's an important thing 381 00:21:48,960 --> 00:21:53,440 Speaker 1: to consider. He wasn't um, he wasn't reduced in their eyes. 382 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:57,000 Speaker 1: It seems only two weeks after the attack on Fort Wagner, 383 00:21:57,400 --> 00:22:00,600 Speaker 1: one of his sergeants had written, quote, I still feel 384 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:03,400 Speaker 1: more eager for the struggle than I ever yet have, 385 00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:06,240 Speaker 1: for I now wish to have revenge for our gallant 386 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:09,680 Speaker 1: colonel and the spilt blood of our captain. We expect 387 00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:12,320 Speaker 1: to plant the stars and strikes on the city of Charleston. 388 00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:15,760 Speaker 1: Veterans of the fifty four quickly began raising money for 389 00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:19,120 Speaker 1: their colonel's memorial, hoping to build something on Morris Island. 390 00:22:19,520 --> 00:22:22,960 Speaker 1: They instead wound up sponsoring a school for emancipated children 391 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:26,159 Speaker 1: in South Carolina. Which was named for Shaw, while Boston 392 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:29,600 Speaker 1: abolitionists raised money for a monument in their city. By 393 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:32,400 Speaker 1: eighteen eighty four, the commission was given to Agusta sat Goden's, 394 00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:35,600 Speaker 1: who was the biggest American sculptor of that day, and 395 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:38,480 Speaker 1: he finished his work in eighteen ninety seven. But while 396 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:41,359 Speaker 1: some have criticized Saint Goden's for elevating Shaw above his 397 00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:44,440 Speaker 1: men on horseback and for modeling the black soldiers from 398 00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:48,080 Speaker 1: live subjects instead of old photos, it's generally considered a 399 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:52,360 Speaker 1: brilliant memorial. Alison Luke's, who's the curator of sculpture at 400 00:22:52,480 --> 00:22:55,240 Speaker 1: the National Gallery of Art, calls it quote a knockout. 401 00:22:55,480 --> 00:22:57,520 Speaker 1: The name Thank Goden's might ring a bell for some 402 00:22:57,640 --> 00:23:00,960 Speaker 1: of you guys to we mentioned him or other. Uh. 403 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:04,320 Speaker 1: David McCullum mentioned him a bit and our interview with 404 00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:08,120 Speaker 1: him last year. Another random side note to Shaw isn't 405 00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:12,160 Speaker 1: the only family member with a memorial. His sister Josephine 406 00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:15,639 Speaker 1: Shaw Lowell, who was a social reformer, was the first 407 00:23:15,680 --> 00:23:18,640 Speaker 1: woman to earn a public memorial in New York City. 408 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:22,600 Speaker 1: So there you go. Um. I thought a lot about 409 00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:26,240 Speaker 1: this story, and in a way it is heroic and 410 00:23:26,359 --> 00:23:31,480 Speaker 1: I can definitely see the outcome is positive that African 411 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:34,439 Speaker 1: Americans are able to fight when they want to. But 412 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:37,280 Speaker 1: the story really kind of bothered me in a way too. 413 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:41,600 Speaker 1: It took such an epic failure to catch people's attention 414 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:45,520 Speaker 1: and change minds, and that that disturbed me that it 415 00:23:45,560 --> 00:23:48,199 Speaker 1: took so much, and the little the other things, the 416 00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:50,199 Speaker 1: fact that they didn't get paid. I mean, there's a 417 00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:53,119 Speaker 1: lot that doesn't quite sit right I think about all 418 00:23:53,119 --> 00:23:55,800 Speaker 1: the details of the story. And another thing to consider too. 419 00:23:55,840 --> 00:24:00,520 Speaker 1: Black soldiers had already fought admirably at Port Hudson Milliicans 420 00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:04,879 Speaker 1: spend by this point, but neither event really received much coverage. 421 00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:09,560 Speaker 1: So it's almost like it took something this horrible, this 422 00:24:09,960 --> 00:24:13,639 Speaker 1: disastrous to catch people's attention, and and yeah, that does 423 00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:15,800 Speaker 1: bother me. And I think if you want to learn 424 00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:19,600 Speaker 1: a little bit more about the plight or life, depending 425 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:21,960 Speaker 1: on how you look at it of a black soldier, 426 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:26,080 Speaker 1: there's some great resources that the National Park Service has online, 427 00:24:26,359 --> 00:24:29,960 Speaker 1: really fantastic accounts of the history of African Americans in 428 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:33,280 Speaker 1: the military in the Civil War. Another resource I might 429 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:37,879 Speaker 1: recommend is the Massachusetts Historical Society. They have portraits of 430 00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:40,399 Speaker 1: many of the men of the fifty four. And I 431 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:45,280 Speaker 1: think one criticism of this story sometimes is that you 432 00:24:45,359 --> 00:24:50,680 Speaker 1: have Shaw, he's a well defined figure and very much 433 00:24:50,760 --> 00:24:54,040 Speaker 1: tied up with the regiment, but it's harder to get 434 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:58,240 Speaker 1: as detailed personal stories from many of the men of 435 00:24:58,280 --> 00:25:01,320 Speaker 1: the regiment. It is, after all, a a company of men, 436 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:03,160 Speaker 1: you know, it's a it's a large group of people. 437 00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:08,040 Speaker 1: But the Massachusetts Historical Society does have portraits, you know, 438 00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:11,040 Speaker 1: portraits of the little drummer boys and stuff who look 439 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:14,920 Speaker 1: like they're in their very early teens at the oldest, 440 00:25:15,080 --> 00:25:18,120 Speaker 1: and I think for me that helped put a little 441 00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:22,600 Speaker 1: personality behind the men of the regiment and not just Shaw. Yeah, 442 00:25:22,680 --> 00:25:24,240 Speaker 1: that's good to know. That's one thing I thought of 443 00:25:24,320 --> 00:25:26,680 Speaker 1: two while going through this is that although we did 444 00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:28,720 Speaker 1: have a couple of quotes in here from soldiers, but 445 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:30,480 Speaker 1: it would have been nice to know a little bit 446 00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:33,680 Speaker 1: more about the individuals who fought. And I think that's 447 00:25:33,760 --> 00:25:37,560 Speaker 1: a good place to to start, and to learn a 448 00:25:37,640 --> 00:25:42,400 Speaker 1: lot more about African Americans serving in the Civil War. So, um, 449 00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:45,760 Speaker 1: if you guys have any other suggestions of of other 450 00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:50,480 Speaker 1: resources relating to the Massachusetts fifty fourth or any comments 451 00:25:50,680 --> 00:25:53,719 Speaker 1: on the movie, glory what you thought of it? UM 452 00:25:53,760 --> 00:25:57,160 Speaker 1: Any historical inaccuracies. I know you guys love to talk 453 00:25:57,160 --> 00:25:59,840 Speaker 1: about those. UM. You can email us where at his 454 00:26:00,359 --> 00:26:05,120 Speaker 1: podcast at Discovery dot com or also on Twitter at 455 00:26:05,240 --> 00:26:08,080 Speaker 1: mist in History and we are in Facebook. And while 456 00:26:08,119 --> 00:26:11,840 Speaker 1: you're looking for inaccuracies and glory, you can also check 457 00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:15,440 Speaker 1: out some other historical inaccuracies and movies and a top 458 00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:17,480 Speaker 1: ten article that we have on our website called ten 459 00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:22,080 Speaker 1: historically inaccurate Movies appropriately Enough and you can look that 460 00:26:22,160 --> 00:26:25,440 Speaker 1: up by visiting our homepage at www dot how stuff 461 00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:30,959 Speaker 1: works dot com. 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