This is the Shaw Memorial. It depicts Robert Gould Shaw riding on his horse with the 54th following alongside him. You can make out an angel above them, preparing to send them off to heaven.
-National Gallery of Art (nga.gov)
The battle was horrific, and the 54th lost about two-thirds of their regiment, including Shaw. There were 300 Union soldiers killed, and over 1,000 wounded. An additional 550 were captured or missing, while only 200 men were killed or wounded for the Confederates.
Even in defeat, though, the 54th Massachusetts regiment had distinguished itself with bravery and paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Though appalling, the Battle of Fort Wagner, which was a Union defeat, actually convinced many disapproving Northern leaders that African-Americans could be good soldiers- just as good as the whites, if not better. By the end of the Civil War, over 178,000 African-Americans served for the Union. This regiment may not have changed the tide of the war, but regardless, it definitely changed history.
This is the Shaw Memorial. It depicts Robert Gould Shaw riding on his horse with the 54th following alongside him. You can make out an angel above them, preparing to send them off to heaven.
-National Gallery of Art (nga.gov)
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