The History of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry - Research Paper Example

The History of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Mike Vertucci 54th Inf. Regiment March 28, 2007 Ivy Tech State College Steve Curry Introduction: The Afro-American soldiers or Black soldiers, as they were then called played a significant role in the victory over the Confederates by the Union, in the American Civil War 1861-1865. It became possible for the Afro-Americans to join the United States Armed Forces as a result of the Militia Act of 1862 and the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863. The Militia Act of 1862 made it possible for the Afro-Americans to enlist in the armed forces as laborers on the North, while Emancipation proclamation authorized providing arms to them for combat purposes. As a result more than 181,000 Afro-Americans served in the United States Colored Troops, including the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Regiment. (Jennings, T. L., 2002). The Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Regiment was among the initial Afro-American regiments that were formed during the Civil War. The organizing of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts was taken up by Robert Gould Shaw, who hailed from a well-known abolitionist family in Boston. The Massachusetts Governor John A Andrew appointed Shaw as the colonel of the regiment in February 1863, and by the following month the Fifty-Fourth Regiment was organized for training at Camp Meigs. The men who made up the ranks of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry consisted of both former slaves and free Afro-Americans from the north. As was the practice at that time in the colored regiments, the officers consisted of white men. After a short training period at Camp Meigs the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry proceeded to Hilton Head, South Carolina in June 1863, and soon participated in its first action in the Civil War at James Island. (Coleman, B. J., 1995) There was great interest and curiosity surrounding the performance of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, as it was one of the first Afro-American to take part in actual combat. The Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry surprised their critics when they went into action. The valor and courage shown by the Fifty-Fourth on the battlefield demonstrated that the Afro-Africans were equal to their white colleagues in combat. The Attack on Fort Wagner: Within a short time of going into action for the Union forces in the Civil War, the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts was to demonstrate the courage and valor, which was to be the hallmark of their performance during the Civil War. In July 18, 1863, the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry was ordered to lead the attack on Fort Wagner in South Carolina. Fort Wagner was a key bastion of the Confederate army guarding Charleston harbor. Leading the attack, the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts, came under heavy bombardment and rifle fire from the Confederate soldiers. The Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry pressed on the attack in the face of this heavy enemy fire. The attack of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry was a failure, and the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry received heavy casualties. The casualty figures suffered by the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry were two hundred and eighty-one, of which fifty were fatally killed or wounded and another forty-eight not accounted for. Among the dead was their commander Robert Gould Shaw. The remarkable feature of this unsuccessful attack on Fort Wagner by the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry was the recognition of their valor and courage that it brought them (Duncan, R. 1999). Robert Shaw Gould died on the crest of the enemy parapet, and it was on this same parapet that a demonstration of the valor and bravery of the men of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry was witnessed. Firing from the enemy shot down the color sergeant of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry. Seeing this William H. Carney of C Company of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry snatched up the flag and rushed to the parapet and planted it there. William H. Carney was a twenty-three year old enlistee. When the unit fell back William Carney carried the colors back to the regiment through a hail of enemy fire from which he received wounds to his head, hip and leg. In spite of these wounds he managed to reach the regiment and before he fell uttered these famous words "Boys, the old flag never touched the ground!" This action demonstrates not just the individual valor courage of the men of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry, but also the pride they had in their regimental colors. This attack on Fort Wagner though unsuccessful brought recognition of the brave and heroic charge for the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry among the people of the north. For his individual valor William Carney was awarded the Medal of Honor, the country’s highest military award. William Carney became the first Afro-American to receive the award. The valor and courage demonstrated by the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry in this attack on Fort Wagner was to remain a hallmark of their actions in combat in many battles that they participated during the Civil War (McElrath, J). Battle of Olustee: During the remaining period of 1863 the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry participated in siege operations around Charleston, while their strength was reinforced. In early 1864 the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry was transferred to the theatre of the war in Florida under their new commander Edward N. Hallowell. It was in Florida that the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry, smarting from the casualties taken in the attack on Fort Wagner, would again provide a reminder of the valor and courage of the Afro-American soldiers participating in the Civil War. The battle of Olustee or Ocean Pond started as a skirmish between the Union forces of Brigadier General Truman Seymour and the Confederates commanded by Brigadier General Joseph Finegan. The opposing forces were of almost even strength of approximately five thousand soldiers each on either side. The minor skirmish on February 20, 1864 gradually expanded into a full-scale battle in the pinewoods adjacent to the Olustee station close to the swamplands in north-central Florida. The four hour battle culminated in defeat for the Union forces, which lost more than one thousand eight hundred men killed, wounded, or missing, compared to the Confederate losses of less than nine hundred and fifty killed, wounded, or missing. The loss suffered by the Union forces was one of the highest percentage-wise and would have been even much more, but for the courage and valor of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry. The Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry was not the only colored regiment that participated in the Battle of Olustee. There were two other colored units in the form of the Eighth United Colored Troops and the Thirty-Fifth United States Colored Troops. Only the Eighth United Colored Troops were a part of the early action in the Battle of Olustee, while the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry and the Thirty-Fifth United States Colored Troops entered the battle fray much later. The Eighth United Colored Troops along with the units that took part in the early action suffered heavy losses. It was the entry of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry and the Thirty-Fifth United Colored Troops into the battle that prevented the defeat of the Union forces from turning into a rout with much heavier casualties. The Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry entered the battle "Three cheers for Massachusetts and seven dollars a month." This was a reflection of the disparity in pay given to the white soldiers and the Afro-American soldiers (Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Infantry). The Pay Disparity Issue: The Afro-Americans who volunteered for the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry came from Canada and the North. Skepticism on their fighting abilities in combat was reflected in the lower pay that these Afro-American volunteers received in comparison to the white soldiers. The white soldiers were paid ten dollars a month, while these volunteers were paid seven dollars a month. This disparity in pay was an issue that created soreness for the Afro-American volunteers of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry, but in no manner did this diminish their efforts and they fought with courage and valor, whenever they were deployed in battle till parity in pay was provided. The Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry went into action in the Battle of Olustee and performed with credit not knowing that Congress had passed a bill granting equal pay status to the Afro-American volunteers in recognition of the courage and valor that they displayed in battle. The men of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry despite the issue of pay parity stuck steadfastly to the missions that they were assigned to, and even in the face of heavy casualties. Their primary concern was honor and not money. The securing of pay parity with the white soldiers by the men of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry, through their actions on the battlefields was to have an impact on Afro-American rights after the Civil War (Jennings, T. L.) Conclusion: The use of Afro-American volunteers by the North in combat situations was viewed with skepticism, as their fighting abilities in comparison to that of the white soldiers was considered suspect. This led to two discriminations against these volunteers. The first was that all their officers were white, and the second was the disparity in pay received between the Afro-American volunteers and the white soldiers. In spite of these differences shown to the Afro-American volunteers of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry, these volunteers by their steadfastness to purpose in the battlefields showed that money and position were not as important to them as honor. They fought with courage and valor equal to their white colleagues even in the face of heavy casualties. Examples of this display of courage and valor were witnessed at the attack on Fort Wagner and the Battle of Olustee. The highest military award of the nation, the Medal of Honor, was awarded to an Afro-American soldier for the first time in the attack on Fort Wagner in recognition of courage and valor displayed on the battle field. In the battle of Olustee courage and valor of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry prevented defeat from turning into rout. In final analysis the passing of the Bill granting equal pay status to the Afro-American volunteers was recognition that the valor and courage shown by the Fifty-Fourth on the battlefield demonstrated that the Afro-Africans were equal to their white colleagues in combat. Literary References Coleman, B. J. (1995). Brave Black Regiment: The Formation of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Regiment, January 1863 – June 1864. ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLLEGE. Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Duncan, R. (1999). Where Death and Glory Meet: Colonel Robert Shaw Gould and the 54th Massachusetts Infantry. University of Georgia Press. Savannah. Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Infantry. Retrieved March 16, 2004. Web site: http://extlab1.entnem.ufl.edu/Olustee/54th_MS_inf.html Jennings, T. L. (2002). Strategic Importance of Colored Soldiers in the Civil War – Strategy. Army War College. Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. Jennings, T. L. The Brave Black Regiment: The Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry Volunteers (Colored) January 1863 – September 1864. ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLLEGE. Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. McElrath, J. The Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry. Retrieved March 16, 2004 Web site: http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/soldiers/a/54mass_infantry.htm Read More