Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership. Promoted to colonel, Shaw oversaw the recruitment and training of the 54th, then led it into combat. Robert Gould Shaw, (born October 10, 1837, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.—died July 18, 1863, Fort Wagner, near Charleston, South Carolina), Union army officer who commanded a prominent regiment of African American troops during the American Civil War. Although Robert Gould Shaw was only 25 years old when he died, leading the 54th Massachusetts Infantry in a futile assault on Fort Wagner, he has become an object of interest in the past dozen years, especially since the release of the movie "Glory," which gave a … In his teens he traveled and studied for some years in Europe. Robert Gould Shaw (October 10, 1837 – July 18, 1863) was an American officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. On Aug. 11, 1862, Robert Gould Shaw arrived in the Virginia town of Culpeper on a grim errand: the young lieutenant was there to accompany the remains of five fellow officers on the first leg of a final journey home to Boston. Shaw was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to a prominent abolitionist family. Robert Gould "Bobbie" Shaw III (18 August 1898 – 10 July 1970) was an American-born English socialite. There on horseback among them, in his very habit as he lived, sits the blue-eyed child of fortune, upon whose happy youth every divinity had smiled . Robert Gould Shaw already owned a sword, but it wasn’t appropriate for the rank of Colonel, so this new English sword is the one he carried into combat. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com: accessed ), memorial page for Robert Gould Shaw (10 Oct 1837–18 Jul 1863), Find a Grave Memorial no. Detail of a monument to the 54th Massachusetts Regiment by sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens in Boston Common, Boston, Massachusetts. Jeff Wallenfeldt, manager of Geography and History, has worked as an editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica since 1992. He was the only son of a wealthy mercantile family who possessed radical abolitionist views. His family … Robert Gould Shaw was born on October 10, 1837 and died on July 18, 1863. The Library of America (2013). As the unit hesitated in the face of fierce Confederate fire, Shaw led his men into battle by shouting, "Forward, Fifty-Fourth, forward!" [8][citation needed], Shaw is well known for the over 200 letters he wrote to his family and friends during the Civil War. Both Shaw’s father and mother were early ardent abolitionists (Shaw’s playmates included William Lloyd Garrison’s children). Explore Robert Gould Shaw's biography, personal life, family and cause of death. Memorials. Nearly half of the regiment’s troops were casualties—including Shaw, who was killed—but the attack had proved to the world the mettle of black soldiers. There on horseback among them, in his very habit as he lived, sits the blue-eyed child of fortune, upon whose happy youth every divinity had smiled. At first he declined the offer, but after careful thought, he accepted the position. Robert Gould Shaw was just 25 years old when he was killed leading a regiment of black soldiers into battle during the American Civil War. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Genealogy profile for Robert Gould Shaw. Gen. Johnson Hagood ordered Shaw’s burial in a common grave as an act of intentional desecration, since Shaw died leading African American troops. 144216013, citing Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA ; Maintained by Jacki Earp, Weymouth, Massachusetts (contributor 47755371) . Robert Gould Shaw (American National Biography) Scholarship On 16 July [1863] the Fifty-fourth had the opportunity to recoup its self-esteem when Confederate forces … Shaw had four sisters—Anna, Josephine, Susannah and Ellen)[citation needed];— [citation needed]. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Gould-Shaw, American National Biography - Biography of Robert Gould Shaw, American Battlefield Trust - Biography of Robert Gould Shaw, Robert Gould Shaw - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). The British-made sword carried into battle by Col. Robert Gould Shaw was stolen after he was killed during the 54th Massachusetts Voluntary Infantry's doomed attack … When Colonel Shaw fell in the assault on Fort Wagner, the Confederate soldiers purposefully buried him with his African American soldiers as an insult. "—Oration by William James at the exercises in the Boston Music Hall, May 31, 1897, upon the unveiling of the Shaw Monument. [citation needed], Shaw was promoted to major on March 31, 1863, and to colonel on April 17. The Shaws had the benefit of a large inheritance left by Shaw's merchant grandfather and namesake Robert Gould Shaw (1775–1853), and Robert Gould Shaw, via Wikimedia Commons The story that appears in quite a few secondary works is that Confederate Brig. 10 That Changed America | 10 Monuments | Robert Gould Shaw and the Fifty-fourth Regiment Memorial 4 Robert Gould Shaw and the Fifty-fourth Regiment Memorial Boston, Massachusetts 1897 The charge of the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Regiment and death of Colonel Robert G. Shaw at Fort Wagner, Morris Island, near Charleston, South Carolina, on July 18, 1863. He mounted a parapet and urged his men forward, but was shot through the heart and died almost instantly. The large sculptural monument by Augustus Saint-Gaudens has a frieze of Shaw on horseback, accompanied by members of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, as they marched through Boston to depart for the war. – what a body-guard he has! When Shaw was five the family moved to a large estate in West Roxbury, adjacent to Brook Farm. The heir to a large fortune, Francis Shaw advocated for a variety of causes and Robert was raised in an environment that included notable personalities such as William Lloyd Garrison, Charles Sumner, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Robert Gould Shaw, (born October 10, 1837, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.—died July 18, 1863, Fort Wagner, near Charleston, South Carolina), Union army officer who commanded a prominent regiment of African American troops during the American Civil War. After the 54th had been commanded to torch a defenseless Georgia port town, an action to which Shaw had objected, the regiment distinguished itself in responding to a Confederate surprise attack at James Island, South Carolina, on July 16, 1863. He is the principal subject of the 1989 film Glory. Shaw's father, upon hearing of this deed, stated however that he was proud that happened to his son and Robert would have wanted it that way. They decided to marry before the unit left Boston despite their parents' misgivings. Following a period of hedonistic self-indulgence, he returned to the United States. She was the 18-year-old daughter of railroad millionaire Chiswell Dabney Langhorne and Nancy Witcher Keene. Some drawings and plaster mock-ups also exist. [5] In a letter to the regimental surgeon, Lincoln Stone, Frank Shaw wrote: "We would not have his body removed from where it lies surrounded by his brave and devoted soldiers....We can imagine no holier place than that in which he lies, among his brave and devoted followers, nor wish for him better company. He found the worlds … Moreover, although he had wrestled intellectually with the issue of slavery and opposed the Southern slave system, Shaw never shared his parents’ fervent moral indignation with slavery. Although having previously rebelled against authority, Shaw seemed to find himself in the army, rising to the rank of captain. As Colonel, he commanded the all-black 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, which entered the war in 1863. Corrections? Shaws troops and other Union regiments penetrated the walls at two points but did not have sufficient numbers to take the fort. On October 27, 1897, RGS II married Nancy Witcher Langhorne (1879—1964) in New York City. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). His parents, Francis George and Sarah Blake Shaw were philanthropists and quite wealthy. According to the Colors Sergeant of the 54th, he was shot and killed while trying to lead the unit forward and fell on the outside of the fort. The 54th Regiment was sent to Charleston, South Carolina to take part in the operations against the Confederates stationed there. Robert Gould Shaw’s sword, whereabouts unknown since his death at the Assault on Fort Wagner, is among Civil War items recently donated to the MHS. The Confederates buried Shaw in a mass grave with his black troops, believing they were dishonouring him, but Shaw’s father discouraged later efforts to recover his son’s body, saying that the most appropriate burial place for a soldier was “on the field where he has fallen.” A monument to the 54th and Shaw, by sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, was erected on the Boston Common. Shaw was a rebellious youth who often tested the patience of his parents and teachers. The most well known memorial, however, is the Robert Gould Shaw and Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Hagood informed a captured Union surgeon that "had he been in command of white troops, I should have given him an honorable burial; as it is, I shall bury him in the common trench with the n*****s that fell with him. Few Hollywood movies have had more of an influence on how we remember the Civil War and, specifically, the story of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, along with its young colonel, Robert Gould Shaw. Your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox Porcellian Club, but shot. 1863, and to Colonel, Shaw changed his mind and accepted command. 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