Robert Gould Shaw Quotes

Robert Gould Shaw — American Soldier born on October 10, 1837, died on July 18, 1863

Robert Gould Shaw was an American soldier in the Union Army during the U.S. Civil War. Born into a prominent abolitionist family, he accepted command of the first all-black regiment (54th Massachusetts) and encouraged the men to refuse their pay until it was equal to the white troops’ wage. At the Second Battle of Fort Wagner, a beachhead near Charleston, South Carolina, Shaw was killed while leading his men to the parapet of the enemy fort. Although they were overwhelmed and driven back, Shaw’s leadership passed into legend with a unit that inspired tens of thousands more African-Americans to enlist for the Union and contribute its ultimate victory. Shaw's story was dramatized in the 1989 film Glory, starring Matthew Broderick... (wikipedia)