On this episode of Our American Stories, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw's life was permanently altered when he read Uncle Tom's Cabin, and he would soon find himself leading one of the Union's first all-black regiments to see combat in the Civil War. Shaw would later be played by Matthew Broderick (a.k.a. Ferris Bueller) in the hit 1989 movie Glory. Here to tell the story is Kirk Higgins of the Bill of Rights Institute.
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Speaker 1 (00:10):
And we returned to our American stories. Up next to
the story of a man who led one of the
earliest all black regiments in the Civil War, the fifty
fourth Massachusetts, made famous by the movie Glory. We're talking
about Colonel Robert Gouldshaw. Here to tell the story is
Kirk Higgins, the senior director of content at the Bill
(00:30):
of Rights Institute. You can check out their great curriculum
on American history at mybri dot org. Let's get into
this story. Take it away, Kirk.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
It was July eighteen sixty three, and a young twenty
five year old Army colonel looked at the faces of
his several troops. They were battle tested and prepared, but
they knew that the task before them would be difficult,
perhaps even a suicide mission. But he urged them on
anyway and encouraged them and their duty, reminding them of
their historic mission. The eyes of thousands will look on
(01:05):
what you do tonight, the colonel told his men, and
he was right. Colonel Robert Gouldshaw was commanding the fifty
fourth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, one of the first black
regiments to serve during the American Civil War. Shaw and
his men had battled racism and skepticism just for the
(01:26):
right to engage in combat. Now, having won the right
to serve their country, their tallest task lay before them.
The fifty fourth Massachusetts were readying to spearhead a charge
on Fort Wagner, a heavily armed Confederate fortification that guarded
the harbor to Charleston, South Carolina. To call it vital
(01:46):
would be an understatement, sewn, the brave men of the
fifty fourth had no illusions about the battle. Just days earlier,
a previous attempt to take Fort Wagner had failed, leaving
more than three hundred Union troops dead, wounded, or missing.
Now it was up to Shaw in the fifty fourth
Massachusetts to launch a successful attack and seize the fort
for the Union. As evening fell, Shaw and his troops
(02:12):
were ready, they began one of the most legendary charges
of the Civil War, memorialized in the nineteen eighty nine
Oscar winning film Glory. But who was Colonel Robert Gouldshaw
and how did he come to lead such an important
group of soldiers. The answer is traced back to Shaw's
(02:33):
earliest days, where his principles, courage and sense of duty
were forged. Shaw was born in Boston on October tenth,
eighteen thirty seven. In many ways, Shaw lived the life
of a typical upper class youth. He studied French, Latin, Spanish,
and Greek, and attended Jesuit Saint John's College in Fordham,
New York. His family was also wealthy enough to travel
(02:56):
the world in an era where most people never left
the confines of their hometown, and while in Switzerland, Shaw
experienced a pivotal moment that profoundly influenced the formation of
his identity and his views. Shaw read Uncle Tom's Cabin
by Harriet beat Tristeau, who he came to know. Uncle
Tom's Cabin, with its horrifying depictions of slavery, had a
(03:16):
galvanizing effect on the American abolition movement. It was a
controversial book that helped to divide the sections of the
country further. Soon Shaw would have an opportunity to take
up arms and fight back against the injustices he had
read about, and he would embark on a military career
that was both historic and short lived. Shaw joined other
(03:36):
members of wealthy elite society in the seventh New York Militia.
He left for the war, full of abolitionist fervor, believing
the slave power aristocracy of the South had dominated the
United States for too long. He also sought the immediate
restoration of the Union, the primary motivation of most unionilistics
in eighteen sixty one. That year, the seventh New York
(03:59):
Mility was temporarily dispatched to help safeguard Washington, d C.
A letter Shaw wrote to his mother showed his optimism
at a time when the worst dangers at the Civil
War still lay ahead. We all feel that if we
can get into Washington before Virginia begins to make trouble,
we shall not have much fighting. Want to be grand
to meet the men from all the states east and
(04:20):
West down there, ready to fight for the country as
the old fellows did in the Revolution. When the Seventh
New York Militia disbanded later that spring, Shaw secured an
officer's commission in the second Massachusetts Infantry. He saw action
at the battles of Front Royal and Cedar Mountain in
Virginia in eighteen sixty two, opposing Thomas Stonewall Jackson's Shenandoah
(04:42):
Valley campaign. Later that same year, Shaw fought at the
Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest single day of the Civil War.
Shaw had been slightly wounded at Front Royal and escaped
another close call at a teetum where he suffered a
slight wound to the neck. At this point, Shaw was
twenty four years old, twice wounded in his red had
been badly bloodied at Antietam. He had already done plenty
(05:03):
for the Union cause, but Shaw's greatest moments and sacrifices
were yet to come. The US Congress empowered the War
Department to enroll free or enslaved black men in the
Union Army on July seventeenth, eighteen sixty two. Approximately seventy
four percent of Northern Black men of military age served
(05:26):
in the Union Army during the Civil War, an astonishingly
high figure. Black Union troops faced unique and terrible dangers
as they were regarded by Confederates as rebellious slaves. This
meant they were rarely granted prisoner of war status when surrendering,
and if captured battle, they could be enslaved or in
(05:47):
some cases, re enslaved if not killed outright. Racial atrocities
occurred after battles at Fort Pillow, Tennessee, Petersburg, Virginia in Plymouth,
North Carolina, where black soldiers were executed by Confederate troops.
These were the very real dangers Shaw and the brave
troops of the fifty fourth Massachusetts faced when they took
up arms for the Union cause and marched south into
(06:08):
enemy territory. Shaw was initially reluctant to leave his regiment.
He also wasn't convinced that regiment would seem much action.
It was common at the time for black regiments to
be assign of labor duty to free up white Union
Army units for combat, and they were paid less too.
During the course of their enlistment, Black Union soldiers protested
(06:30):
the official pay discrimination of the US government, which authorized
white soldiers to be paid thirteen dollars per month, while
black soldiers were only paid ten dollars, with three dollars
withheld for their clothing. Shaw led a boycott of wages,
even forfeiting his own pay, until his soldiers were paid
equally to their white counterparts. Shaw earned the devotion of
(06:52):
his men, who respected his fight for their equality. In turn,
he was impressed with their tenacity and skill, which many
had doubted before the regiment was sent from Massachusetts to
South Carolina. In May eighteen sixty three, Shaw rode to
his father, there is no doubt that we will lead
the state with as good a regiment as any that
has marched. While initially assigned labor duties in South Carolina,
(07:17):
Shaw pushed for the opportunity for his men to prove
themselves in meaningful combat. The fifty fourth got their chance
on July sixteenth, eighteen sixty three, at the Battle of
Gripple's Landing, where the regiment fought well. Two days later,
Shaw and many of these brave men would make their
final charge into battle and claim their unique place in
American history. On July eighteenth, eighteen sixty three, Shaw and
(07:47):
the fifty fourth Massachusetts were chosen to spearhead an assault
on Fort Wagner on Morris Island, South Carolina. There wasn't
going to be easy. Morris Island was very narrow, so
only one regiment at a time could be sent attack
Fort Wagner. Even worse, Union forces had bombarded Fort Wagner
with nine thousand shells in preparation for the invasion, but
(08:08):
the fort's defenses had been largely unharmed. But Shaw, in
the fifty fourth Massachusetts marched forward anyway. After waiting for nightfall,
the men began their attack. Shaw in the fifty fourth
Massachusetts fell under withering fire from Confederate cannadiers and riflemen
within two hundred yards of the fort. While exhorting his
men to storm over the parapets the outer fortifications of
(08:30):
the fort, Shaw raised his sword and shouted what may
have been his final words, forward fifty fourth Forward. Shaw
was shot through the chest and killed during the fierce
fighting at just twenty five years old. But courageous men
(08:53):
of the fifty fourth Massachusetts were not done fighting. Roughly
half of the fifty fourth regiment stormed over the parapets
and pushed their way inside the fort. They held the
forged ramparts for approximately one hour before being driven back.
The White Union regiments that followed in support also failed
to take and hold Fort Wagner. The losses among the
(09:14):
fifty fourth Massachusetts were staggering. Two hundred and seventy two
of the regiment's six hundred engaged men were killed, wounded,
or captured. This included Lewis Douglas, son of Frederick Douglas,
who was grievously wounded during the battle but survived. Confederate
General Johnson Hagund, who commanded the seventeen hundred defenders at
(09:34):
Fort Wagner, had a deep contempt for abolitionists. He ordered
a large trench dug in front of the fort. The
bodies of twenty of Shaw's men were thrown on top
of him and then covered with sand. If Hagud thought
such a move would be insulting to Shaw and his family,
he was wrong. Shaw's father, Francis, wrote that he could
think of quote no holier place for his son to
(09:55):
rest than surrounded by his brave and devoted soldiers.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
And a terrific job on the production editing and storytelling
by our own Monte Montgomery, and a special thanks to
Kirk Higgins, the senior director of content at the Bill
of Rights Institute. You can check out their great curriculum
on American history at mybri dot org. So for any
of you who've ever seen the movie Glory, now you
know the backstory of the character played by Matthew Broderick,
(10:25):
otherwise known as Ferris Bueller. And what a story that
we hear here and this one book and that's Uncle
Tom's cabin and the influence it has on this white
man from Boston, who now becomes not only a fervent abolitionist,
but dies in the cause and for the cause. The
story of Robert Gouldshaw here on our American stories.
And we returned to our American stories. Up next to
the story of a man who led one of the
earliest all black regiments in the Civil War, the fifty
fourth Massachusetts, made famous by the movie Glory. We're talking
about Colonel Robert Gouldshaw. Here to tell the story is
Kirk Higgins, the senior director of content at the Bill
(00:30):
of Rights Institute. You can check out their great curriculum
on American history at mybri dot org. Let's get into
this story. Take it away, Kirk.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
It was July eighteen sixty three, and a young twenty
five year old Army colonel looked at the faces of
his several troops. They were battle tested and prepared, but
they knew that the task before them would be difficult,
perhaps even a suicide mission. But he urged them on
anyway and encouraged them and their duty, reminding them of
their historic mission. The eyes of thousands will look on
(01:05):
what you do tonight, the colonel told his men, and
he was right. Colonel Robert Gouldshaw was commanding the fifty
fourth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, one of the first black
regiments to serve during the American Civil War. Shaw and
his men had battled racism and skepticism just for the
(01:26):
right to engage in combat. Now, having won the right
to serve their country, their tallest task lay before them.
The fifty fourth Massachusetts were readying to spearhead a charge
on Fort Wagner, a heavily armed Confederate fortification that guarded
the harbor to Charleston, South Carolina. To call it vital
(01:46):
would be an understatement, sewn, the brave men of the
fifty fourth had no illusions about the battle. Just days earlier,
a previous attempt to take Fort Wagner had failed, leaving
more than three hundred Union troops dead, wounded, or missing.
Now it was up to Shaw in the fifty fourth
Massachusetts to launch a successful attack and seize the fort
for the Union. As evening fell, Shaw and his troops
(02:12):
were ready, they began one of the most legendary charges
of the Civil War, memorialized in the nineteen eighty nine
Oscar winning film Glory. But who was Colonel Robert Gouldshaw
and how did he come to lead such an important
group of soldiers. The answer is traced back to Shaw's
(02:33):
earliest days, where his principles, courage and sense of duty
were forged. Shaw was born in Boston on October tenth,
eighteen thirty seven. In many ways, Shaw lived the life
of a typical upper class youth. He studied French, Latin, Spanish,
and Greek, and attended Jesuit Saint John's College in Fordham,
New York. His family was also wealthy enough to travel
(02:56):
the world in an era where most people never left
the confines of their hometown, and while in Switzerland, Shaw
experienced a pivotal moment that profoundly influenced the formation of
his identity and his views. Shaw read Uncle Tom's Cabin
by Harriet beat Tristeau, who he came to know. Uncle
Tom's Cabin, with its horrifying depictions of slavery, had a
(03:16):
galvanizing effect on the American abolition movement. It was a
controversial book that helped to divide the sections of the
country further. Soon Shaw would have an opportunity to take
up arms and fight back against the injustices he had
read about, and he would embark on a military career
that was both historic and short lived. Shaw joined other
(03:36):
members of wealthy elite society in the seventh New York Militia.
He left for the war, full of abolitionist fervor, believing
the slave power aristocracy of the South had dominated the
United States for too long. He also sought the immediate
restoration of the Union, the primary motivation of most unionilistics
in eighteen sixty one. That year, the seventh New York
(03:59):
Mility was temporarily dispatched to help safeguard Washington, d C.
A letter Shaw wrote to his mother showed his optimism
at a time when the worst dangers at the Civil
War still lay ahead. We all feel that if we
can get into Washington before Virginia begins to make trouble,
we shall not have much fighting. Want to be grand
to meet the men from all the states east and
(04:20):
West down there, ready to fight for the country as
the old fellows did in the Revolution. When the Seventh
New York Militia disbanded later that spring, Shaw secured an
officer's commission in the second Massachusetts Infantry. He saw action
at the battles of Front Royal and Cedar Mountain in
Virginia in eighteen sixty two, opposing Thomas Stonewall Jackson's Shenandoah
(04:42):
Valley campaign. Later that same year, Shaw fought at the
Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest single day of the Civil War.
Shaw had been slightly wounded at Front Royal and escaped
another close call at a teetum where he suffered a
slight wound to the neck. At this point, Shaw was
twenty four years old, twice wounded in his red had
been badly bloodied at Antietam. He had already done plenty
(05:03):
for the Union cause, but Shaw's greatest moments and sacrifices
were yet to come. The US Congress empowered the War
Department to enroll free or enslaved black men in the
Union Army on July seventeenth, eighteen sixty two. Approximately seventy
four percent of Northern Black men of military age served
(05:26):
in the Union Army during the Civil War, an astonishingly
high figure. Black Union troops faced unique and terrible dangers
as they were regarded by Confederates as rebellious slaves. This
meant they were rarely granted prisoner of war status when surrendering,
and if captured battle, they could be enslaved or in
(05:47):
some cases, re enslaved if not killed outright. Racial atrocities
occurred after battles at Fort Pillow, Tennessee, Petersburg, Virginia in Plymouth,
North Carolina, where black soldiers were executed by Confederate troops.
These were the very real dangers Shaw and the brave
troops of the fifty fourth Massachusetts faced when they took
up arms for the Union cause and marched south into
(06:08):
enemy territory. Shaw was initially reluctant to leave his regiment.
He also wasn't convinced that regiment would seem much action.
It was common at the time for black regiments to
be assign of labor duty to free up white Union
Army units for combat, and they were paid less too.
During the course of their enlistment, Black Union soldiers protested
(06:30):
the official pay discrimination of the US government, which authorized
white soldiers to be paid thirteen dollars per month, while
black soldiers were only paid ten dollars, with three dollars
withheld for their clothing. Shaw led a boycott of wages,
even forfeiting his own pay, until his soldiers were paid
equally to their white counterparts. Shaw earned the devotion of
(06:52):
his men, who respected his fight for their equality. In turn,
he was impressed with their tenacity and skill, which many
had doubted before the regiment was sent from Massachusetts to
South Carolina. In May eighteen sixty three, Shaw rode to
his father, there is no doubt that we will lead
the state with as good a regiment as any that
has marched. While initially assigned labor duties in South Carolina,
(07:17):
Shaw pushed for the opportunity for his men to prove
themselves in meaningful combat. The fifty fourth got their chance
on July sixteenth, eighteen sixty three, at the Battle of
Gripple's Landing, where the regiment fought well. Two days later,
Shaw and many of these brave men would make their
final charge into battle and claim their unique place in
American history. On July eighteenth, eighteen sixty three, Shaw and
(07:47):
the fifty fourth Massachusetts were chosen to spearhead an assault
on Fort Wagner on Morris Island, South Carolina. There wasn't
going to be easy. Morris Island was very narrow, so
only one regiment at a time could be sent attack
Fort Wagner. Even worse, Union forces had bombarded Fort Wagner
with nine thousand shells in preparation for the invasion, but
(08:08):
the fort's defenses had been largely unharmed. But Shaw, in
the fifty fourth Massachusetts marched forward anyway. After waiting for nightfall,
the men began their attack. Shaw in the fifty fourth
Massachusetts fell under withering fire from Confederate cannadiers and riflemen
within two hundred yards of the fort. While exhorting his
men to storm over the parapets the outer fortifications of
(08:30):
the fort, Shaw raised his sword and shouted what may
have been his final words, forward fifty fourth Forward. Shaw
was shot through the chest and killed during the fierce
fighting at just twenty five years old. But courageous men
(08:53):
of the fifty fourth Massachusetts were not done fighting. Roughly
half of the fifty fourth regiment stormed over the parapets
and pushed their way inside the fort. They held the
forged ramparts for approximately one hour before being driven back.
The White Union regiments that followed in support also failed
to take and hold Fort Wagner. The losses among the
(09:14):
fifty fourth Massachusetts were staggering. Two hundred and seventy two
of the regiment's six hundred engaged men were killed, wounded,
or captured. This included Lewis Douglas, son of Frederick Douglas,
who was grievously wounded during the battle but survived. Confederate
General Johnson Hagund, who commanded the seventeen hundred defenders at
(09:34):
Fort Wagner, had a deep contempt for abolitionists. He ordered
a large trench dug in front of the fort. The
bodies of twenty of Shaw's men were thrown on top
of him and then covered with sand. If Hagud thought
such a move would be insulting to Shaw and his family,
he was wrong. Shaw's father, Francis, wrote that he could
think of quote no holier place for his son to
(09:55):
rest than surrounded by his brave and devoted soldiers.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
And a terrific job on the production editing and storytelling
by our own Monte Montgomery, and a special thanks to
Kirk Higgins, the senior director of content at the Bill
of Rights Institute. You can check out their great curriculum
on American history at mybri dot org. So for any
of you who've ever seen the movie Glory, now you
know the backstory of the character played by Matthew Broderick,
(10:25):
otherwise known as Ferris Bueller. And what a story that
we hear here and this one book and that's Uncle
Tom's cabin and the influence it has on this white
man from Boston, who now becomes not only a fervent abolitionist,
but dies in the cause and for the cause. The
story of Robert Gouldshaw here on our American stories.
Host
Lee Habeeb
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