Search results
All letters are in the Robert G. Shaw II collection with three. exceptions: to Elizabeth "Mimi" Russell Lyman, February 20, 1863 (Lyman Family Papers); to Amos A. Lawrence, March 25, 1863 (Amos A. Lawrence Papers); and to Gov. John A. Andrew, April 6, 1863 (draft, Miscellaneous Bound).
The bulk of the collection consists of letters by Robert Gould Shaw to his family, including 98 letters to his mother, 31 to his father, and some to his sisters and brothers-in-law. Most were written during the Civil War, though some to his parents are from his pre-war days when he traveled in Europe and was a student at Harvard.
A letter from Colonel Robert Gould Shaw to the Adjutant General of Massachusetts written on April 27, 1863. The letter suggests that the recruiting center for the Massachusetts 54th infantry regiment in Springfield Massachusetts should be closed.
Robert Gould Shaw (October 10, 1837 – July 18, 1863) Was an American soldier in the Union Army during the 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 equalled to the white troops’ wage.
Robert Gould Shaw (October 10, 1837 – July 18, 1863) was an American military officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. As Colonel, he commanded the all-black 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. The 54th was created under the order of Massachusetts Governor John Andrew in 1863.
On the Boston Common stands one of the great Civil War memorials, a magnificent bronze sculpture by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. It depicts the black soldiers of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry marching alongside their young white commander, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw.
Summary: During the Civil War, black soldiers of the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Infantry marched alongside their young white commander, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. Through his letters to family and friends, a portrait emerges of a man more divided and complex--though no less heroic--than the Shaw depicted in the film Glory
