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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).
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 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.
Colonel Shaw was the Commander of the Massachusetts 54th Infantry regiment, the first official African American regiments to be formed in the United States. Colonel Shaw was killed at the battle for Fort Wagner, near Charleston South Carolina on July 18, 1963. Creator: Shaw, Robert Gould, 1837-1863. Date:
The papers also contain information on Robert Gould Shaw, a well as an unbound scrapbook of letters, orders, clippings, and other memorabilia related to the 54th Regiment and Emilio's involvement with the Association of Officers of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteers, 1863-1915.
July 18, 1863: Robert Gould Shaw's final letter to his wife Annie. James Island. Shaw continued to work on the letter over the following days as the 54th drew nearer and nearer to the fortification known as Battery Wagner to the Confederates and Fort Wagner to the Union troops on . James’ Island, S.C. July 15, 1863. My Dearest Annie, your letters.
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.
