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While the whereabouts of Shaw's original letters to his wife are unknown, most of his letters to the rest of his family are held by Harvard University's Houghton Library.
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.
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.
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.
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:
17 mar 2011 · Posted March 29, 2011 by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw in Official Record Correspondence pertaining to Shaw's movements and outside events, The Letters: 1861-1863. WOODSTOCK, VA., April 6, 1862. Department of War an immediate and full statement of the forces, position, and condition of the Fifth Army Corps. Leave a comment.
Robert Shaw writes to his father, Francis, of the need of his help in the formation of the first black regiment [the 54th Massachusetts]. He mentions that the regimental committee has hired a black man, W. Wells, who will help to enlist men and will call upon Francis.
