The ''Memorial to Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts Fifty-Fourth Regiment'' is a

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

relief sculpture by

Augustus Saint-Gaudens Augustus Saint-Gaudens (; March 1, 1848 – August 3, 1907) was an American sculpture, sculptor of the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts generation who embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. Saint-Gaudens was born in Dublin to an Iris ...

opposite 24 Beacon Street, Boston (at the edge of the

Boston Common The Boston Common is a public park in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest city park in the United States. Boston Common consists of of land bounded by five major Boston streets: Tremont Street, Park Street, Beacon Street, Charl ...

). It depicts Colonel

Robert Gould Shaw Robert Gould Shaw (October 10, 1837 – July 18, 1863) was an American officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Born into an Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist family from the Boston Brahmin, Boston upper class, he ...

leading members of the 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry as it marched down

Beacon Street Beacon Street is a major east–west street in Boston, Massachusetts, and its western suburbs of Brookline, Massachusetts, Brookline and Newton, Massachusetts, Newton. It passes through many of Boston's central and western neighborhoods, includ ...

on May 28, 1863 to depart the city to fight in the South. The sculpture was unveiled on May 31, 1897. This is the first civic monument to pay homage to the heroism of African American soldiers.

History

The monument marks Shaw's death on July 18, 1863 after he and his troops attacked

Fort Wagner Fort Wagner or Battery Wagner was a beachhead fortification on Morris Island, South Carolina, that covered the southern approach to Charleston Harbor. Named for deceased Lt. Col. Thomas M. Wagner, it was the site of two American Civil War ba ...

, one of two forts protecting the strategic Confederate port of

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

. Joshua Bowen Smith, a Massachusetts state legislator, led the effort to obtain authorization for the monument; others participating in its early planning included Governor

John Albion Andrew John Albion Andrew (May 31, 1818 – October 30, 1867) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. He was elected in 1860 as the 25th Governor of Massachusetts, serving between 1861 and 1866, and led the state's contributions to ...

, who had urged Shaw to take command of the 54th Regiment,

Samuel Gridley Howe Samuel Gridley Howe (November 10, 1801 – January 9, 1876) was an American physician, abolitionist, and advocate of education for the blind. He organized and was the first director of the Perkins Institution. In 1824, he had gone to Greece to ...

, and Senator

Charles Sumner Charles Sumner (January 6, 1811March 11, 1874) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1851 until his death in 1874. Before and during the American Civil War, he was a leading American ...

. The monument was meant to show the public's gratitude to Shaw and commemorate the events that recognized the citizenship of Black men. Robert Gould Shaw Memorial 2021

In celebrating Shaw, Saint-Gaudens depicted Shaw on horseback, while the Massachusetts 54th is depicted in bas-relief, thus creating a "stylistically unprecedented" and "hybrid" work that modifies the traditional Western equestrian monument. Saint-Gaudens would later draw upon this new model in his 1903 memorial to William T. Sherman in New York's Central Park. Each of the twenty-three Black soldiers is rendered with distinct, individualistic features that were based on those of live models hired by Saint-Gaudens. Fundraising for the monument, led by the survivors of the

54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment that saw extensive service in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The unit was the second African-American regiment, following the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantr ...

and emancipated Black people from

Beaufort, South Carolina Beaufort ( , different from that of Beaufort, North Carolina) is a city in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston, South Carolina ...

, began immediately after the battle, but funds were redirected because the Beaufort site was found unsuitable and local white people expressed resentment. The monument was vandalized in 2012, 2015, and 2017. On May 31, 2020, as part of the 2020

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests, riots, and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as Reactions to the mu ...

, the back of the monument was vandalized with phrases such as "

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...

", "

ACAB ACAB, an acronym for all cops are bastards, is a political slogan associated with those opposed to the police and commonly expressed as a catchphrase in graffiti or tattoos. It is sometimes expressed as 1312, with each digit representing the po ...

," and "Fuck 12". As part of a renovation plan, the front had been covered with plywood, which also received

graffiti Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...

. In July 2020, the monument became a focus of discussion during the iconoclasm that took place as part of the

.. Restoration of the monument began on May 20, 2020, and was completed in March 2021. The memorial was removed and taken to an offsite location for restoration. While the bronze sculpture was being cleaned and repaired, a new concrete foundation was built. The project cost $2.8 million and includes an

augmented reality Augmented reality (AR), also known as mixed reality (MR), is a technology that overlays real-time 3D computer graphics, 3D-rendered computer graphics onto a portion of the real world through a display, such as a handheld device or head-mounted ...

mobile app A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a smartphone, phone, tablet computer, tablet, or smartwatch, watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop appli ...

that assists visitors in experiencing the monument. New signage was added detailing the history of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, the 54th Regiment, and the monument itself, with QR codes for the AR app. In November 2023, a copy of the monument in the

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art is an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of charge, the museum was privately established in ...

was damaged by an activist.

Dedications and inscriptions

The work was dedicated by philosopher

William James William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher and psychologist. The first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States, he is considered to be one of the leading thinkers of the late 19th c ...

of Harvard: A Latin inscription on the relief reads ("He left behind everything to save the Republic"). The pedestal below carries lines from

James Russell Lowell James Russell Lowell (; February 22, 1819 – August 12, 1891) was an American Romantic poet, critic, editor, and diplomat. He is associated with the fireside poets, a group of New England writers who were among the first American poets to r ...

's poem ''"Memoriae Positum"'': On the rear are words by Charles W. Eliot, president of

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

: A plaster cast, which was exhibited at the 1901

Pan-American Exposition The Pan-American Exposition was a world's fair held in Buffalo, New York, United States, from May 1 through November 2, 1901. The fair occupied of land on the western edge of what is now Delaware Park–Front Park System, Delaware Park, extending ...

, is displayed at the

, on loan by the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site,

Cornish, New Hampshire Cornish is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,616 at the 2020 census. Cornish has four covered bridges. Each August, it is home to the Cornish Fair. History The town was granted in 1763 and containe ...

. The inscription running along the bottom of this plaster cast incorrectly states that the assault on Fort Wagner and Shaw's death in 1863 occurred "JULY TWENTY THIRD," five days later than the historic events.

In popular culture

William Vaughn Moody William Vaughn Moody (July 8, 1869 – October 17, 1910) was an American dramatist and poet. Moody was author of ''The Great Divide'', first presented under the title of ''The Sabine Woman'' at the Garrick Theatre in Chicago on April 12, 1906, an ...

describes Shaw and the monument in the poem "An Ode in Time of Hesitation." * The "St. Gaudens" in Boston Common (Col. Shaw and his Colored Regiment), is the first movement of ''

Three Places in New England The ''Three Places in New England (Orchestral Set No. 1)'' is a composition for orchestra in three movements by United States, American composer Charles Ives. It was written mainly between 1911 and 1914, but with sketches dating as far back as 1903 ...

'' (1903-1929), by

Charles Ives Charles Edward Ives (; October 20, 1874May 19, 1954) was an American modernist composer, actuary and businessman. Ives was among the earliest renowned American composers to achieve recognition on a global scale. His music was largely ignored d ...

. *

Robert Lowell Robert Traill Spence Lowell IV (; March 1, 1917 – September 12, 1977) was an American poet. He was born into a Boston Brahmin family that could trace its origins back to the ''Mayflower''. His family, past and present, were important subjects ...

's famous poem "

For the Union Dead ''For the Union Dead'' is a book of poems by Robert Lowell that was published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux in 1964. It was Lowell's sixth book. Notable poems from the collection include "Beyond the Alps'" (a revised version of the poem that origin ...

", the title poem of a 1964 collection by the same name, refers to the monument in the poem. The first edition of the book featured a drawing of the relief on the cover. * The memorial was depicted in the ending credits scene of the 1989 film, '' Glory'', directed by

Edward Zwick Edward M. Zwick (born October 8, 1952) is an American filmmaker. He has worked primarily in the comedy drama and historical drama, epic historical film genres and was awarded an Academy Awards, Academy Award, as well as a British Academy Film Aw ...

, which was partially based on ''One Gallant Rush'', a biography of Shaw and history of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment by Peter Burchard. * The memorial was used as the background for the 1998 U.S. postage stamp honoring author and poet

Stephen Vincent Benét Stephen Vincent Benét ( ; July 22, 1898 – March 13, 1943) was an American poet, short story writer, and novelist. He wrote a book-length narrative poem of the American Civil War, '' John Brown's Body'', published in 1928, for which he receive ...

on the 100th anniversary of his birth. * shows a group of southern girls visiting and being told about the history by a local guide.

References

External links

* http://www.celebrateboston.com/sites/shaw-memorial.htm * http://www.sgnhs.org/Augustus%20SGaudens%20CD-HTML/Monuments/CivilWar/Shaw1.htm * http://ctmonuments.net/2010/05/robert-gould-shaw-memorial-boston/ * http://iwalkedaudiotours.com/2011/04/iwalked-bostons-common-shaw-memorial/ * http://www.artbabble.org/video/ngadc/shaw-memorial-1900-augustus-saint-gaudens
''Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Master Sculptor''
exhibition catalog fully online as PDF from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which contains material on the ''Robert Gould Shaw Memorial'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Robert Gould Shaw Memorial 1897 establishments in Massachusetts 1897 sculptures African-American military monuments and memorials Allegorical sculptures in Massachusetts Artworks in the collection of the National Park Service Boston Common Bronze sculptures in Massachusetts Equestrian statues in Massachusetts Monuments and memorials in Boston Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C. Outdoor sculptures in Boston Sculptures by Augustus Saint-Gaudens Sculptures of African Americans Sculptures of men in Massachusetts Statues in Boston Union (American Civil War) monuments and memorials in Massachusetts Vandalized works of art in Massachusetts

History

Dedications and inscriptions

In popular culture

References

Further reading

External links