About this episode

This episode discusses the charge of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment at Fort Wagner during the Civil War and its significance in proving the valor of Black soldiers.

July 18, 2026 July 18, 1863, the Massachusetts 54th Volunteer Infantry charged Fort Wagner, in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, Fort Wagner covered the southern entrance to the harbor and was key to the US government taking the city, The 600 soldiers of the 54th made up one of the first Black regiments for the Union, A Boston abolitionist, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, led the regiment, The men of the 54th knew that eyes were upon them to see how well Black men would fight for their country and they proved that they were equal to any white soldiers, The assault on the fort killed, wounded, or lost more than 250 of the 600 in the regiment, Colonel Shaw was one of the 30 left dead on the field, He was buried in a mass grave with his men, a burial that the Confederates had arranged to dishonor him, but which his family found fitting. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ- Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe You can also find me: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en Facebook…

Topics covered

• Civil War
• Black regiments
• Massachusetts 54th
• Fort Wagner
• military history
• abolitionism

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