Robert Gould Shaw and members of the Massachu-
setts 54th Regiment who died in the assault on
Fort Wagner, South Carolina, July 18, 1863.
The 54th was the first regiment of black volun-
teers from the north to fight in the Civil War.
On the back of the monument are inscribed the
names of the mwmbers of the 54th who died with
Colonel Shaw in the cause of freedom and union.
The monument was erected through private
donations and given to the City of Boston in
1897. It became part of Boston African-American
National Historic Site in 1980.
Funds contributed from across the United States
made possible its restoration in 1982 - 84
