A Glorious Fate: The Life and Legacy of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw

Robert Gould Shaw (1837-1863) is best known as the heroic colonel who led the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment-one of the first regiments of Black soldiers in the Civil War-in its famous ill-fated charge against Confederate Fort Wagner on July 18, 1863. Shaw's sacrifice has been commemorated in monuments, books, and the award-winning film Glory. But before he became a martyr for the Union cause and emancipation, Shaw was a privileged young man who showed little interest in the reform mo...