Welcome to the 54th Massachusetts Regiment Museum above displayed are reenactment soldiers standing in front of our memorial located in Boston
The Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation, an executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, is one of America’s most quintessential documents of freedom. This proclamation declared that all slaves held within the treasonous Confederate States were, by law, free and that all black Americans were able to serve in the Union forces.
The 54th Massachusetts Regiment
The 54th Massachusetts Regiment was the first all-black regiment in American history. It was banded together after the Emancipation Proclamation authorized freemen to enlist in the Union army. At the time, this regiment was very experimental and although quite popular among the people, was a harsh determining factor in the future enlistment of other black Americans.
Ad Poster
An ad posted for the 54th Massachusetts Regiment that was possibly displayed in a public setting like a town square or outside of an establishment. This was the first enlistment campaign targeted towards black Americans, after their participation in the military was legalized in the Emancipation Proclamation. This poster offered state aid to families, $13 a month in pay, and $100 after the end of the enlistment.
The 54th Massachusetts Memorial
Above is the 54th Massachusetts Memorial located in Boston, Massachusetts
Fort Wagner
Fort Wagner is located on Morris Island, South Carolina. The assault on this fort was on July 18, 1863. Half of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment was destroyed and the white reinforcements still could not reach victory.
The Battle of Fort Wagner
The 54th Massachusetts Assault on Fort Wagner on July 18, 1863 immortalized the fighting power of this all-black troop forever. 600 soldiers advanced towards the Confederate held fort under heavy fire. By the end of the day, 272 men were either killed, wounded, or captured (including their leader, Colonel Shaw). This battle was a complete loss, but it solidified the 54th’s place in American history.
The First Confederate Flag
The First Confederate Flag, also known as the “stars and bars,” represented the initial seven states to secede and form the Confederate States of America. This flag only flew for three months in 1861.
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis (1808-1889) was a pro-slavery Mississippian Democrat who served in the U.S. House of Representatives before defecting to the rebellious Confederate States of America. After his home state joined the Confederacy, Davis was chosen to be the President of the Confederacy in 1861. He was arrested, but never tried for treason after the fall of the rebellion.
The myth of the black Confederate soldier
The Myth Of The Black Confederate soldier offers false support to the “Lost Cause” narrative of the Civil War. This story holds that the preservation of slavery was not the central goal of the Confederacy, instead the South had an interracial militant force defending state’s rights alone. The truth of the matter is the desperate Confederacy authorized the enlistment of slaves first freed by their master, in March of 1865, but no black soldiers ever saw the field of battle.
