Glory Essay - the American Civil War

Glory

The American Civil War took place from 1861 to 1865; it is also referred to as the War Between the States. This was and still remains the only war to ever be fought on American soil and between two different regions of America. This war was the cause of the Southern states declaring their secession from the United States and becoming the Confederate States of America, or the "Confederacy." The Civil War ended slavery in America for good and began a new way of life for blacks and Americans as well.

Robert Gould Shaw was the commander of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry composed of all black men. He was 23 when he enlisted in the army and he is from Massachusetts. He supported the idea of colored soldiers and he was glad to take the position of command in the regiment. The 54th Infantry entered the Civil War in 1863. Shaw was killed at the Battle of Fort Wagner when he charged alone and was killed. He was buried with his men on the shore of Massachusetts and is commemorated to this day for commanding the first black infantry ever. He is also very well known for the 200 letters that he wrote to his family and friends throughout the war. All of his letters have been put into a museum and saved to this day.

The 54th Massachusetts Infantry was the first black regimen in the U.S. Army. They were not supported by all and were threatened to be handed back to slavery or even killed. If black men were found fighting for the North then they were put into slavery. If they were wearing the blue uniform, they were killed. Any white men commanding the blacks were killed. The black men learned much quicker than the white men in training and they got paid less. A black soldier was paid 10$ a month while a white soldier got paid 13$ a month. Life was a lot harder for black soldiers than white soldiers because they weren't treated the same and viewed the same as the whites. Most of them were illiterate so it was a lot harder for them to get by not knowing to speak right or read and write. A lot more time had to be put in to training black soldiers because they were like children learning brand new things and learning to do things that they've never known and never been around. All the training paid off when they went to their first battle and ultimately defeated the South. From then on, no one doubted the blacks and they proved themselves through everything.

The Battle of Fort Wagner was one of the toughest fights of the Civil War. Fort Wagner is located on the east coast in Charleston, South Carolina. It stands right by the water on a huge hill and is completely barricaded by walls. In order to approach the fort strategies must be thought up and the approach must be very skilled and stealthy. Robert Shaw sacrificed his regiment to lead the troops of the North toward the fort, meaning that they would be the first to charge. When they did charge, they were all killed almost instantly,