Index to Robert Gould Shaw's Pages

Index to

Robert Gould Shaw's Pages

picture of Colonel Shaw

Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, 1863,
care of Boston Athenaeum.

Robert Gould Shaw is best remembered in history as the brave colonel who led the 54th Massachusetts in their fearless charge at Fort Wagner. But what makes him an extraordinary individual lies beyond this noble deed. In what would be a few months with the regiment, Shaw's remarkable personal growth found him transformed from "an ordinary mortal" to a compassionate and selfless leader who "laid down his life" for his men and "for a race." This is what makes him a true hero.

The Biography of Robert Gould Shaw

"He Laid Down His Life for a Race"

Robert Gould Shaw's Pages

The Raid on Darien, Georgia
The Shaw Memorial

Related Pages at this Web Site

"Storming Fort Wagner"
The Battle of Olustee (Ocean Pond)
Places Seen by the 54th Massachusetts

Shaw's Friend, Henry Lee Higginson

The Biography of Henry Lee Higginson: Page 1, Page 2
Friends of Henry Lee Higginson
Henry Lee Higginson's Soldiers Field Address

The Life Story of Henry Lee Higginson, Part II:
Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

Robert Gould Shaw: "He Laid Down His Life for a Race" - The story of Robert Gould Shaw's life.

The Raid on Darien, Georgia - This page features a letter by Shaw to his wife Annie about the "expedition" to Darien, and also includes a photo of Shaw and of St. Simons Island where his letter was written.

The Shaw Memorial - The bronze relief honoring the colonel and the 54th Massachusetts was completed in 1897 and stands in Boston today. The original plaster cast by artist Augustus Saint-Gaudens is housed in the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish, New Hampshire. A copy of the plaster cast—located in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.—is featured in the photos on this page.

"Storming Fort Wagner" - This famous chromolithograph by Louis Kurz and Alexander Allison, printed in 1890, depicts Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the men of the 54th Massachusetts in their fateful charge on the indomitable fort.

The Battle of Olustee (Ocean Pond) - On February 20, 1864, the 54th fought alongside two other black regiments: the 8th U.S. Colored Troops and the 35th U.S. Colored Troops. This was the largest Civil War battle in the state of Florida, and a terrible defeat for the Union army.

Places Seen by the 54th Massachusetts - During their service, the 54th Massachusetts had been to the following places referenced on this page: Beaufort, South Carolina; St. Simons Island, Georgia; Fort Sumter, Morris Island, and Charleston, South Carolina; Olustee, Florida; and Savannah, Georgia.

The Biography of Henry Lee Higginson - As a friend of Henry Lee Higginson, Shaw is referenced in both pages of this biography.

Friends of Henry Lee Higginson - On this page is an image of Shaw along with a brief synopsis of his military career.

Henry Lee Higginson's Soldiers Field Address - Higginson mentions Shaw among his friends in the address he delivered on June 5, 1890, in which Higginson presented Harvard College a gift of 31 acres of land that he purchased.

The Life Story of Henry Lee Higginson, Part II - These four pages in the Civil War Years section of Higginson's story include references to Robert Gould Shaw.