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Audio Stop 410

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A white man in military uniform rides a horse in front of a regiment of five rows of Black troops in this sculpture, which is painted entirely in gold. The artist created a shallow, stage-like space with an arched top so the men are sculpted in three dimensions, though they become more compressed as they move back in space. The men and horse face our right in profile in this view. The man on the horse has a pointed, straight nose and a goatee. He wears a cap with a flat top and narrow brim, a knee-length coat, gloves, and knee-high boots with spurs. He holds a thin sword down by the side of the horse with his right hand and holds the reins of the horse with his left. The horse’s head is pulled upward by the short reins, and its mouth is open around the bit. About twenty soldiers are lined up in rows beyond the horse, and they march in unison. They carry blankets rolled atop knapsacks, canteens, and rifles resting on their right shoulders. However, the details of how their uniforms bunch up around their equipment and the way their caps have been molded and fit is unique to each person. Their ages also vary from young and cleanshaven to bearded, older men. Two men carry furled flags near the back, to our left, and a drummer boy plays at the head of the regiment, to our right. All the men look straight ahead, their lips closed. A woman in a billowing robe floats above them under the arched top of the sculpture with her eyes closed. Her left arm is outstretched, and she holds a laurel branch and poppies close to her body with her right arm. An inscription in the upper right corner is created with raised capital letters: “OMNIA RELINQVIT SERVARE REMPVBLICAM.” A longer inscription is carved into the base along the bottom edge of the memorial, also in all caps: “ROBERT GOVLD SHAW KILLED WHILE LEADING THE ASSVLT ON FORT WAGNER JVLY TWENTY THIRD EIGHTEEN HVNDRED AND SIXTY THREE.” The artist’s signature is inscribed In the lower right corner, in smaller letters: “AVGVTVS SAINT GAVDEN M-D-C-C-C-L X X X X V I I I.”

Augustus Saint-Gaudens

The Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial, 1900

West Building, Main Floor — Gallery 66

Read full audio transcript

The Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial, by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, made in 1900 of patinated plaster. The measurements, including the support, are about 14 feet high by 17 feet wide by 3 and a half feet deep.

This description is just less than 3 minutes long.

This sculpture shows a group of marching Black soldiers. A white officer on horseback rides in the center. It’s sculpted in relief, so the men stand out in three-dimensional form against a flat background. The entire surface is painted a metallic gold color. The overall shape of the sculpture is rectangular, but the upper edge forms a shallow arch. The sculpture is mounted in a dove-gray support with a column to each side and molding above and below.

The central mounted officer rides facing our right in profile. Rows of Black soldiers march in the same direction, towards our right. Above their heads a woman – an angel or goddess – hovers in flowing robes.

Let’s start at the front and move our way back, and then up.

The white officer sits rigidly upright, looking straight ahead over his horse’s ears. He has a pointed beard and wears a floppy, flat-topped cap with a shallow brim. His frockcoat comes down almost to his knees. He holds the reins of his horse in his left hand, farther from us. In his other hand, he holds an unsheathed sword down by his side.

Beyond him, the soldiers march in at least seven rows, though some are partially hidden by the horse and rider. The troops walk side by side, three or four deep. The regiment is led by a drummer, a clean-shaven young man at the far right of the sculpture. The other men vary in age and appearance: some younger and some older, some with beards or moustaches, others cleanshaven. They also wear flat-topped caps, uniform jackets, and loose, ankle length trousers. Each one carries a pack on his back with his bedding roll strapped to the top. A long rifle rests on each man’s near shoulder, creating a bristling mass of upright shafts. They stride forward, looking straight ahead.

The female spirit above flies in the same direction, from left to right. Her left arm stretches forward with her first two fingers extended; she cradles an olive branch and poppies in her other arm. Her robe covers her head and body, and her eyes are closed.

An inscription appears in low relief near the upper right corner of the sculpture. It reads, “OMNIA RELINQUIT SERVARE REMPUBLICAM.” Which translates as: He relinquished everything to serve the republic.  

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