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Audio Stop 610

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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

AUGUSTUS SAINT-GAUDENS, SHAW MEMORIAL

         [music: Civil War march]

MALE NARRATOR

         These are soldiers going off to fight in a war. A drummer leads the march. Who is their leader?

         The man on the horse is colonel of the regiment. He too is in uniform and carries a sword. Look at his horse, whose tail switches, and head and neck strain against the reigns. Now, move around the sculpture and study the soldiers’ faces. Some look young, others older. Some have beards, while others are clean-shaven. How would you describe their expressions? Serious? Scared? Determined? Hopeful? Proud? Sad?

         This sculpture memorializes a real event in American history. It shows Colonel Shaw and his regiment as they marched off on May 28, 1863, to fight in the American Civil War. These brave soldiers were members of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment. 1,000 African-American men volunteered to join this regiment to fight against slavery. Their leader was Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, a young white man from Boston whose parents were abolitionists.

What happened to these men? The 54th Regiment traveled from Boston to lead an attack against one of the forts protecting Charleston, South Carolina. Sadly, almost half of the soldiers who stormed the fort were killed, captured, or died later from their wounds. Colonel Shaw was also killed. The bravery and determination of the 54th Regiment earned great respect and inspired other African Americans to join the Union army, eventually contributing to victory for the pro-Union states.

Kids West Building Tour